# 33 "Vietnam."

Vietnam.
Just a Top Secret man without a plan.
I was young, social, and patriotic too.
Put on a plane, Vietnam is where I flew.
Called it Intelligence? But made no sense to do.
On top secret missions, I flew with the crew.
Popularity of the war, was changing its view.
Separation of the ranks, and the tensions grew.
Notions of race, and throw drugs in the stew.
Boys in their teens, and the weapons they drew.
Are you on my side, do you know who’s who?
Jungled in turmoil, got no answer, have no clue.
Question my loyalty, and I will question you.
Can this really be happening, can it really be true?
Have I lost my mind, or was it just a screw?
When the smoke clears, can the sky return blue?
The reporters failed, to tell it right.
We had to show, a winning fight.
When quotas looked, a bit too slight.
It’s up them hills, with all your might.
Remember the number, is just its height.
Fear no rocket, till the end of its flight.
Flashing about, with a light so bright.
Blasting so close, you feel the fright.
They’ll be no sleeping, at all tonight.
We take no prisoners, was a common phrase.
Collect a few fingers, that will get you some praise.
With a war going on, the jungle was a maze.
You’ll die in an instant, if you let your mind daze.
Will God love me, when I kill that man?
So now I’m asking, if killing is his plan.
This shot will kill, and I wonder if I can.
God spoke quietly; and the adversary ran.
There are no words, for what it’s like out hear.
The air smells of death, and it’s filled with fear.
No time for stopping, or time for a tear.
I kept going forward, marching with my gear.
After a year of war, I need to go home.
And Oh by the way, please leave me alone.
My ability to love, has turned to stone.
To rage and resentment, now I am prone.
When I wore my uniform, I wore it with pride.
It worked real well, when I needed a ride.
By the time I returned, like the changing of the tide.
Now it was a costume, and something to hide.
Jim Raab.