RVN Poetry Page 5

1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

RVN Poetry

by William Hodder

A Company 3/187^th Infantry 101^st ABN DIV

B Company 1/22^nd Infantry 4^th INF DIV

Republic of Vietnam

November 1968 / November 1969

11 BRAVO
LET ME
TAKE YOU
BACK

THE LONG BLACK WALL....

SPRINGTIME AT THE WALL IS BEST

THE BLOSSOMS FILL THE AIR

THE LORD SENDS DOWN A SHOWER

TO CLEAN US FOR YOUR ARRIVAL

WINTERS NOT SO HARSH

FOLKS PLACE THEIR WARMTH UPON US

WE FOUGHT AND DIED

FOR THIS FREE LAND

OUR FELLOW FRIENDS

FROM ALL AROUND

ALL COME TO SEE

AT OUR SACRED GROUND

WE SEE YOU CRY

WITH SUCH COMPASSION

WEEP NO MORE FOR US

IT'S THE OTHERS THAT TURNED

THEIR BACKS ON US

THEY SHOULD HANG THEIR HEADS

WITH SHAME

IT'S HARD TO TALK

WHEN IT GETS DARK

IT HELPS TO HIDE YOUR TEARS

OUR BIRTHDAYS PASSED

MANY A YEAR

BUT YOU STILL COME TO SEE US

WE NEVER WORE OUR MEDALS

THEY JUST LAY THEM ON OUR BREAST

WE LOVED OUR COUNTRY DEARLY

WHILE OTHERS RAN TO HIDE

OUR NAMES ARE ETCHED

IN GRANITE NOW

OUR ARMS ARE ALWAYS OPEN WIDE

AT THE LONG BLACK WALL

**********************

"AND THOSE CHOSEN FEW"

PEACE WILL COME

TO US ONE DAY,

TEARS WILL FALL

BY MANY,

FLAGS WILL FLY

WITH PRIDE

THE SKY WILL

BE SO BLUE,

THE GRASS SO PLUSH

AND GREEN,

BIRDS WILL SING

THROUGH OUT THE DAY,

CRICKETS PLAYIN AT NIGHT,

THEY'LL PLACE A STONE,

ABOVE OUR HEAD,

FOR ALL TO VIEW,

AND ON THAT STONE

FOR ALL TO READ,

"ONE OF THE CHOSEN FEW"

**********************

THANK YOU LORD...

WE THANK YOU LORD

EACH AND EVERYDAY

FOR KEEPING US SAFE

AND OUT OF HARM'S WAY

YOU REMEMBER THAT NIGHT

NOT FAR FROM HUE

YOU WERE THERE

SOME HAD TO GO AWAY

THEN THERE WAS THAT DAY

OUT IN THE BUSH

ALL YOU DID WAS

GIVE US A PUSH

WE THANK YOU LORD

EACH AND EVERYDAY

YOU REMEMBER THAT DAY

IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS

OUT ON THE FLOOR

YOU LAID US DOWN

OUT OF HARMS WAY

WE THANK YOU LORD

**********************

ON A HILLTOP SURROUNDED BY FOG,
NIGHT TURNS INTO MORNING,
IN THIS LAND CALLED VIETNAM.
ANOTHER HOT ONE ON THE HILL.
YOU CLEAN YOUR 16
AND A LETTER HOME.
TWO BUNKERS DOWN
THE'RE PLAYING CARDS,
AND FROM THE SMELL
MAYBE SMOKING SOME WEED.
STARE AT THE WIRE,
LOOK AT THE TREES
CHOPPER COMIN
ANOTHER SHORT TIMER LEAVES,
WON'T BE LONG,
THAT CHOPPER'S, COMING FOR ME

**********************

THE DARKEN'D SKY,

ONCE AGAIN,

THE MOON WAS GONE

BEHIND THE CLOUDS

ANOTHER RAINY NIGHT.

WITH TEAR FILLED EYES

AND NOT BY RAIN,

I TRIED TO SLEEP,

IT WAS CHRISTMAS EVE.

THE SUN CAME OUT

AND DRIED THE EARTH,

MY TEARS WERE GONE ALSO.

