RVN Poetry Page 1

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

REUNION THOUGHTS

Don't be ashamed,
That you're a Vietnam Vet,
It's those so called Americans,
That need be ashamed.
We were called...to fight for freedom,
While others slept in comfort,
And a good nights sleep,
So they could wake up,
And protest again.
Remember our Freedom,
And who provided it.

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

With tear filled eyes,
I went to the wall,
With tear filled eyes,
I found your name.
With tear filled eyes,
I touched the wall,
And felt it's warmth,
As silence surrounded me.

I remember you,
As if it were yesterday,
Remember you singing,
"old rugged cross"
Way out in the boonies,
Some forty years later,
I still remember

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

WITH OPEN ARMS

MY ARMS ARE EMPTY

NOW THAT YOU ARE GONE.

I HAVE NO SHOULDER

TO LEAN ON.

SWEETHEART AS I

HOLD THIS FLAG

YOUR PARENTS AT MY SIDE

MY TEARS FALL AT MY FEET

I WON'T FORGET YOU

SWEETHEART

I'LL VISIT EVERYDAY.

IT WON'T BE LONG

BEFORE YOUR SONS BIRTH

TO CARRY ON

YOUR NAME...

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

FULL METAL JACKET

WHEN I FIRST ARRIVED,

ON THAT MOUND OF DIRT,

THEY STUCK ME WITH THE 60.

I LIKED THE FACT, THAT I CARRIED,

A LOT OF FIRE POWER.

I REMEMBER ON OUR FIRST PATROL,

SOME HEAT CAME FROM THE FRONT,

THE LT. ON CALLED YOU ONCE,

YOUR A-S-S HAD BETTER HURRY

MY SQUAD WOULD FOLLOW,

AT YOUR SIDE, '

CAUSE THEY HAD HALF THE AMMO.

WE SMOKED THEIR BUTTS,

ON THAT DAY.

WHEN WE FIRED IN ANGER.

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

MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK

I BELIEVE THE LORD HAS PLANS
FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US.
THAT'S WHY HE SENT
ME TO FORT ORD
WHEN EVERYONE ELSE
WAS GOING TO POLK
BUT WHEN I VOLUNTEERED
FOR NAM,
HE TURNED AND SHOOK
HIS HEAD.
HE LET ME HAVE A
TASTE OF HELL,
AND THEN HE SENT
ME HOME.
REMEMBER THAT TIME
YOU LOST YOUR KEYS
AND THEN YOU FOUND THEM.
YOU WERE PULLING OUT
OF YOUR DRIVEWAY
AND THERE WAS A WRECK
JUST DOWN THE STREET.
THEN HOW ABOUT THAT TIME
YOU WENT TO THE MALL
AND FORGOT YOUR
CHECKBOOK?
THAT WAS HIM,
HE KNEW YOU WERE
OVERDRAWN.
AND THAT TIME
YOU WERE GOING
TO SPANK YOUR CHILD
BUT YOU GAVE THEM
A BIG HUG INSTEAD,
JUST FOR BREAKING
A MATERIAL THING.
MAKES YOU STOP
AND THINK...

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

SHADOW'S

WE CAST OUR

SHADOWS CROSS

THIS GREAT LAND

IN OUR YOUTH

WE HAD A CHOICE,

WE STOOD UP

AND WERE COUNTED,

WE CAME HOME

NOT TO BANDS.

WE WENT OUR

SEPARATE WAYS.

THEY BUILT A

LONG BLACK WALL

FOR THOSE

THAT WERE THE

REAL HEROS.

AT NIGHT WE

DOUBLE CHECK

THE THINGS

WE HOLD MOST PRECIOUS

IN OUR LIVES....

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

RIBBONS HANGING

ON THE WALL

REMIND US

OF OUR YOUTH,

THE PHOTOS THAT

SURROUND THEM

REMIND US OF

THE BROTHERHOOD

WE ALL HAD

IN "THE NAM".

YOU WATCH MY BACK (ASS)

AND I'LL DO THE SAME,

WE ALL CAME HOME

WITHOUT SHAME,

WHERE SCATTERED

ALL ACROSS THE STATES

STILL LOOKING FOR

OUR PAST,

ONCE MORE WE

COME TOGETHER,

ON SIGHTS AND

MESSAGE BOARDS

AND SOMETIME

FACE TO FACE...

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

PSSSST, YOUR TURN FOR GUARD

THE SHADOWS CREPT FROM THE EAST\

GOING EVER LONGER

ON THAT HOT MORNING

AND JUST LIKE THAT

THEY WERE GONE.

THEY'LL BE BACK TOMORROW,

WE MADE IT THRU ANOTHER NIGHT,

THE LP'S ARE RETURNING,

HOT CHOW COOKING IN THE MESS,

HOW LONG CAN THIS HELL GO ON?

WATCH AND WAIT AND CLEAN YOUR WEAPON

AND PRAY FOR SOME CLOUD COVER,

YOU'VE WRITTEN HOME TO ALL YOUR FOLKS,

IF ONLY WE COULD GET SOME REST,

THE SHADOWS ARE RETURNING

ONLY THIS TIME FROM THE WEST

EVER GROWING LONGER,

I HAVE FIRST WATCH AND THEN

I'LL GET SOME NEEDED REST...

