|
A VIETNAM VETERAN
by Donnie Harucki-Brennan
I watched him limp as he walked my way.
There was sadness in his eyes.
His clothes were ragged and wrinkled
And time seemed to have passed him by.
He seemed like he didn't belong here
And yet he had been a part
Of a time when the turmoil around us
Tugged violently at all of our hearts.
I tried to offer some comfort
But he gave me half-hearted grin.
He said, "No matter how hard I try,
I just can't seem to fit in."
He looked much older than his 50 years.
I thought back to a time long ago
When he was a handsome young soldier.
Oh God! What if we'd only known.
If we had known of the outcome
Would things be different today?
Would we have turned our backs on the world
Or still sent our young men away?
The mental scars were more painful
When the soldiers came home from war.
Our country considered them outcasts
And cast them aside all the more.
The man said I shouldn't be worried
And hoped he wouldn't offend
But if he had it to do all over,
He'd do it all over again.
He'd be willing, again, to shoulder a gun
And put his fears and his hurt aside.
After all, he was defending his country.
His eyes glowed with a young soldier's pride.
It seems like it was just yesterday
When I spoke with this man who'd been brave.
Now with tears mixed with pride and yet sadness,
I kneel praying at my brother's grave.
|
A FAMILY ORIENTED RETIRED NAVY MAN
by Rick Smith
To be happy, comfortable, and make others smile,
To be around his Immediate Family for a while.
He had a family who cared enough to spend time with him,
Anyone could visit with him on a whim.
To keep war on foreign soil,
To keep America from becoming a boil.
To be honest, faithful, caring, and loyal,
To rest at home in Wilmington, Ohio.
His innocence was lost in the Navy,
Where he:
Wasn't always certain what he was fighting for.
Would find his lifelong Babe and a whole lot more,
Took his Babe to become his Wife to bear his children,
To share his life, beliefs, and a whole lot more.
Harvey made it home, safe and alive,
Into his life he did dive.
He came home all in one piece,
His heart and his mind rested in peace.
He did have a form of (PTSD)Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,
The thoughts of war would not let him be,
Which he kept to himself; shared occasionaly
He shared his Faith with his Immediate Family,
He watched as sibling brothers came to war anew,
Seeing their brothers leaving, tattered, worn, and a few,
Left in body bags, but there was no time to pray in a pew,
To mourn the loss, just hope to live it through.
His Brother kept him from fighting a war,
Where a man’s soul in two is tore,
His Brother extended his stay in Vietnam in order to prevent,
His brother from being sent.
To see Mom, Dad, Family, and Friends again some day,
Is all he wanted, as he would pray.
He too I will see again some day,
When it is time, the Lord will say.
God Bless Everyone,
May Harvey Rest in peace,
And be remembered often in your memories.
|
