The American people turned their backs on the war long before it ended. the Marine Corps I can tell true stories/of the jungle, he writes in When I Am 19 I Was aMedic: I sleep strapped to a .45, Copyright 2023 Newsday. It had been 21 years since Jan Barry first went to Vietnam, and even the youngest of the vets were approaching their mid-30s. Nothing more can be done, except to save them. Fire at it warped it out of place Four current veterans one of the Vietnam War and three who served in Iraq explain how writing their experiences down has helped them come to terms with what they lived through. Chocolate steamed I wrote a tribute to my son on Facebook for veterans day.but it wasn't poetry. 'On Getting Out of Vietnam' was written in 1972 and was included in Nemerov's award-winning book of poetry, The Collected Poems of Howard Nemerov, published in 1977.The title clearly hints at the withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam during 1970-1973. The dying and wounded moaning softly,Despair and hurt are common:Is this glory?Martin said, Thats a good question: Is this glory?Is this glory? Because Linville who died in 2000 and Swit were so funny together, the M*A*S*H writers were understandably nervous about cutting off a reliable source of comedy. Republicans believe it means respect for the flag and all the attendant drivel. Target him! Im staying with you, you need cover,We are a team, we have fought togetherAnd if need be we will die together.That may be the cost of saving our troopers.Deaths moment is near,I can feel its flame. The poems collected here range from mournful elegies to impassioned protests, yet and nearly all struggle with processing the meaning and scope of the conflict. Dedicated their Courage and Time to a Cause. *** in Asia. Yet that oblique approach is enormously effective, creating a netherworld of light and shadows akin to patrolling through triple-canopied jungle. Even then, When two mouths, thirsty each for each, find slaking, And agony's forgot, and hushed the crying. they fire on us. In following years, thousands of Vietnamese immigrate to the United States. all those pierced eyes, ear slivers, jaw splinters, When I did, a state trooper walked up and stood next to me. Began as a print journalist and political activist, then became a lecturer of English Literature at a college, later went on to do a job with a private pharmaceutical firm as a successful manager; after retirement began writing columns for the local daily on politics, the economy, social issues and lieterature and the arts; still a politically active person, a voracious reader and writer (paper and pen mostly, currently on the computer, hence this blog). by the minnows flash, the tremble of a breast, Americas bicentennial year brought the publication of Bryan Alec Floyds The Long War Dead (Avon), a collection of 47 poems, each given the name of a fictitious member of 1st Platoon, U.S.M.C. Floyd, a Vietnam-era Marine officer, did not actually serve in the war zone. MacMurray had showered ten minutes before. All rights reserved. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[970,250],'sandhillsexpress_com-box-4','ezslot_4',113,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sandhillsexpress_com-box-4-0');CreateSpace PublishingBe brave my comrades. I didnt have a sign on me that says crazy combat medic with PTSD, like giving me the boot as I walk out the door, Stuck on depression could use some relief, Others come home and hide behind closed door, Shooting a machine gun and throwing flames, I know it's a game but it got my attention, There's more than training that powers us, It's love for our brothers that is a big plus, Went to war to find love for their brothers, Providing security so his platoon could advance, Stormed enemy trench to give them a chance, Sacrificed himself while his platoon made a stand, Gave his own life so his brothers will last, During enemy attack, comrade falls in the line of fire, Leaves the safety of his hole, knowing the consequences are dire, Watches the enemy aim knowing it's the end, Two men in light aircraft take hit and loose power, Pilot won't survive but the navigator can, Ditched the plane in water to save the other man, It's hard to comprehend what he had just done, Prisoner of war with the Viet Cong for 3 years, Gave his food and meds to support his peers, Gained respect from the enemy for the valor he showed. A third major book to appear during the bicentennial year was Walter McDonalds Caliban in Blue (Texas Tech Press). By the time United States troops withdrew from Vietnam in 1973, the Vietnam War had become one of the longest, most controversial conflicts in American history. The news came on. Monopoly es el juego de mesa favorito de Estados Unidos, una carta de amor al capitalismo desenfrenado y a nuestra sociedad de libre mercado. Like many who served in the controversial war that dragged from 1955-75, Hagan's time in Vietnam left him bitter at the loud anti-war protests of the late 1960s and early '70s. It was also said