The two words that explained almost everything about being a Marine in Vietnam.
🪖 Brothers In Arms • Field Notes from Those Who Served
Long before Americans began ending arguments with the word:
“Whatever.”
Marines in Vietnam had our own version.
It was:
“There it is.”
Two words.
No explanation necessary.
No argument required.
No optimism implied.
And depending on how you said it, those two words could communicate frustration, resignation, acceptance, disgust, dark humor, or the realization that life had once again decided to do something stupid.
Usually all at the same time.
The Meaning of “There It Is”
If you’re under sixty, you’ve probably never heard the phrase used this way.
But in Vietnam, especially among Marines, “there it is” was our version of:
- whatever,
- figures,
- that’s life,
- what can you do,
- and you’ve got to be kidding me.
It wasn’t a question.
It wasn’t even really a statement.
It was an acknowledgment that reality had just imposed itself upon you and there wasn’t a damn thing you could do about it.
Vietnam veterans developed an entire language of dark humor, resignation, and survival. Similar lessons appear in The Walking Dead Man and The Theft Ring, where acceptance often became its own survival skill.
Example #1: Another Search and Destroy Patrol
The platoon sergeant walks in.
He says:
“Mount up. We’re going back out tomorrow.”
You just came back yesterday.
It’s raining.
Nobody found anything last time.
Nobody expects to find anything this time.
One Marine looks at another.
He shrugs.
He says:
“There it is.”
Translation:
“This sucks, but apparently we’re doing it.”
Example #2: Orders That Made No Sense
Anybody who served in the military understands this one.
You’re told to:
- clean something that’s already clean,
- move something that was moved yesterday,
- dig a foxhole you’ll abandon tomorrow,
- or stand watch over absolutely nothing.
You look around.
Somebody mutters:
“There it is.”
Translation:
“I have given up trying to understand.”
Example #3: Vietnam Itself
Rocket attacks.
Monsoon rain.
Heat.
Mud.
Leeches.
Broken equipment.
Bad intelligence.
Bureaucracy.
Sometimes Vietnam itself could only be explained with two words:
Looking back, many of us eventually realized that some experiences couldn’t really be explained to civilians at all, a theme that appears throughout Ghosts in the Barracks and Boot Camp Didn’t Prepare Me for Vietnam.
“There it is.”
Because once you reached a certain point, trying to explain the insanity became more exhausting than simply accepting it.
The Difference Between “Whatever” and “There It Is”
Today’s version:
“Whatever.”
Usually means:
“I don’t care.”
Vietnam’s version:
“There it is.”
Usually meant:
“I care very much, but I have absolutely no control over this situation.”
One expresses indifference.
The other expresses resignation.
There’s a difference.
The Sound of It
The phrase was never spoken enthusiastically.
It was usually delivered:
- quietly,
- flatly,
- with a slight shake of the head,
- and occasionally accompanied by a cigarette.
Sometimes there was even a little laugh.
Not because anything was funny.
Because sometimes laughter was the only remaining option.
Looking Back
I still occasionally catch myself saying:
“There it is.”
Usually when:
- the government does something stupid,
- technology stops working,
- a website crashes,
- or life generally reminds me that human beings haven’t become any smarter since 1969.
And every time I say it, for a split second, I’m back in Vietnam.
Because some phrases aren’t just words.
They’re time machines.
Continue Exploring: Brothers In Arms
- Boot Camp Didn’t Prepare Me for Vietnam
The first lessons of Vietnam weren’t taught at Parris Island or San Diego. - The Theft Ring
Sometimes the enemy wasn’t where you expected to find him. - The Walking Dead Man
How one decision changed the course of a Marine’s war. - Ghosts in the Barracks
The war ended, but some memories never left. - The Day My Mom’s Babysitter Thought My Vietnam Call Was a Hoax
A long-distance phone call from Vietnam that nobody believed.
Bunker Notice
📬 BROTHERS IN ARMS NOTICE
Military service creates its own language.
Sometimes it’s humor.
Sometimes it’s resignation.
Sometimes it’s the only way to explain experiences that don’t translate well to civilian life.
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