CHRISTMAS DAY

ON A DUSTY HILL

WHAT A WAY

TO SPEND

THE HOLIDAYS.

IN A LAND WE CALLED

THE NAM.

**********************

WHISPERS

WHISPERS ONLY HEARD BY THOSE,

OUR DAILY LIFE,

OUR DAILY BREAD,

O.D.'S SOAKED IN SWEAT,

SOME SOAKED IN RED, LAY PEACEFUL NOW.

WE STAND BEFORE, THE LORD EACH DAY,

WE PRAY TO THOSE,

THAT HEAR OUR WHISPERS.

**********************

10 MAY-20 MAY 1969

OPERATION, APACHE SNOW, HAMBURGER HILL:

THEY STARTED UP A HILL IN MAY

THE 10™ TO BE EXACT

THE DAY IS LOGGED IN HISTORY

AND THEN THE RAIN DID FALL

THE MUD AND BLOOD DID FLOW

ALL THE RED WAS WASHED AWAY

BUT THEN THEY DID IT ALL AGAIN

KHAKI OD BODIES LAY IN REST

AND THEN THEY FINALLY REACHED THE TOP

NO TIME TO REVEL

AND JUST LIKE THAT—THEY DISAPPEARED

**********************

11-B'S

THE FEAR WAS OUT THERE

IN THE BUSH

WAS IT JUST AROUND

THAT BEND

OR WAS IT ONLY

IN YOUR HEAD

YOU PUSHED ON

DEEPER, DEEPER

SO MANY TRAILS

YOU HAD YOUR PICK

WE TOOK THE ONES

LESS TRAVELED,

A GRUNTS LIFE

SOMETIMES SHORT LIVED

BUT PROUD AS HELL

FOR WHAT WE DID,

WE ATE WHAT THEY'D

THROW AT US,

AND A LITTLE MORE

OUR MEMORIES ARE

ETCHED IN MATTER

AND THE HERO'S

ON THE WALL...

**********************

WHERE WERE YOU...

WHERE WAS THIS PERSON WHEN RECEIVED OUR GREETINGS/

AND WE COULDN'T VOTE OR DRINK.

WHERE WAS THIS PERSON WHEN SOMEONE THREW A MORTOR ROUND IN A BURN BARREL BY MISTAKE,

AND HIS INSIDES WERE HANGING TO HIS KNEES.

WHERE WAS THIS PERSON WHEN AK ROUNDS WENT WHIZZING BY OUR HEADS, AND COULD HEAR THEM.

WHERE WAS THIS PERSON WHEN OUR POINT MAN WAS HIT,

AND AS HE WAS BEING PULLED UP TO THE MEDIVAC, SPINNING ROUND AND ROUND, VOMITING OVER EVERYONE , WHERE WERE YOU..

WHERE WAS THIS PERSON WHEN YOU WORRIED MORE ABOUT YOUR PARENTS THAN YOURSELF.

WHERE WAS THIS PERSON WHEN THE SUN WENT DOWN AND EVERYTHING MOVED.

WHERE WAS THIS PERSON WHEN YOU WOKE UP IN A COLD SWEAT YEARS AFTER.

WHEN THE NEXT WAR BREAKS OUT MAYBE YOU CAN TAKE POINT,

AND WHEN YOU DO, YOU CAN WEAR MY BOOTS.

H-E-L-L NO, YOU'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO WEAR MY BOOTS.

IF YOU'RE EVER IN D.C. STOP BY THE WALL, TELL THEM YOU'RE SORRY.

**********************

I FELT HER WARMTH...

HONEY, IT'S BEEN A LONG, LONG TIME,

WE WERE GOING TO MARRY,

BUT WE RAN OUT OF TIME.

I CAN STILL SMELL YOUR PERFUME,

AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.

MOM STOPPED BY THE OTHER DAY,

SHE'S REALLY GETTING OLD,

SHE FINALLY HAD THE NERVE,

SHE PLACED HER HAND, UP THE WALL.

I FELT HER WARMTHJ,

I SAW A SMILE,

I THINK SHE UNDERSTANDS,

THAT VIETNAM THING..