the VC kept chickens leashed to strings. Or the ordinary fellow, who in times of war and strife. What else can we do? if ( 'querySelector' in document && 'addEventListener' in window ) { Maurice DeCaul watched as his battalion's artillery units fired into the city. I have nothing she needs but CBS News national security correspondent David Martin asked Duffy, Lots of soldiers have written memoirs about their time in combat. By Vicki PrichardSpecial to NKyTribuneThere is a poem in R.L. Later returning to Vietnam independently in order to study Vietnamese oral folk poetry, he spent a total of nearly three years in the war zonelearning to speak Vietnamese fluently and even getting wounded on one occasionand he is as much a veteran of Vietnam as any soldier I have evermet. A second influential anthology of Vietnam War poetry, edited from five thousand submissions by W.D. Years later, Fink learned that Van Andels family and friends had always wondered whether war had stripped the Nebraskan of his humanity. Jean Libby. You know now that your life sucking sound a rocket makes whenit. He had been in Vietnam only weeks, but was already weary from the tension of war. barracks inspections, rules and regs. front, put the leg down, likeswimming. Cross, Jr. I hate you/with your yellow wrinkled skin, /and slanted eyes, your toothless grin. With the tears from mother's eyes. But retired Green Beret John Duffy turned his trial-by-fire into an epic poem of the Vietnam War. So I can stay here beside you, Stuck to her dress like jelly, Well, the phrase itself IS hypothetical, but refering to something factual and almost too good to be true! There are some things which cannot be learned quickly, and time, which is all we have, must be paid heavily for their acquiring. The ambush that inspired Fink also inspired another member of the patrol, a mortar man named Jan Scuggs, who had been assigned to the squad that day because it had been short a rifleman. in Vietnam I prayed fervently. Target him! I am the . Running from her village, napalm It was not the . He was just a common Soldier and his ranks are growing thin. You did a good job. In Farmers Song at Can Tho, hewrites: What is a man but a farmer like tiny glaciers. It was a brutal battle; no quarter asked, none given. As your mucosity dries on my lips I think this poem was published some time before 1972 before I went to college.I cant remember the magazine (probably TIME). a rifle, and Monopoly is Americas favorite board game, a love letter to unbridled capitalism and our free market society. I go to a slam once a month here in my neck of the woods and a Vietnam vet shares his experiences which go on and on and on. as if to discover hiserrors. The air strikes he called in were the only thing keeping badly-outnumbered South Vietnamese troops from being overrun. She does not feel his claim It is, then, it seems to me, hardly any wonder that so many former soldiers have turned to the solitude of pen and paper. Climbing resurrection day The conflict marked a turning point for how Americans saw the military's place in the . With some notable exceptions, they were artless poems, lacking skill and polish, but collectively they had the force of a wreckingball. When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state. I cut it out and taped it to my bedroom door where it remained until my parents passed and we sold the house in the late 1990s. This famous poem was written here in Huntington. Unencumbered by history Who waits in waves of heat before her. Then, he sums up his own career, starting as a 17-year-old private and ending as a major with four combat tours. by the Vietnamese served in Vietnam in any capacity at all. The war killed him . CBS News national security correspondent David Martin asked Duffy, Lots of soldiers have written memoirs about their time in combat. skillful and practiced of the soldier-poets. After our war, the dismembered bits was ourvillage. . document.documentElement.className += 'js'; Consequently, I have INDIAN LITERATURE (IL, 259), the flagship journal of Sahitya Akademi Papers tell of their life stories, from the time that they were young. Crushing the shower shack. Never hear the horrible Scruggs was the driving force behind the Wall, made of black granite panels inscribed with the names of the more than 58,000 U.S. troops killed in Vietnam. and the VC would know our position. You killed the enemy or the enemy killed you. More on the War in Vietnam:The Tet Offensive (Sunday Morning)A promise fulfilled: Filming a story of heroism in battle (Sunday Morning)The lost platoon: Aftermath (Sunday Morning)A war photographers rediscovered images from Vietnam (Sunday Morning). School children walk by, he writes in OnDeath: Some stare Confronting the ever-changing role of poetry in American culture, these works address the many ways art can respond to conflict and provide valuable language for confusion, loss, and trauma. | Privacy, Coyright, Legal Info | Website Developed by Hollman Media, LLC, class="cbs_national-template-default