Submitted by: Walter Wheat

Category: Poetry

From an Old Veteran

According to the Calendar I own
It’s the Fourth day of July.
It’s a date that means a lot to me
If you have time, I’ll tell you why.
It was on this day, more than 40 years ago
That I got off that plane
I knew it had been storming, but
I was accustomed to the rain.

Before I entered the terminal,
I knelt to kiss the ground
I did not stop to see if there
Were any folks around!
The days I spent, one year prior
I never will forget . . .
And here I am, an older man
Who thinks of that year, yet!

With freedom, there’s a price to pay, and
As a youth I learned it well
I said a prayer for those left behind . . .
If they heard me, I could not tell.
Once I departed San Francisco
I started to think back
I felt I was no use to life
Without my rifle and my pack.

What had the government given me?
I had no tools to make my way.
I had no inclination to make it
Through each following day!
All I had learned was killing . . .
That was governed by politic
When I think back to those times
It is bound to make me sick!

But, time alone, it seemed to dispense
Some bitterness that I felt . . .
My heart soon became more open
To the lousy hand that we were dealt.
It seems that generations have thus gone by
And there is still a threat of War
I, as one Old Veteran, pray
There is never anymore!

I praise this generation
For Soldiers, one and all
The task they are partaking
I know is not so small.
It took time for me to admit
That I am too old to fight . . .
But, it pleases me that we’ve passed on
The differences between wrong and right!

Every Fourth Day of July
I stop to celebrate
The very nature of our flag -
And how our Country is great!
The younger generations . . .
I hope that they will see
And become as Patriotic
As an Old Veteran, such as me!

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A Man Holding Up a Sign
It was along the highway
That I saw him standing there
In his hands he held a sign
But all I did was stare
I figured it was some gimmick –
A blatant social ruse
It looked like he’d try any ploy
And find for it some use.

His sign said he would “Work for Food”
I guess I’ve heard that before
He said he was a Veteran
Of some long-forgotten war.
I will admit I stood there watching
To see what he would do
When I heard a voice within me, saying:
Buddy - that could be you!

The man I saw was about my age, and
He wore old jungle boots
He was most polite in demeanor
And to the traffic he gave salutes
He then started looking at me
As someone he thought he knew
He said he saw me at the infirmary
Back in ‘Nam in “72!”

Why yes! He was the Sergeant
Who saved my very life!
He loaded me onto a chopper
Where I was safe from strife!
I wondered what became of him;
As one soon forgets the dates
But, here he was just standing there
In reunion with one of his mates!

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Flying for Fun

When I was young, I joined the Air Force
I thought it might be fun
I dealt with the yelling and screaming
Until basic training was done
Then, I rejoiced just like the others
I was proud on graduation day
I was ready to fly on a real airplane
When the opportunity came my way.

That day came, all of a sudden
When we got into the Vietnam War
We knew we fought against Communist aggression
But they would not tell us anything more.
I flew on an airplane while the rockets passed
Very close and near to our cargo door
There really wasn’t much I could do
But stay glued to the cold and shaky floor.

We flew up north, towards Da Nang
And over the beaches near Camron Bay
The VC’s were all moving fast
And we had to spot them without delay
We watched as the F-4 Phantoms
Hit their marks with such accuracy
That we wallowed in the glory by singing:
America’s “From Sea to Shining Sea.”

Those of us who “made it”
Look back with a sense of pride
We call each other “Brother”
At the hospitals, where some of us reside
I now have a Grandson
Who is serving our country well
Will we win our Victory?
I guess only God can tell.

About the author:

Author served with 360th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron, Tan Son Nhut Air Force Base, July 1971 to July 1972