Submitted by: Al Pelletier

Category: Music

Some of us were drafted,
Some went there by choice,
Two years in that place,
I came home in disgrace,
But there in Vietnam,
I learned to understand,
The heartaches of a war,
Through life we must endure.
Chorus:
We Teen-age boys were men in Vietnam,
We teen-age boys were men in Vietnam.

Returning home was painful,
No welcome here for me,
So many fought and died,
And too many tears were cried,
But there in Vietnam,
I learned to be a man,
While college kids rebelled,
We served our country well.
Chorus:

Memorials live on,
For all of those who've gone,
Historians may say,
We just up and walked away,
But there in Vietnam,
I learned to take a stand,
For those brave men who fell
We'll serve their memory well.
Chorus:

Time has now united,
Our country once divided,
Our efforts weren't in vain,
For it's wisdom that we gained,
Americans today,
All know the price we pay,
When wars are fought in vain,
We all must bare the pain.
Chorus:

Our kids must never see a Vietnam,
Our kids must never see a Vietnam,

"The Wisdom That We Gained" can be heard on YOUTUBE
under "Al Pelletier"

About the author:

I served 30 months in Vietnam with Commander 7th Fleet aboard the USS Providence CLG-6, Flag Ship for 7th Fleet. After coming home I was shocked to find out my service to my country was thankless and unappreciated. Several years later, while fighting a bout of depression, I picked up my guitar, and tried to make sense of this wasted part of my life. "The Wisdom That We Gained" was born and came full circle when I performed it at the 25th Anniversary of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in D.C.