外省「老兵」之終結：死亡與哀悼

Abstract

民國一百年，當初隨國民政府遷台而今仍在世的外省軍人都已老邁。來到台灣的他們，是回不去家鄉的流亡者，受雇於國家，在台灣異地歷經各個階段的政治文化變動：解嚴、族群政治紛擾的九零年代、第一次政黨輪替直至國民黨重新執政等。在這一段長長的時間裡，國家如何運用這一批人力、如何擺置這些人在社會中的位置？他們的形象歷經了哪些演變？沿著社會變動與形象演變的脈絡，本文企圖探究外省「老兵」的臨終、死亡與死後對國家和社會具有什麼樣的意義以及國家如何處理、應對他們的死亡，企圖將「凋零」這個詞彙所一語帶過的許多考量、情感與操作等等說明出來。在台灣主體性高張的環境下，外省「老兵」的終結存續了國家的生命。等待生物死亡的發生。等待自然凋零。國家不著痕跡地操作記憶，以為一切就此過去。但死亡不是結束。他們仍是國家內部不召而來的回憶。國家舉辦追悼會收服他們棄絕逃逸的靈魂，要他們再一次為國家盡棉薄之力長眠寶島。最後，「我們」能給予他們的，是「悼念你的孤獨」，而「悼念你的孤獨」只是「我們」自戀式的對在生前就已被判無關的你的感嘆，對那個無關的部分的割捨、送別與修復。

The soldiers who came to Taiwan around 1949 with the KMT government are all very old now (2011). These veterans who were once hired by the Republic of China (the ROC) experienced many political and cultural changes of Taiwan society. The changes and turbulence include the passing away of Chiang Kai-shek in 1975, the lifting of Martial Law in 1987, the violent ethnic politics of 1990s, the first time of KMT’s falling from power in Taiwan in 2000, and KMT’s coming back in power in 2008, etc. In this long period, how did the ROC use these veterans? How did it arrange their position in the Taiwan society? What is the vicissitude of these veterans’ images? Considering the contexts of the changes mentioned above, this essay tries to explore the meaning of the death of the veterans from Mainland China to the ROC and the society and how the ROC deals with their death.