Memories

The winds were eerie, the nights were long,

The days were ours; the nights, the Cong’s.

Fear was my companion, forever near,

Our right to kill was no longer clear.

Jungle so thick you couldn’t see the sky,

The heat so intense your brain could fry.

More manpower and weapons, everything had been tried,

It’s hard to win a war when your hands are tied.

“Why can’t we win this war?” the politicians did moan;

Easy to say with your son safe at home.

“We can’t win this war,” the newspaper said;

Your buddy would have laughed if he weren’t dead.

Someone should talk to those that make the rules,

Let us fight as soldiers, not as fools.

I remember my buddies, my heart filled with pride,

For those that came home and those that died.

Michael D. Monfrooe

1986