Vietnam, The River Rats, (To Honor Our Troops for Memorial Day)
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2007
by Gary W. Halsey Sr.
All Season Karaoke and D.J.
Vietnam, a cold and dark place,
In a cold and heartless conflict,
Killing those, who had no face.
Where on the water,
We were sittin' ducks,
Will we last another day?
Or run out of luck?
As we moved silently,
Towards the rivers bend,
Movement ahead,
Would this be the end?
I was a gunner;
Behind twin 50's I sat,
Straining my eyes,
To see where the enemy was at.
A marine spotter,
High above in a tree,
Came over the radio,
He was warning me.
"Fire a thirty second burst",
"9:00 Port side"
And I fired my thirty-second burst,
While hearing wounded men cry.
How should I feel?
I would ask myself,
should I care who I kill?
Or put my feelings on a shelf?
I'm a Christian man,
Feeling life’s pain,
Thinking to myself,
"In wars and conflict, there is absolutely nothing to gain.
I am living in a sin,
That is sometimes hard to bear,
I was killing my fellow man,
It's a conflict, should I care?
Thou shall not kill,
Keeps coming to mind.
I want to embrace my fellow man,
Not be so unkind.
"It's either you or them",
Is what I was told,
They never told me,
How I would feel when I grew old.
We are moving further,
I need to be alert,
Or I too would be dead,
Or severely hurt.
With caution we approach,
'Round another bend,
Would the fighting and bombing,
Start all over again?
With a sigh of relief,
No signs of aggression,
Gives me a chance,
God hear my confessions.
If I should die,
In this far away place,
Let us not be dishonored,
Remembrance in disgrace.
In prayer I am consumed,
That I did not heed,
We were again going faster,
Picking up speed,
We're under mortar attack;
We're all over the place!
Cutting and swerving,
Have to leave this space.
The boat behind us,
Getting hit pretty bad,
That's when we cleared the place,
What I saw was pretty sad.
The skipper was killed;
The boat was hit,
Those commie bastards,
Didn't know when to quit.
Once again we escaped,
With our precious lives,
God was watching over us,
Acting as our eyes.
With speed from those diesels,
We got out of there,
This pressure and fear,
Was much for some to bear.
Eighteen long months,
I'm glad to admit,
I have been doing this,
We never got hit.
I owe my life,
And that of our crew,
That with God's help and protection,
We knew what to do.
Don't ever forget this,
I beg of you,
We're lucky to be alive,
And back home it's true!
My prayer to those,
Who served in that place,
Is don't feel dishonored,
Don't feel disgrace.
Like so many before us,
We served our country well,
Hold your head up high,
We came back from hell.
To All my honorable fallen and surviving comrades. God Bless
__________________
by Gary W. Halsey Sr.
Hi Gary!I wasn't in Nam, but I spent 5 years in the Marine Corps in another era. I wish the best to you and your family!Thank you so much Thom for your time reading this poem. It was real, and it was a challenge to write. But I have no regrets, and as a marine, I am sure you can identify with what we are trained to do in the service. I look forward to reading more of your articles as well....thank you so much for reading this.....the best to you and yours as well, your friend in pen, Gary. (I am joining your fan club)!! Take care.
Jennifer, I tried to paint a picture of what it was like in combat. Some folks are lucky enough never to experience these fears and times of uncertainty. Those were scary times back then, and I'm lucky to even be here.....I praise all of those troops that have to go into combat, or those who serve our country one way or the other.....They are to be commended.......thanks for the read, I really appreciate your taking the time, I adore you for it!!!!! Your friend in pen...........Gary.
A very moving and real piece. I only wish I had discovered it sooner.Thanks Ken, I am going back into your archives as well, I bet I find some interesting stuff in there.....Thank you so much for your wonderful comments, and especially your undying support. You are what makes searchwarp what it is...I feel honored to have you as a searchwarp buddy....ever in Tucson, let us know...we (my wife and I, will take you out for some great coffee) Your friend in pen, and fan.....Gary
