Vietnam Poem by Joe Filipiak

We came to Nam to serve,
young men, and women too,
volunteered and drafted,
most straight out of school.

Air Force, Navy, Army,
Coast Guard, and Marines,
not long out of boot camp,
most still in our teens.

Enlisted and officers,
two years or career,
doing what we had to do,
in Nam of yesteryear.

Some were in the front,
the jungle was their home,
stayed out there a lot,
rice paddies they would roam.

The Air Force had the air,
it was sorties they would fly,
combat and recon,
patrolling the Vietnam sky.

The waters belonged to the Navy,
the Coast Guard also there,
the Navy helped the Air Force,
with operations in the air.

Then there was support,
those who did their share,
to keep the mission going,
on land and sea and air.

Admins and cooks,
and vehicle repair,
aircraft mechanics,
keeping birds up in the air.

APs and MPs,
chaplains for every creed,
nurses, doctors, dentists,
caring for every need.

A unit called Red Horse,
carried the heavy load,
from revetments to runways,
and an on base busy road.

These are just a few,
there were a whole lot more,
who helped with the vital mission,
in this bloody war.

Danang and Phucat,
Chu Lai and Cam Ranh Bay,
Tan Son Nhut and Tuy Hoa,
some places we would stay.

Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand,
countries right next door,
places the Viet Cong,
spread this nasty war.

Many didn't make it,
they died in Vietnam,
some were mentally wounded,
a ticking human bomb.

No parades, no speeches,
no fanfare or welcome mat,
no respect for heroes,
no one cared for that.

Today is Vietnam Veterans Day,
if you see one here or there,
Thank him or her for what they did,
Show them you really care.

And if you have the time,
at a cemetery somewhere,
pay respects to a veteran,
who's been buried there.