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

NOBODY"

WE WERE TRAINED TO KILL

AND NOT LOOK BACK,

LIKE YOUNG JOHN WAYNES'

WE'D GET ON LINE,

WITH BAYONETS FIXED

AND THRU THE GRASS

WE WENT FOR ALL THE GLORY,

ON THE LZ WE WOULDN'T

BLOW OUR CLAYMORES,

AS THE FLARES WOULD POP

WE'D TAKE AIM

WE'D CUT THEM OUTSIDE

THE WIRE,

SOME LEFT HANGING ALL ALONE.

MORNING BROKE,

AND WHO WAS VICTORIOUS,

NOBODY....

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

OUR 'BOOTS" COULD TELL
OF OUR GREAT ADVENTURES,

ONCE BLACK,
AND OH SO SHINY.

THE FNG'S, THEY COULDN'T HIDE
THEIR FEET, BUT IT WOULDN'T
TAKE THAT LONG.

MINE WERE BROWN
WITH LOTS OF DEEP SCRATCHES
BUT OH THEY WERE
SO COMFY.

THE MEDIC, ON THE OTHER HAND,
HAD SPOTS OF SCARLET-RED

THE CO WAS A LITTLE BIT CLEANER
HE HAD TO
KEEP HIS IMAGE.

ONE PAIR, IS ALL I WORE
THAT YEAR
THEY KEPT MY ASS A MOVIN,

YOUR BOOTS COULD TELL
SOME GREAT STORIES
LIKE HOW THEY STOPPED
JUST IN TIME
AND YOU'RE STILL AROUND
TO TELL THE STORY.

AND THEY NEVER BITCHED
OR SAID A WORD
JUST WENT WHERE YOU
WOULD GO

AND THEY DIDN'T
TAKE THAT LONG
TO DRY.

I SLEPT WITH MINE
ON AT NIGHT
MY WEAPON CLOSE AT HAND.

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

YOU'RE NOT ALONE

NOW WE WALK, THE LONG BLACK WALL,

LIKE WE WALKED THE TRAILS,

LOOKING, LOOKING HARD.

TRYING NOT TO TEAR UP,

TAKE SOME DEEP BREATHS,

BUT THAT DON'T HELP .

THEN YOU LOOK AROUND,

YOU'RE NOT ALONE.

THEN YOU LOOK AGAIN,

AND SEE ALL THE FREEDOMS,

THEY DIED FOR,

THEN TAKE ANOTHER DEEP BREATH,

IT'S OK TO SHOW YOUR TEARS,

FOR THEM.

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

BY THE TIME

BY THE TIME
I GET TO CANADA
MY FRIENDS
WILL BE IN BOOT CAMP
LEARNING HOW
TO FIRE THEIR M-16
THEY'LL LEARN ALL
THAT GREAT STUFF
OF SURVIVAL
WHILE I ASK
MOM & DAD
BACK HOME
FOR MORE MONEY
I'LL MEET A REALLY
SWEET FRENCH-CANADIAN
BUT THEY ARE NOT
LIKE THE ONES
I LEFT BACK HOME
I HEAR THEY ARE GOING
TO GIVE ALL OF US
AMNESTY
THEN ALL OF US
COWARDS CAN COME
BACK HOME AND
BE A WAN-A-BE
MY FRIENDS WHO
DIED FOR ME
WILL NEVER KNOW
BUT THE LORD WILL
TAKE CARE OF ME
SOMEDAY.....

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

BREATHE DEEP

I HEARD THE CRACK
THE AK MAKES
THE THUMP OF A MORTAR ROUND
I'VE SEEN AND HEARD
THE FLASH AND NOISE
THAT THE ROCKET MADE
THE SOUND OF A SATCHEL CHARGE
GOING OFF

THE SILENCE THAT THE SUNRISE MADE
AND THE SETTING MOON

BUT WE NEVER HEARD
THE CRIES AND WHIMPERS
THAT OUR PARENTS MADE

LEMLEM
MY LITTLE PAL

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

I VISIT WHERE

YOU LAY AT REST.

YOUR SON IS DOING FINE.

YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN

HIM IN HIS TEENS

SO LOVING AND SO KIND.

HE'S FOLLOWED IN HIS

DADDY'S BOOTS,

HE'S IN IRAQ TODAY,

SO PLEASE WATCH OVER HIM,

AND DON'T FORGET THE TROOPS.

HE'S FIGHTING,

JUST THE WAY YOU DID,

TO HELP A COUNTRY

FIND FREEDOM.

WHEN HE COMES HOME

WE WILL COME AGAIN

WITH OPEN ARMS

AND HEART...

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

WE STOOD TALL AGAINST

THE DARKENED SKY,

ON THAT EARLY MORNIN,

THE FLARES WENT UP,

THEN SLOWLY FELL,

OUR SHADOWS

GREW EVEN LONGER,

NO BUNKER, DID WE

RUN AND HIDE?

WE WERE FIGHTIN

FOR OUR FALLEN BROTHERS

NOT A WHIMPER, NOR A CRY

DID THESE BRAVE SOLES MAKE.

THE CHOPPER'S ON ITS WAY.

WE STOOD OUR GROUND,

ROUND AFTER ROUND,

AND THEN IT WAS

ALL OVER.

THE ADRENALINE SPENT,

YOUR BODY

DRAINED,

YOU SURVIVED,

TO DO IT ALL AGAIN...