The Journey

Sep 3, 1970 SPEC 4 Pondexteur E. Williams

Fought, died, over where

To bury you, they fight 'cause

Of your colored hide.

Sep 18, 1970 The Sickened Pilot

Circling where his

Napalm hit, he weeps at the

Sight of burning flesh.

Oct 14, 1970 Thunder

The thunder claps like

Cannon blasts landing in a

Peasant's rice paddy.

Oct 16, 1970 Air Force Blues I

As tears fall, I sit

Needing two arms that are two

Thousand miles away.

Oct 18, 1970 Air Force Blues II

Dreaming of Karen,

Absent from my arms, I weep

Lonely tears of love.

Oct 18, 1970 Eternal Sentry

My heart and soul will

Guard you through the night when my

Arms and lips cannot.

Nov 8, 1970(0530) Air Force Blues III

Here on guard at this lonely post

I think of and long for the one I love most!

It will be less than a month now, maybe,

Until, I see the one who carries our baby!

I wake up nights whispering her name.

Life without her is a losing game.

My body stands here on guard prepared to fight.

My heart and soul are with her tonight.

I wonder if she is getting her rest

And praying to God that she will be blest.

I see her face when I lie in my lonely room.

The wind surrounds me with the scent of her perfume.

To go home to her would cure these Air Force Blues.

Unfortunately, I must follow the rules.

So until I am able to hold you so tight,

I must bid you, My Darling, a sweet good night

Feb 24, 1971 The Married Soldier's Blues

Hey, Mr. Nixon, if your military is going to take the married man,

Why don't you do something to give the guy a hand?

If he is sent overseas, he is placed in a position, where there is no way

To bring his family near him without the costs totaling more than his pay!

When he makes Sergeant, you give him a place on base that's not so up to date!

Because of the cloth on his sleeve, even these a recruit does not rate!

You spend millions of dollars shooting tin into space

And on a war that is losing rather than saving our face!

Do you think you could cut down on your great races and wars?

Could you build some decent quarters for guys who love their wives as you do yours?

Give us a dime raise and you raise taxes fifteen cents more,

However, as patriots we are not supposed to get sore!

I believe that I have got my idea through.

Now, Tricky Dick, it is up to you!

Are you going to take your famous middle of the road stand

Or finally break down and give your troops a hand?

May 24, 1972 The Unanswered Query

Alone he laid dying

From the wound in his chest.

Before him his life was flying,

The joys, sorrows and all the rest.

He heard his wife softly calling:

Calling him to her side.

Thousands of shells were falling

But with a smile he died.

His funeral was ending.

The hero was laid to rest.

His widow's knees were bending.

Voices were echoing his best.

As the mourners start to go,

His son runs to the grave site,

And says "I must ask. I must know.

Has your death made everything right?"

May 24, 1972 One White Rose

On the day that he wed,

He gave her one white rose.

She placed it by their bed

Where, they laid in passion's throes.

When she bore their first child

He gave her one white rose.

It was pure and it was wild

Just the way that their love grows.

Before he said goodbye,

He gave her one white rose

And he told her not to cry

For his love is where she goes.

Before she parted from his grave,

She gave him one white rose.

His memory was all she could save

From the hundreds of crosses in hundreds of rows.

May 25, 1972 Captain John West 1-2-70

Inscription

On a copper band.

The name of a brother

In enemy land.

I know nothing

About you or your kin

Nor anything about in which

Part of Hell you have been.

I jockey a truck

Not far from my home,

While you bravely face

Your ordeal alone.

While thousands of miles separate us

And to others you are only a name,

I feel a bond of brotherhood

Between us just the same.

For my mind and heart

Shall not rest till the day

You are returned to your loved ones

And this band is stowed away.

***His remains were eventually found***

July 10, 1973 Impressions Of Thailand

O, Land of cobras; wats; and wais;

Rice bugs; hooches; and monsoon days;

Buddhist priests and samlars galore

These visions of my mind do not ignore.

I endeavor not to walk the streets at night,

For fear of being felled by the cobra's bite.

My health and morale are quickly waning

From all this heat and incessant raining.

Even though I consider your climate a curse,

You suffer from one that is far worse.

I could enjoy your country very much,

If Americans did not ruin what they touch.

Though many of your people do not show their hatred straight out,

Their hatred could be justified there is no doubt.

