Vietnam

I am Vietnamese. War is so terrible. We, Vietnamese, need PEACE! I just learned our war in history ..1968 is the year Mau Than Tet Holiday then 1969 Ho Chi Minh died. I can't believe that now I can read a poem was made by a American Solider at that important time. Whatever happened in this war, today it is the past. Vietnam - American..we look to the future! Thanks for this poem!

Thank you for sharing such an emotional piece. I finally have a little time to read your older stuff, likin it.

You have brought tears to my eyes. It reminds me of the second stanza of Edgar Lee Masers' poem SILENCE.
...
A curious boy asks an old soldier
Sitting in front of the grocery store,
"How did you lose your leg?"
And the old soldier is struck with silence,
Or his mind flies away
Because he cannot concentrate it on Gettysburg,
It comes back jocosely
And he says, "A bear bit it off."
And the boy wonders, while the old soldier
Dumbly, feebly lives over
The flashes of guns, the thunder of cannon,
The shrieks of the slain,
And himself lying on the ground,
And the hospital surgeons, the knives,
And the long days in bed.
But if he could describe it all
He would be an artist.
But if he were an artist there would be deeper wounds
Which he could not describe.

...

And yet, you did describe.

~MA~

*HUG* Mr. Attansio...

This was wonderful. Beautiful and true. It brought tears to my eyes. So lovely and heartfelt. The flow was really good, and the language was perfect for it. I especially like the colloquial reference, it added a lot. Just one word too, it's amazing what one word can do. Great job, Mr. A!!! =)

My grandfather served as a Marine in the Vietnam War. I can see the results and the toll it took on him everytime I see him. I may not know what you are going through, but I know it hurts. I can only imagine. Thank you so, so much for your service, and your time dedicated to making this nation what it is and helping so many people. The fact that you fought for people you didn't even know is incredible. Thank you, so much. You are a truly wonderful soul.
Take care!
xoxo
~Ali

this is very good, and very interesting too, as I'm studying vietnam for my history GCSE right now, so it's great to see it from someone who was actually there :)

First off, I just would like to say welcome home! This is on behalf of my dad and all Vietnam Vets deserve to hear this. This poem is wonderful. It has given me a chance to hear and feel what my dad was thinking in 1969. My dad has never stopped figting this war in his head. My sisters, mother, and I never forgot the pain war can continue to bring. I come off sounding antiwar. I am not. I am simply resentful of how Vietnam came to be, and the lasting results of this war nobody wanted to call a war. I am inviting you to read my poem The Son of a Vietnam Vet. It carries a different side of the story, but it is the same. War carries sadness; it brings anger and pain. I also want to thank you for your service, and for this wonderful read. You let me for a moment see my dad as he may have been.

I am richer for your putting this up in Featured Writing. Would never have caught it otherwise. Thank you. Thank you. Kindest regards, Connie

Very well written! And what a reminder of much politics plays in our lives.

Having lost someone in Viet Nam in 1968, I was completely engrossed in this poem. The story of his death is written about in John Plaster's book on Special Forces Operations during the Viet Nam war.

You have gained even more of my respect; not just as a writer, but as VET of that war.

Thank you for your poem.

That last stanza really struck me deep, when you say 'don't ask what it's like, don't even try, to myself I even lie', reminds me of every interview I've
every seen of a war vet when the interviewer foolish asks 'so, what was it like? tell us', and the look of pain that shoots across the face of that vet as he surely recollects a thousand miseries and then merely shakes his head in defeat of explanation, is so emotionally cutting without a single word, that is the image what this poem evoked for me.