Letter from I Corp
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Poem by: Mike Keller
My brother's son turned seventeen just the other day
He never knew his father though. He died retaking Hue (Hway)
What do you say to an angry young man who wants some answers 'bout Viet Nam?
What did he fight for?
What did he gain?
There wasn't any fortune. There was no fame.
Some fool said his daddy died in vain.
Johnny broke his jaw. He did the right thing.
His ma sat him down and tried to explain;
Your pa was young and brash, but just the same, he felt commitments to many. There would be no shame.
Nothin's gonna hurt the family name. No, nothin's gonna hurt the family name.
Well it was just before the news
that most terrible of news
that I received his letter, the one with his views
He said Mike, I think our country has put me on the spot
Christ, I can't believe the destruction and the rot
Am I a killer when the triggers pulled or a coward when It's not?
Life is so damn cheap here
this war so undefined
No noble cause exists. We're all just doin' time.
PS
If I don't make it back there to see my son grow tall
I know you'll take him fishin' and teach him to play ball.
But if the day should come when our country goes to war,
You tell him to go off and contemplate; What are we fightin' for?
And if it ain't a good cause and if it don't agree.
You tell him to stand against it and not be trapped like me.
© Copyright 2019 Mike Keller. All rights reserved.
Comments
Very nice! The Vietnam war really was a war that wasn't meant to be fought by the US.
Great poem. The Vietnam war makes a great subject for pointing out issues about wars in general. Good stuff.
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