Again Last Night

by John W. Gray

THE LEECHES FAT AND LONG, DRANK AND SANG THEIR SILENT SONG, AS THEY TOOK THE FIRST INSTALLMENTS WE WOULD PAY. THE SNIPERS, THEY TOOK SOME, BUT THE WORST WAS YET TO COME, FOR THE REAL WAR WAITED VERY FAR AWAY. BOOBY TRAPS AND THINGS THAT COULD CRAWL AND BITE AND STING, ALL FOUND US AS WE LAY THERE IN THE MUD. THE MORTARS AND THE ROCKETS SEARCHED FOR US FROM HIDDEN POCKETS AND THEY ALSO TOOK THEIR TOLL IN U.S. BLOOD

BUT OUR COUNTRY STOOD BEHIND US, ALL WE NEEDED TO REMIND US, OF THE REASONS WHY WE FOUGHT IN THIS STRANGE LAND;

SO WE FOUGHT AND DIED AND SCREAMED, AND TRIED TO QUELL THE AWFULL DREAMS

AND WE ENDEVORED TO BUT COULD NOT UNDERSTAND.

WISHING WILL NOT STOP A BULLET, SO JUST GRAB THAT PIN AND PULL IT, AND SAY A PRAYER TO SOMEONE UP ABOVE. PRAY FOR SOMETHING SMALL, LIKE KEEPING BOTH YOUR LEGS, THATS ALL , SO ONCE AGAIN YOU’LL WALK WITH THOSE YOU LOVE.

THEN ONE BY ONE WE HEARD -THE SWEET SWEET SOUND OF ‘FREEDOM BIRDS’, COME TO FINALLY TAKE US HOME WHERE WE BELONGED.

BUT THE TOWNS WERE STRANGELY QUIET, AND THOUGH WE TRIED COULD NOT DENY IT,

THE WELCOME WE’D ENVISIONED WAS ALL WRONG. WE FOUND OUR COUNTRY WAS ASHAMED, AND ON OUR SHOULDERS HEAPED THE BLAME, THEIR CONTEMPT WAS LIKE AN ODOR STRAIGHT FROM HELL, FOR OUR COUNTRY WAS DIVIDED, WE WHO’D FOUGHT WERE NOW DERIDED, WHILE THOSE WHO’D RAN AWAY LIVED FAT AND WELL.

SO WHEN YOU HEAR THE THUNDER, THERE WILL BE NO NEED TO WONDER, CAUSE A SOLDIER UP ABOVE IS ON PATROL, THE MAN YOU SPAT UPON WILL LIVE ON, AND ON, AND ON- IN A PLACE WHERE JUNGLE TRAILS ARE PAVED WITH GOLD.

BUT THE REASON THAT HE WENT BECOMES THE SOLDIERS LAST LAMENT, AS A BLOODY TEARDROP

FALLS FROM CLOUDLESS SKIES, AND HE SLOWLY SHAKES HIS HEAD AS HE REMEMBERS THOUSANDS DEAD, AND HIS LIPS FORM JUST ONE SOUND-
A WHISPERED SIGH.

SGT. E-5 JW GRAY
2/327 ABN. INFANTRY
101’ST ABN. DIV.
68-69