We have made whores of your women and thieves of your men.

When we withdraw where will your economy be then?

Their silent patience wins my highest praise.

I am sure that they have seen better days

When GIs did not fondle their women on the street

And treat their men like so much trash at their feet.

When men ruin their brother's land

It is hard for them to walk hand in hand.

Perhaps we will change our foolish ways,

So, I can walk with pride in the land of wats and wais.

April 14, 1976 A Statistic's Prayer

I did not believe in war

However, my life is no more!

I was downed by a shell running wild!

I left behind a wife and child

They sent her the medal from my chest

And laid me beneath the ground to rest.

They told her, but she could not see

That I had died to keep lands free.

At night, she cries and calls my name.

The child in her womb mourns the same.

Years have passed and my son has grown

And now has a wife and child of his own.

He goes to war, as did I.

Is it his turn to also die?

How many bodies will lie upon foreign ground

Before Man realizes his ignorance and turns around?

Their souls in Hell will surely burn,

If Mankind soon does not learn

That to stop blood spilling upon the land

Christ must rule the heart of every man.

Dear Lord, end this madness, so no more of my brood

Will meet their end by a means so crude!

Pour Thy wrath upon this sinful show

So widows' and orphans' tears no longer flow.

June 5, 1978 What Is An Outstanding Supervisor?

To completely describe a superior boss,

I cannot find appropriate words. I am at a loss.

There is at least one thing that is certainly clear.

There is none better than the one we honor here.

He is not a mother hen or a worry wart

Nor does he try your goals to thwart.

When you need him, he is a willing ear.

When you can handle it, he stands clear.

He is not a tyrant, oppressive, or downright mean.

He just runs his shop like a well oiled machine.

He will stand by you when you are wrong or right

And makes you feel like you are special in his sight.

Yes, he is just a man, but a leader of men

And, we will not see one like him ever again.

Time moves on and we all shall depart,

But, Mel, forever you will hold an honored place in our heart.

​

Dedicated to SMSGT Melvin Harper, USAF

July 4, 1987 America's Victory

San Juan Hill, Ardennes, Iwo Jima, Pork Chop Hill, The Tet,

From mounted horse and saber, to A bomb and supersonic jet.

Our country's freedom has been challenged time and again.

Many seas and lands have been bloodied by patriotic men.

The sometimes tattered but cherished cloth of stars and bars,

Symbolizes the firm belief that the people rule, not Kings or Czars!

From the shot heard round the world of Concord's ragged band

To the steamy unpopular jungles of South Viet Nam's land.

Each time tyranny knocked at the Republic's wall,

Thousands have risen to answer Freedom's call.

Though often from those brave men life itself was torn,

They knew that it was better to die free than live under slavery's scorn.

Yet, who has really won the glorious victories of this land?

They were men of prayer and faith with Bibles in their hands.

While men of duty are needed and the desire to be free,

There is no true freedom save at the foot of Calvary's tree.

Soldiers will falter and weapons will fail.

Only faith in Christ will weather every gale.

Oh, America, Land that I love, may it ever be said of thee

That you're a nation under God then forever you will be free!

May 21, 1989 Cadences

2d Bn, 2d Bn, where, you've you been?

Standing outside the High School gym.

What were you doing there?

Hanging around to joke and stare.

Park those cars all in a line!

Stand around during PT time.

Roll under the gate and suck it in,

Going to find out if you're fat or thin.

Stand around and joke, everybody!

Look like a jerk, everybody!

Hey, Hey, all the way,

We look dumb everyday!

I don't need my Dad or Mommie,

To go out and kill a Commie.

If he wears a star of red,

He'll look better when he's dead.

We don't mind another war,

Even in El Salvador.

We're willing to fight, die and bleed,

So others can be freed.

If I die in old Iran,

At least I kicked the Ayatollah's can.

Bury me beneath the sod,

Commit my soul to a righteous God.

You may be mentally able and physically fit,

But if you aren't Admin, you're a twit!

Viet Nam or Lebanon

It's all the same when you're dead and gone.

I'll be proud when I'm laid to rest

Because I know did my best.

Come on take me, I'm ready to go

To drop a bomb on Gromyko!

And while that bomber is aloft

Let's send a few to Andropov!

If you're that kind of fellow,

Who's back is made of solid yellow.

You're nothing, but a fly

Who lives off us who proudly die!

