STARS N' STRIPES

BATTLEFIELD POETRY

.. BATTLEFIELD POETRY

                                            The Death of a Soul
                                               "Dressed to Kill"
     Did you know that I died in Vietnam?
It was not a bloody death. Only the death of my soul. It was the essence of life that gave wholeness. The link with God and the universe. The inner substance that provides security!

Especially in those desperate hours. It was the Spiritual Self that died. K.I.A. 1968! There was no blood, no tangible evidence, no medal, no letter home announcing the deceased.

No prayers and no tears were shed. Nor has any wall been erected, nor any memorial built.
Nothing! Only a sence of violation. an emptyness a change, an inner void. An ever present sense of loss. the kind of loss you feel when you lose a loved one. A heartache that lingers with you, You are left struggling without your Spirituality or wholeness.
Only Agony remains!

Darwin D. Savage 101st Airborne - Vietnam

"MOM I'AM HOME!"

THE POW-MIA

I'm just a nameless silhouette; nobody knows my face,
Though many of you pray for me each day;
The man you said you won. t forget, in a dark and distant place.
I am the POW; I am the MIA.

I am a Navy pilot; I am a dead Marine;
I am the wounded grunt they couldn. t find.
But I'm living still, and I. m long dead, and I. m somewhere in between, And I can. t believe that I was left behind.

They killed me in an ambush, and they captured me alive,
And I died when my Huey crashed and burned.
They over-ran my unit, but I managed to survive,
And they brought me North in chains when they returned.

They beat me and they whipped me, and they worked me .
til I dropped. To break my will, they made their best endeavor.
When great despair had gripped me, still the torture never stopped, And they told me: . We can keep you here forever..

They told me that my parents died, that my kids were grown and gone; And my wife lost hope, and married my best friend. But there. s a prayer I hold inside, that helps me to go on: That someone still remembers, and you. ll bring me Home again.v

I'm just a nameless silhouette; nobody knows my face,
Though many of you pray for me each day;
The man you said you won. t forget, in a dark and distant place.
I am the POW; I am the MIA.

Tim Murphy 1986


                                     THE INFANTRY
           For centuries I have kept your nation safe.
        purchasing freedom with my men from Tyrants.
        Iam the day of reconing to the surpressed, the
        hope of the future. When the fighting is the
        thickest, there Iam...
                              IAM THE INFANTRY

What Is A Veteran? A "Veteran" -- whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve -- is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to, and including his life." That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country today, who no longer understand that fact.

Do not stand at my grave and weep...I am not there. I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow.....I am the diamond glints shining on the snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain.....I am the gentle falling autumn rain. When you awake in the morning's hush.....I am the swift and graceful rush....of quiet birds in circling flight....I am the soft star-shine which glows at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry....I am not there....I did not die.

Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans

I'm glad I was born in America

I'm grateful that I'm free

But there are those I never thanked

Who fought for you and me

They went away a long time ago

Proud and happy to serve

What they would face when they came home

Was something they didn't deserve

It makes me sad to think about

How disrespectful we were

No ticker tape, no welcome home

God, how did this occur?

They fought for freedom in a harsh land

far away from their home

They lived in conditions far worse

than you or I have ever known

This message comes too late for some

It's so sad but it's true

Thank You, Vietnam Veterans

I'm most grateful to you.

Our veterans are heroes

In time of peace and war

We mistreated the Vietnam Veterans

It's time to say, "No more!"

Don't complain and moan and protest

About what you do not know

Be glad that the Vietnam Veterans

went where you would not go

In Vietnam they fought to free

those who wished to be

We stayed home and closed our eyes

We didn't want to see

If not for those who fought in Vietnam,

Life would be different for me and you.

It's time to say to Vietnam Veterans

Welcome Home, God bless you and thank you!

Â© muldrake 1998

THE FINAL INSPECTION

The soldier stood and faced God,

Which must always come to pass.

He hoped his shoes were shining,

Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, you soldier,

How shall I deal with you?

Have you always turned the other cheek?

To My Church have you been true?"

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,

"No, Lord, I guess I ain't.

Because those of us who carry guns,

Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,

And at times my talk was tough.

And sometimes I've been violent,

Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."

                                 ~Author Unknown~