Thank You

[jahhead88]

To those of on this forum that served in Vietnam. I officially want to say thank you. I know as a VA employee, I am part of a system that has caused a lot of heartache for veterans, but know this, I do care. I made this up off the top of my head.

I'm more than a name;
on the Vietnam Wall.
I was someone's brother or sister;
their husband, their wife; their love, their all.

I once had hopes and dreams;
I wanted to have a family,
a house with a picket fence.
I died in a far away land;
So you could have those things in my place.

I once had fears;
I worried about the one's I left behind.
They called me a mindless killer;
with thoughts of my future running through my mind.

I was the kid you went to school with;
I was your college roommate.
I received my draft notice;
I went because that was how I was raised.

I went to Vietnam;
I did what I was asked to do.
My friends came home and were spat on;
by those that said they cared.

I died in the rice paddies and jungles;
I guess you could say I was spared.
I didn't have to deal with nightmares;
and being called a killer.
I did not know PTSD; or the frustration of getting adequate treatment
at the VA.


Many years later;
my name was put upon the Wall.
My friends began to heal;
and felt they could stand tall.

Some cruel heart decides to act out;
and deface the Vietnam Wall.
Names are erased.

Yet despite this action;
the undisputed gall.
You can't erase what I stood for;
for what I gave my all.

My brothers and sisters will fight for me;
they will once again stand tall.
And restore the sacredness;
of the Vietnam Wall.


Semper Fi. and thank you for those that went to Vietnam, and for those that have their names on the Vietnam wall.

[davblay]

Thanks Marine, no thanks required from a fellow veteran. Thank you for your service.

[Scottyva]

I am one of the Cold War Marines. One Uncle served in the Corps in Nam. Another Uncle who was in the Air Force perished there and is buried up in Arlington. thanks for your service and the poem.