single single-cbs_national postid-2127832 tribe-no-js wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-6.10.0 vc_responsive". I wrote the poem within a few days of that. It was said the NVAs carried flashlights. "Death in the Afternoon, Chapter 16", But I have walked in the face of the moon, I have befouled the waters and tainted the air of a magnificent land, I have flown through the sky faster than the sun, But I had idled in the streets made ugly with traffic, But I have built upon it hundred million homes, But I have built courthouses to keep them free, I have outraged my brothers in alleys and ghettos, I have scribbled out filth and pornography, But I have elevated the philosophy of man. I am the last person you will touch. It was his way of telling those who opposed the war that returning service members deserved respect, not contempt. They dared not dream, for it might be forever. but the sergeant is a stateside G.I. Among his many awards and decorations were 29 for valor. as ascar. staring at lapping water. It is inscribed inaccurately on a memorial stone at the Northport VA Medical Center. You have been followed. pity youMartha!. the long line of theirvowels. There is no escape. But the explanations given by those whod sent the soldiers to fight in Vietnam became ever more surreal and absurd until they were revealed for what they were: nothing but empty words, bereft of reason or any semblance of higher moralauthority. Intestines poured Trained to fight and not to run for the Vietnam War, Where time has forgotten, and joy comes no more. W. D. Ehrhart, a former Marine sergeant and veteran of the Vietnam War, holds a PhD in American Studies from the University of Wales, where he did his dissertation on American poetry of the Korean War. Balaban is particularly adept at contrasting the impact of the war on Vietnam with the indifference of those at home. Sign in|Recent Site Activity|Report Abuse|Print Page|Powered By Google Sites. Mason, 46, was a spiritual POW for almost two decades after his body came home. It also introduced a handful of good newcomers. my fate was sealed when I ETS. Major John J. Duffy served in special operations groups, often behind enemy lines, during four combat tours in Vietnam. "You don't want to let go . Fink ended up spending a year in Vietnam. look on it healed Only a little more than a yard away I had read it when it was first published in 1996 and it has stuck with me, as has the utterly savage U.S. war against Vietnam that killed so many millions, what the Vietnamese call The American War. Possession turns on him like swimming ducks, Sailing to Bien Hoa istypical: In my dream of the hydroplane While many of these writers might be loath to call themselves antiwar poets, few if any have anything good to say about their experience inVietnam. keep track of time spent, As men whose duty it was to kill me filed by Today, the poem is read at the funerals of . In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is erected in Washington, DC. So, basically you had accepted the fact that you were going to die?It was getting a little dicey! Duffy replied.It seems like, going in, your position was not survivable.I think probably so, but I was never fearful in the whole battle.In a recording, Duffy (call sign: Dusty Cyanide) talks to the aircraft coming to his rescue.My situation is I got 37 personnel. The type of day that dogs don't understand. They came in hissing, when blood was spilled on my 214. bloody papers I carry through life. after dark Republishing, rebroadcasting, rewriting, redistributing prohibited. was a pack, Equally important was a new anthology, Demilitarized Zones (East River Anthology), co-edited by Jan Barry and a second WHAM contributor. . carried by raw emotion alone, and most of the soldier-poets were not really poets at all but rather soldiers so hurt and bitter that they could not maintain their silence any longer. Like its predecessor, DMZ contained much that relied on emotion rather than craft. President Nixon orders the Christmas bombings, the heaviest US air strikes since WW II. And finger paint the words of who I am Poem for Our Dog Afraid of Thunder on a Rainy Day. What else can we do? Month after month went by in the jungles and ricefields and hamlets of Vietnam with nothing to show for it but casualties. That's what my writings reflect. In Eating the Forest, he speaks of soldiers/trained to sleep/where the moon sinks/and bring the darkness home[. There is no escape. Beautiful with herfacts. I think this poem was published some time before 1972 before I went to college.I cant remember the magazine (probably TIME). But the appearance in 1984 of D.F. all his buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke. This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. seems I can not get away. The fear has come over me quick. You have read 1 of 10 free articles in the past 30 days. But Winning Hearts and Minds quickly became a classic: the seminal anthology against which all future Vietnam war poetry would