I'm not a Marine, cause I am mean,

But because I'm the best! Yes, I'm the cream!

If you're afraid to spill some blood.

Join some other branch! Do you hear me, Bud?


Dec 24, 1990 Cadences II

If I die in Baghdad, Iraq,

At least I broke old Saddam's back!

He took Kuwait and hogged the oil

And made the nations' blood to boil!

He's taken many an innocent life.

It's time to make a widow of his wife.

Ten thousand miles ain't too far to travel,

When the time is right to smoke a camel!

I like tea. I like coffee.

I like shooting at Khadaffy.

My greatest joy when I awake

Is firing a missile at that old flake.

Awake, O Khadaffy, arise and see

The bombers over Tripoli,

Hang on to your silver chalice

'Cause we're bombing the royal palace.

CHAPLAIN CADENCE

John 3:16 promises a heavenly trip

If I believe on him with my heart and my lip.

Gonna take my Bible in my hand

And start my trip towards the Promised Land.

The Cross before me and the world behind.

Gonna take the Gospel to all mankind.

Jesus, Jesus I believe

That for my sins you did bleed.

When the Devil tells me there's a sin I need

I fall on my knees, God's power to receive.

Hey, Hey, all the way!

Live for Jesus everyday!

1/29/05 He Has Fallen

Young Marine Bobby lies still.

His war is over, yet he

Lives in honor in our hearts.

(In honor of Cpl. Robert P. Warns, II of Waukesha, WI, who finished his duty 8 Nov 04 in Iraq) SEMPER FI!!!!

12/16/16 For My Warrior Brethren

I did not die and I do not regret.

I served and now live as a Vet.
For those who lie in the grave

I will lift my voice to rave.

They died that freedom might win.

I am proud to call them my kin.
Uniforms came in several colors

But all of them clothed my brothers.

Some fell in burning sand or mud

Others from the sky shed their blood.
Some their bodies we shall never see

For they lie in the depths of the sea.

Let's not forget our sisters brave and true

Who walked the paths of Hell to die too.

God bless those heroic angel nurses

Who kept our boys from filling hearses.

One dear sister in World War II

Knew what she had to do.

A grenade in her bra she did place
To slow down the enemy's pace.

How many soldier's round her gathered

And had their bones and blood spattered?

They grabbed at her in their evil lust

Only to be turned to bloody dust.

All her sisters escaped that day

Because she walked the warrior way.
Her story they would tell to one and all

Thus she lives on many a heart's wall.

Some came home. at least in part,

For the war never left their heart.
Some did not come back physically whole

Others came back with a sad wounded soul.

My brothers and sisters gave their all.

Will you answer when your duty calls?
I praise their lives and I do not regret

That I'm their brother, an American Vet.

Feb 16, 2018  I'm A Marine

Be it dunes of sand or jungle green

For my country I'll send you to Hell.

Because I'm proud and I'm a Marine!
I will do my duty and do it well

My brothers will always have my back.
We fight side by side in pools of red.
My loyalty to the Corps will not slack
Until I rest with the honored dead.

Some call me Jarhead and some Gyrene,
But me they call in to do the deed.
I rise to war for I'm a Marine
Red, white and blue is what I will bleed!

When it comes for me to one day die
Carry me down to that field of green,
Fire the volleys and shout, “SEMPER FI”
On my stone say, here lies a Marine!

June 12, 2018 Old Salt

Some fight in the air or on the ground,

But the salty waves is where I'll be found.
Like the mariners so long ago
I will strive to be a seaman 4 0

It may be a carrier or a destroyer

Where I will be a worthy warrior.
I may send off a plane to beat the foe
Or protect the fleet from a sub below.

I may transport a squadron of F18s
Or a battalion of Devil Dog Marines.
On many lands my eyes may feast

From Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Be it battleship, carrier, frigate or tin can
For God and country I will stand,
When my time is done and battles fought
I'll gladly bear the title of Old Salt.

3/5/21 Wasted Blood?

So many died to give us rights.

We vote to turn out Liberty's lights.

Not sure who is the real blame

But our society is so very lame.

I fear so much blood has been wasted

To give the ungrateful, freedoms they've tasted.

We are not perfect that is so very clear

Yet people break laws to come live here.

I am an old hippie and want power for the people

But we really need to turn back to God and steeple.

