Why?

Put the machine gun on the knoll find cover at best

Remember the VC are supposed to be coming from the northwest.

Get the claymores out and the flares on a wire

Make sure you have a field of fire.

O.K. remember we will have the element of surprise

Men just wanted you to know “I’m proud of all you guys”.

Wait quietly and don’t move around

Keep low and close to the ground.

Sarge.  This seems like it would be all wrong

You’ve been here longer than me could the brass have been fooled by the Viet Cong?

I guess we’ll know soon now

Set some more guys at the rear anyhow.

The night was hot and humid and full of those pesky mosquitoes

Sarge and I have been together for 3 months now, our opinion always gets a veto.

I have learned to trust this old man of thirty-one years

And maybe he has learned to respect this kid of 20 still wet behind the ears.

Here we sit just waiting for what is to come

Not a sound did we make but my legs are getting numb.

We have been here for what seems like days

But not a thing have we seen through this night fog and haze.

When we thought that nothing was about

From our rear, came gunfire and a shout.

We wheeled to face the enemy force

Many more than we though of course.

The intelligence given was, as Sarge and I feared

Charlie was coming from just the opposite from where we were told he would appear.

We held our own and put up a good fight

But I lost four brave brothers that night.

Now their names are on a black wall

I’m now hard pressed their names to recall.

But the faces and the things they done

Was worthy of heroes each and everyone.

Those four were the first to take the hit

The enemy stuck hard and after 30 minutes quit.

Why did I make it home?

When so many died alone.

A question I have ask myself for many years

And the answer has evaded me with many tears.

On June 16 or there about

Four more left us in this one bout.

No one can answer the question for me it seems

But I still see their faces in my dreams.

Surely some good came of that awful war

If only at some point to make sure there are no more.

©David R. Alexander

June 14, 2003

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