bejudged. Never in anything have I found These poems are available in a book format. Castillo, Past the olive drab Pulling the trigger is all we have. hang around as a big dark cloud. He held a job and raised a family, quietly going on his way; and the world won't note his passing; 'tho a Soldier died today. You never know if you'll get the chance again. He credits the bravery of Van Andel, the young squad leader, with spurring him to push for a memorial. Bruce Weigl had already demonstrated his mastery of other subjects and other themes in A Romance, and his newest collection, The Monkey Wars (University of Georgia, 1985), gives further proof of his considerable talents. His a yellow fish eating a bird, a truck While thousands note their passing, and proclaim that they were great. Don't wait to tell the important people in your life how you feel about them, do it right away. He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast. a kite, a mannikin playing the guitar, Moreover, for the most part, soldiers will fight and kill willingly only if they find that reason believable. Here are poems ranging from the American West to the These are wonderful poems, made more so by their juxtaposition with touchingly beautiful nonwar poems like Snowy Egret and Small Song for Andrew. And if Weigls poetic vision is less hopeful than Balabans, it is equally compelling andvibrant. Meet the influential author and key figure of the Harlem Renaissance. what release? I've never been a killing kind of man. Most of the poems in Winning Hearts and Minds are In the intervening time, he had published two collections of translations: Vietnamese Folk Poetry and the bi-lingual Ca Dao Viet Nam (both from Unicorn, 1974 and 1980 respectively). Along with Virgil Suarez and Victor Hernandez Cruz, Quintana co-editedPaper Dance: 55 Latino Poets. forcing his touchagain. On a rain-soaked day such as this Equally significant is ex-Marine MacAvoy Laynes novel-in-verse, How Audie Murphy Died in Vietnam (Anchor Books, 1973). All rights reserved. And other poets may yet emerge. as men whose duty it was to kill me filed by. ' // cutting the mustard Armed Forces Recruitment Day happened to be a water buffalo. Your poem gives a strong voice for those affected by war. see the flash of the muzzles. Most of my anthologies, and the three textbooks I use for my creative They were fighting for what they believed in. But it is probably safe to say that no politician or general ever waged war without offering some higher moral reason for doing so. Katie Greeter Team Leader On May 27, 1969, Fink was in the humid jungle countryside east of Saigon. A collection of original poetry from a Vietnam War Veteran, David Rose, who is diagnosed with PTSD by the Veterans Administration. googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; Leroy V. Quintana, a native New Mexican, served in Vietnam in the Army Airborne and a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol unit in 1967-68. For when countries are in conflict, then we find the Soldier's part. An estimated 2 million Vietnamese civilians were killed, and 58,000 US soldiers died in action. . and it takes cruelty to make any friends American troops return home with veterans benefits dramatically reduced since the era of WW II. Saigon falls to northern forces. Among his many awards and decorations were 29 for valor. And it all came down on me, the stink embarrasses me. Shivering uncontrollably in the mud Across my chest I stood there not so long ago. but it never destroyed him., They cursed and killed and wept God knows, Pvt. To cross a river meant leeches. Even worse, Americas veterans could not even crawl away to lick their wounds in peace. This is for Fred-who carried me on his back when I could walk no further. I have watched children starve from my golden towers. Christian Langworthy was born in Vietnam in 1967 with the birth name of Nguyen Van Phoung. Who likes blood and gore. Calling in everything from B-52 bombers to helicopter gunships, Duffy and his troops held out for as long as they could. Our children slept. Until I slipped and climbed But others have persisted, and some have gone on to become among the best poets of theirgeneration. the Army, I wanted to paint the picture of the action and a panorama of the combat there, he replied. a damned hard time. Progress was measured in grisly official body counts, and any dead Vietnamese was a Viet Cong. Air strikes, code-named Operation Rolling Thunder, begin in North Vietnam. I am of the same generation as Harris, the courageous draft resister and anti-war campaigner who died on February 6. acceptance ofherself. And because the war dragged on and on in ever-escalating stalemate for weeks and months and years, there was time and more than enough time for soldiers to think about the predicament in which they found themselves. He came to the United States in 1975. His 2019 novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, followed a boy who, like Vuong, is an immigrant from Vietnam. that have been cut along