USMC Photo

Rotor Slap

Lying face down in muddy rice paddy without any dry ground,
No way to move as Charlie has us pinned down.
Taking fire for over an hour waiting for the choppers to come in
They are always welcome kinda like a long lost friend.

Bill and Chester are wounded but not very bad
Chester said he had a million dollar wound; best hurt he ever had.
Now Bill made no such comment, as his was the worse of the two
He even let out a curse or two as he waited for the choppers to come though.

Charlie was well prepared this time as we soon found out
Must have known we were coming without a doubt.
Only about five klicks from LZ English
A simple patrol, a short venture we were told; now I only wish.

Must be a platoon of them and well hidden within the brush
Too many of them for this squad to rush.
Holding on no movement can we see
Make a slight movement and a bullet would hit us, we agree.

These choppers are great and we know they will come
Never have they let us down no matter how bad it had become.
We listen as the stench of the manure of the paddy fills our breath
This isn’t the first time the choppers will have saved us from death.

We’ll know before they get here because of that wonderful sound:
A kinda funny slap as the sound hits the ground.
Chester says quietly, "The choppers gave me their position on the map.
Listen, we can hear the rotor slap."

It isn’t long till the choppers are all around
Charlie, wanting no truck with them, decides not to stick around.
Cutting the wind and to our rescue those wonderful chaps
But the best sound of all is that wonderful rotor slap.

©David R. Alexander
March 14, 2003
All Rights Reserved