我永遠忘不了1949年那個夜晚

第19連抓到一名不願在軍中受苦而逃走的士兵。

連長一聲令下，全連官兵緊急集合。那時已近午夜，我們穿著軍服，
全副武裝。大家祇知道抓到一名逃兵，但不知道接下來要發生甚麼事。

逃兵的雙手用繩子綁住，兩名班長奉命把他臉朝下按倒在地上，
褲子脫到膝蓋下面。連長對全連官兵講了簡短一段話。
接著命令每名官兵輪流用竹扁擔打逃兵屁股，每人一下。如有人
故意打得很輕，他自己就要挨連長的扁擔！

338隻眼睛，驚恐地望著這殘酷的一幕。

風大，天冷！
處罰開始，聽得到扁擔打在他臀部「啪啦」的響聲，起初，
他還竭力忍耐，接著就痛得大聲哀嚎，幾哩外都可聽見。

肅殺的氣氛增添幾分寒意，169名官兵排成U字隊形僵立著，
心情緊張，我的手心直冒冷汗，等候輪到自己來打人。
天色太暗，看得到幾顆星星在天空閃爍，但看不見地上那名
受難者的臉。大家都打完之後，他已奄奄一息，兩個人把他架走！
那年我才15歲，親眼目睹這一恐怖景象！每當我回憶軍中往事，
這一情景仍然歷歷在目。

正因為如此，我心懷恐懼，不敢妄想脫離部隊，一直在軍中呆了
20年又75天之後才奉准正式退伍。

有些人自稱，唯有他們才是228事件的受難者，我希望他們在
發表這類言論之前再思考一下。曾經目睹那種殘酷刑罰的戰友，
多年來，這一驚恐的回憶，一直在腦海裏揮之不去！

在美國，即使判了死刑，法律仍然規定執行時應盡量減少罪犯的痛苦。

我羨慕現在的臺灣青年，你們真幸運，祇須服兵役2-3年，但還是
覺得受到老國民黨政府的迫害！

（15歲的Michael英文原作、克中翻譯）

趙狄在台南旭町營房是入伍生總隊長，發生的事、
是我當學生兵的時候。

(orginal)I could never forget the night in 1948. 
The 19^th company were round up by commander in the night. 
A deserter who refused to serve in the army was captured by CO.

An urgent call was issued for 19th company Round-up immediately.

It was near midnight. We were all in uniform and with gear in our shoulder.

We did not know what would happen and only knew that a man we knew was arrested and laid down with hands tied by a rope. 2 squad leaders pushed him down on the ground with face touched the dirt. His pants were stripped down to his knee. 
Co. commander made a short speech to his men and then ordered each soldiers under his command to whip the deserter' buttocks with bamboo stick扁擔. Any one with faulty whip would be punished by commander himself with same bamboo扁擔 stick.

338 eyes watched the punishment with fear and terror. 
The peach dark air were chill and cold.

When the whip started. You could hear the peeling sound of whip mixed with fabric and flashes.

The 1^st hauling was low and the victim still tried to hold his heavy breath. 
Then the screaming 
"Ooouuu.....started." The screaming of pain could be heard miles away. 
It was a pitch dark and you could only see the shadow trembling with a 
few stars in the sky. 
The terror was mounting and 169 soldiers stood there with stiff back waiting for his term to do the whip. I could feel the ice chilling from the neck to my buttock.
The horse shoe shape formation were quite silent and terrified by the screaming sound in the dark night. All soldiers were holding their breath. My palms were sweat cold and waiting for my term......
I was 15 at that time and witnessed the terror of punishment.
It was dark that we could not see what the soldier's look like.
The air was filled with "Fear" and "horror". 
The deserter was later carried away . 
The scene was still vivid when I tried to recall the incident of punishment. 
That was why I was chickened not to leave the army until officially permitted. 
I served exactly 20 years and 75 days in the army. 
For those who claim that only they were the victim of 228 incident I wish that they think twice before making such a statement. 
Remember those of us witness the terror punishment carries the fear all the years until they leave the services. In America, even the death sentence, the law try
to minimize the suffering time of execution.

I envy those of you who are lucky to serve only 3 years and consider you being suppressed by the old KMT government.