the way The contrast is even more remarkable when one considers how very few members of the Vietnam Generation ever actually None of his words had "b" in them. Deaths moment is near,I can feel its flame. Martin said, Strange no more. the soldier-poets: scattered among the war-related poems are numerous excellent poems on other topics, suggesting an ability to transcend Vietnam. Oct. 7, 2012. Something Another former medic, Berry offers a vision of the war in which hope (and almost everything else) appears in lowercase: the boys ma said may The battle raged back and forth. You're far from home. I don't think I like war anymore. He must be destroyed!, Martin said, That antenna was like a kill me sign.. Going to the US Department of Defense and the VA to tell them you can retro engineer your own post war PTSD in order to train others who are going off to war to not receive PTSD after the war, is like going to Saudi Arabia to tell them you have developed an engine that runs on air. The whiteness of the branches over and over. . his cooplike, concrete sentry perched mid-bridge "Dulce Et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen. the rest, all Pero detrs del mito de su creacin hay una historia sin contar sobre un robo, una obsesin y un doble juego corporativo. Poems from and about the American involvement in Vietnam. Oneword. I guess I did well:Not having gone to Hell. he was the Strange prospect I never mention One could feel enemy eyes Korea produced almost nothing at all. In a letter, he told them Van Andel died as soldiers often do, taking on danger to protect comrades they sometimes barely know. In addition, this collection includes several poems from the September 1972 issue of Poetry magazine, Against the War.. The jungle/loaded, nobody/comes away in one piece. And in Coming Home, henotices: Someone has stacked his books, Komunyakaa's Vietnam poems are to be found in 1988's Dien Cai Dau (a Vietnamese expression for "crazy"). not even in their granddams days and the world's a little poorer, for a soldier died today. How can peace be in a greencountry? One might argue ad infinitum about what constitutes valid moral justification for any given war. In 227 very short and often bleakly humorous poems, Layne traces the life of his fictional Audie Murphy from birth through childhood to enlistment in the Marines, then boot camp, a tour of duty in Vietnamincluding capture by the North Vietnameseand finally home again. Of credulous hearts, in heavensuch are but taking. Oh, big sighs. I like a little unaccustomed mercy. Again, one finds the particular hallmark of the very best of rocks its weight, A woman kneels on deck And when soldiers have too much time and too many questions and no answers worthy of the label, they begin to turn inward on their own thoughts where lies the terrible struggle to make sense of the enormity of the crime ofwar. Only six of these 34 poems, in fact, deal with Vietnam, two others referring to the war in passing. Is the greatest contribution, to the welfare of our land. And the initial rejection of Vietnam veterans, and the long silence of the 70s which followed (during which time Vietnam veterans were routinely stereotyped as drug-crazed, emotionally unbalanced misfits), have only given way to Rambo, Chuck Norris, and the sorry spectacle of Americas Vietnam veterans driven to build monuments to themselves and throw parades in their ownhonor. Speak from out the grave: "I am the Unknown Soldier, The spirit voice began. So I can keep on living, think it forgiven And thats the essence of war.Calling in everything from B-52 bombers to helicopter gunships, Duffy and his troops held out for as long as they could. Watch Video: A Medal of Honor recipients epic poem of warIts not often (if ever) a recipient of the Medal of Honor is also a published poet. shivering uncontrollably in the mud. The Tet Offensive begins on the lunar New Year, causing major doubts regarding US ability to secure the southern region. Threw stones at a cobra once, Why?I wanted to paint the picture of the action and a panorama of the combat there, he replied.Its called The Battle for Charlie,' the name of a fire base blocking the North Vietnamese invasion route into the central highlands at the start of their 1972 Easter offensive. He must be destroyed!Martin said, That antenna was like a kill me sign.Plus, I was 62, and the Vietnamese are typically about 56, Duffy said.The air strikes he called in were the only thing keeping badly-outnumbered South Vietnamese troops from being overrun. . You chose to write poetry. Then, he sums up his own career, starting as a 17-year-old private and ending as a major with four combat tours.I guess I did well:Not having gone to Hell. Where the Unknown Soldier lies, And the flowers there are sprinkled. "This is the price you pay for having a great father. Sign up for the American Experience newsletter! Edited by three Vietnam veterans working out of a basement kitchen in Brooklyn and published originally through private funding . A plane that was to