Little by little are freedoms are being taken.

It may be too late by the time the people awaken.

I took a trip to Thailand compliments of Uncle Sam.

If you do not know, that's next door to Viet Nam.

I have served from Nam through G/I/A

And am very glad I live in the USA.

Some folks need to go and live as a native

In many other lands to be more contemplative.

You may return home as I did being very glad that day

But mourning for the rights and freedoms you gave away.

Prompt - "Oh pity the people who allow their rights to erode and their freedoms to be washed away." - Lawrence Ferlinghetti

3/25/21 Kandahar

One hundred nine all day.

It gets hot in Kandahar.

Twenty in the nights.

4/13/21 22 A Day

Twenty-two of my Vet
brothers and sisters
struggle with nightmares, depression
and rejection.
They fight hard until
the gun goes bo...

4/17/21 Death Before Dishonor

From Roman legions onward

There has been a shared war cry

Death before dishonor drives forward

The brave and bold to gladly die.

​

Many a nation has had to settle a score

And sent the brave and cowards off to bloody war.

For God and country, God and Dixie of just for God

Are lively chants they sang as through paths of blood they trod.

The only good Commie is a dead commie

So we fight and die for Dad and Mommie.

Indeed, these chants make our blood to boil

Whether we fight for freedom gold and oil.

​

War is Hell and this is definitely no lie,

But at times all Hell must rage and heroes die.

Fly! Fight! Win! was my active duty battle cry.

I would do it again even if I would die.

​

If good men would no longer die when the cause was right

Evil men would reign unchecked bringing the darkest night.

I will not run nor forsake my gun until my final sigh

Still the guard so the weak and the innocent will not unjustly die.

Aug 6, 2021 Old Sarge

Being I am retired military
It seemed to be best
To use what has been
A major part of my life.

True, I have been
Many things in sixty-eight years.
Old Sage was my nom de plume,
But that assumes that I have wisdom.

I could have used Old Hippie,
But that passed a long time ago.
I grew up and had to face
The reality of this world.

I could have used Old Parson
But fewer may have read my poems.
Old Tired Cowboy could have fit
As many other names as well.

But many, many years
From Nam to Desert Storm.
Old Sarge seemed to fit
As describing my life's norm.

Sep 7, 2021 My Brother' Memory

I am an only child.
I have many brothers.
How can that be?
He who fights with me
Is my brother forever.
We took a solemn oath
To God, country and each other.
Our lives and our blood became one.
Many of us lie in foreign sod.
Our location known only by God.
Many of us came home without parts.
Many came whole in body, not in mind.
I stand for the flag.
I kneel at the Cross
To honor the brothers I have lost.
Twenty years I served with heroes.
I would go again for my brother's memory.

Prompt: My Brother's Memory 99 words © 4 mont

Sep 7, 2021 Afghanistan

The thunder of jets and pounding of the Black Hawks will be absent from the skies. No more lightning tracers piercing the night. Twenty years my brethren died to keep the enemy at bay. Now it is over. Your Nam brothers understand and will walk with you in the aftermath.

Nov 7, 2021 Old Sarge

Why my nom de plume?
Twenty years in uniform
Being called Sergeant.

Nov 7, 2021 PTSS

Black and blue bodies heal quickly, but minds drowning in the blues because of all the bloody red bodies they have seen slowly rise out of blackness or never do.

Nov 7, 2021 Warriors

Those who sung the warrior song
Must be sung of when they're gone.
Without them their would be no song to sing
Unless it be one of grief and suffering.

Some gave it all up, so you could still live
A time of memory is not hard to give.
Some came back at least, in part,
Limbs gone, and their minds torn apart.

While the war is on we sing their song,
But forget so quick and that's so wrong.
I have seen widows' and children's tears
And through them the dull eyes of fear.

Somehow in spite of that mother's moan
Her children will thrive until full grown.
That man or woman with PTSS
May succumb to the daily pain and duress.

It's fine, enjoy the freedom they gave.
You need not pause at their honored grave.
Laugh at the crazy man in Veteran hat.
They served knowing it might come to that.

Toss away what sacred blood bought
By that searing bullet they caught.
Turn from that scarred, scary face.
It is their honor and your disgrace.

Nov 8, 2021      GIs

When I was a "circuit riding" preacher, my motto was, "Have Bible Will Preach." I loved this show!