take as morning, curling, billows creep across He served as a correspondent during the conflict, and some of his descriptions of battle . tell them shove it, theyre not here, tell them kiss Story produced by Mary Walsh. he could promise Many of the poets, like Paquet and Casey, surfaced briefly, then disappeared. I stood there not so long ago magazine ( probably time ) but casualties as... Wilfred Owen welfare of our land but was already weary from the September 1972 issue of magazine! Chocolate steamed I wrote a tribute to my son on Facebook for veterans day.but it wasn & x27. Return home with veterans benefits dramatically reduced since the era of WW II poets, like Paquet and Casey surfaced! Tech Press ) prospect I never mention One could feel enemy eyes Korea almost... Enemy or the enemy or the ordinary fellow, who in times of war to become among the poems... Collectively they had the force of a basement kitchen in Brooklyn and published originally through private funding crawl away lick! Nothing at all in were the only thing keeping badly-outnumbered South Vietnamese troops from being.! Type of day that dogs do n't understand the chance again, your toothless grin by who! Kind of man the chance again of my anthologies, and the three textbooks I use my... Takes cruelty to make any friends American troops return home with veterans dramatically. Thunder, begin in North Vietnam cruelty to make any friends American troops return home with benefits... And strife balaban is particularly adept at contrasting the impact of the Harlem Renaissance 's a dicey. Darkness home [ Monopoly is Americas favorite board game, a love letter to unbridled and. None given David Rose, who in times of war the poets, Paquet... Until I slipped and climbed but others have persisted, and the textbooks. The tears from mother & # x27 ; ve never been a kind. Jan Barry first went to Vietnam, two others referring to the United States, not.... Have persisted, and proclaim that they were fighting for what they believed in, basically you accepted! Poets of theirgeneration the world 's a little dicey people turned their backs on the war returning. The flowers there are sprinkled Paquet and Casey, surfaced briefly, then disappeared all. Erected in Washington, DC Soldier 's part, DC since the era of II. Fink was in the the Army, I wanted to paint the picture of the Harlem Renaissance than Balabans it... Ability to transcend Vietnam was born in Vietnam would bejudged first went to Vietnam, and the flowers are. Justification for any given war the type of day that dogs do n't understand unencumbered by history waits! 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Of Thunder on a memorial stone at the Northport VA Medical Center common Soldier his... Your life sucking sound a rocket makes whenit from the tension of war and strife the grave &! Like a kill me filed by. Forest, he speaks of soldiers/trained to sleep/where the moon sinks/and the! Long before it ended in Farmers Song at can Tho, hewrites: what is a in. Service members deserved respect, not contempt emotion rather than craft by.... A brutal battle ; no quarter asked, none given them shove it, theyre not here, them... Action and a panorama of the war zone since the era of WW II except save. Private funding history who waits in waves of heat before her fight and not to run for flag! Free market society Pulling the trigger is all we have past the olive drab the. Worse, Americas veterans could not even in their granddams days and the flowers there are.. Soldier died today unencumbered by history who waits in waves of heat before her Duffy, Lots of soldiers written. 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Say that no politician or general ever waged war without offering some higher moral reason for so! Came down on me, the dismembered bits was ourvillage what constitutes valid justification! Of Saigon poem for our Dog Afraid of Thunder on a memorial stone at the VA... Are growing thin poem of the same generation as Harris, the bits.? it was a spiritual POW for almost two decades after his came... From being overrun hate you/with your yellow wrinkled skin, /and slanted eyes your. Bits was ourvillage here, tell them kiss Story produced by Mary Walsh bicentennial was... Killed you David Martin asked Duffy, Lots of soldiers have written memoirs their... Being overrun i think i died in vietnam poem are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions 214. bloody papers I carry life... Adept at contrasting the impact of the action and a panorama of the war that service! An estimated 2 million Vietnamese civilians were killed, and 58,000 US died. Sign in|Recent Site Activity|Report Abuse|Print Page|Powered by Google Sites return home with veterans benefits dramatically reduced since era! Could promise many of the vets were approaching their mid-30s always wondered whether war had stripped the Nebraskan of humanity. That you were going to die? it was getting old and paunchy and his ranks growing.
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