Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
Thursday, November 30, 2006
MY PLACE ON THE WALL
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MY PLACE ON THE WALLI WAS TAKEN AS A CASUALITY OF WAR IN AUGUST
NINTEEN HUNDRED SIXTY NINE
IN A TIME WHEN THE PEOPLE BACK HOME
WEREN’T VERY KIND
BUT THANKS YOU FOR COMING TODAY
BUT THANKS YOU FOR COMING TODAY
AND VISITING THE WALL
AS YOU CAN SEE THERE ARE A LOT OF US HERE
WHO ANSWERED FREEDOM’S CALL
WE FOUGHT FOR DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM
SO WE THOUGHT
BUT THE LESSONS OF THIS WAR
AS YOU CAN SEE THERE ARE A LOT OF US HERE
WHO ANSWERED FREEDOM’S CALL
WE FOUGHT FOR DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM
SO WE THOUGHT
BUT THE LESSONS OF THIS WAR
ARE STILL BEING SOUGHT
THE CALL WAS FROM OUR LEADERS
WE WERE TOLD TO HELP FIGHT AND LIBERATE
WHEN WE RETUNED HOME
THE CALL WAS FROM OUR LEADERS
WE WERE TOLD TO HELP FIGHT AND LIBERATE
WHEN WE RETUNED HOME
IT WAS TO CONTEMPT AND HATE
………..WHAT A DISGRACE
BLAME WAS ON THE WARRIOR
………..WHAT A DISGRACE
BLAME WAS ON THE WARRIOR
FOR THE OUTCOME OF THE WAR
WE WERE CONSIDERED KILLERS AND OUTCASTS
AND LABELED FROM AFAR
NEVER AGAIN SHOULD ONE GENERATION ABANDON
THE SOLDIERS WHO FOUGHT
EXPLAIN THIS TO THE SCHOOL KIDS
WE WERE CONSIDERED KILLERS AND OUTCASTS
AND LABELED FROM AFAR
NEVER AGAIN SHOULD ONE GENERATION ABANDON
THE SOLDIERS WHO FOUGHT
EXPLAIN THIS TO THE SCHOOL KIDS
WHEN HISTORY IS TAUGHT
I HAVE SEEN PUBLIC ATTITUDES CHANGE SINCE
I’VE BEEN ETCHED ON THE WALL
THE VETS WHO MADE IT HOME ALL AROUND YOU
SO STOP AND SAY GREAT JOB SON
FOR ME I’LL BE ON THIS WALL FOR ETERNITY
MY SERVICE TO AMERICA
I HAVE SEEN PUBLIC ATTITUDES CHANGE SINCE
I’VE BEEN ETCHED ON THE WALL
THE VETS WHO MADE IT HOME ALL AROUND YOU
SO STOP AND SAY GREAT JOB SON
FOR ME I’LL BE ON THIS WALL FOR ETERNITY
MY SERVICE TO AMERICA
HAS LONG SINCE BEEN DONE
PLEASE PAUSE AND SALUTE ME,
I AM ON
PANEL 19 WEST LINE TWENTY-ONE
-AUTHOR UNKNOWN-
PLEASE PAUSE AND SALUTE ME,
I AM ON
PANEL 19 WEST LINE TWENTY-ONE
-AUTHOR UNKNOWN-
THE WALL
The Wall
In a land so very far away, ‘bout halfway round the world
Our nation sent it’s children, a different flag unfurled
Along side of the Stars and Stripes this flag did proudly wave
We were told that it was freedom for this land we came to save,
A Soldier joined our unit, a replacement for a friend
Who went back to the “real world” at tour of duty’s end.
His first assignment given was to search and destroy
Quite an order for a new man, who was still a boy.
The LZ where we dropped them off appears to be all clear.
We did not know the enemy was hiding very near.
Ten minutes after lift off the LZ turned red.
The order not to turn around assumed they all were dead.
We turned our Huey back around – despite the order given
We could not let them all go down, we hoped that some were living.
Red smoke blew cross the LZ – We weren’t supposed to try,
But orders don’t mean nothing when you watch your friends all die.
As we touched down and men jumped in, the new kid grabbed my hand
He looked at me, somehow he knew – death was his last command.
His life abruptly taken, he really knew not why
A bullet pierced his body – in that far off land he died.
We lifted off, I lost my grip, he fell back to the ground.
Although I know that he was dead, I let a new friend down.
It seems like only yesterday a man came to the door
And parents of that fine young man found out the price of war.
They buried him with honors, as friend and family wept,
The folded flag went to his dad, his memory to be kept.
A cure for cancer he might find or just stay plain old Joe,
Might even have been President – of course we’ll never know.
He might have been so many things had his life gone on
But a single shot cut his life short and all his dreams were gone.
He loved this country and stepped forth when freedom gave it’s call
But
Who knows the things that might have been
WERE HIS NAME NOT ON THE WALL
Michael Jahns 1990
In a land so very far away, ‘bout halfway round the world
Our nation sent it’s children, a different flag unfurled
Along side of the Stars and Stripes this flag did proudly wave
We were told that it was freedom for this land we came to save,
A Soldier joined our unit, a replacement for a friend
Who went back to the “real world” at tour of duty’s end.
His first assignment given was to search and destroy
Quite an order for a new man, who was still a boy.
The LZ where we dropped them off appears to be all clear.
We did not know the enemy was hiding very near.
Ten minutes after lift off the LZ turned red.
The order not to turn around assumed they all were dead.
We turned our Huey back around – despite the order given
We could not let them all go down, we hoped that some were living.
Red smoke blew cross the LZ – We weren’t supposed to try,
But orders don’t mean nothing when you watch your friends all die.
As we touched down and men jumped in, the new kid grabbed my hand
He looked at me, somehow he knew – death was his last command.
His life abruptly taken, he really knew not why
A bullet pierced his body – in that far off land he died.
We lifted off, I lost my grip, he fell back to the ground.
Although I know that he was dead, I let a new friend down.
It seems like only yesterday a man came to the door
And parents of that fine young man found out the price of war.
They buried him with honors, as friend and family wept,
The folded flag went to his dad, his memory to be kept.
A cure for cancer he might find or just stay plain old Joe,
Might even have been President – of course we’ll never know.
He might have been so many things had his life gone on
But a single shot cut his life short and all his dreams were gone.
He loved this country and stepped forth when freedom gave it’s call
But
Who knows the things that might have been
WERE HIS NAME NOT ON THE WALL
Michael Jahns 1990
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
498TH AIR AMBULANCE (DUSTOFF)
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To the best “Dustoff” crew in Nam……….We were on a night ambush when we saw your ship hit the side of the mountains. What an awful sight that was….we knew we had lost the best medivac crew there was. You guys died doing what you did best – save(ing) lives. Without you and others like you, we would have lost more guys in the field….
You will NEVER be forgotten…….
Jim Jenkins (Gray Summit, MO)
173rd Airborne Brigade
Vietnam
KIA Ocotber 26, 1970 –
CWO – W1 Donald Cool (age 24) – Panel 6 West – Line 22
WO – W1 Charles Smith (age 22) – Panel 6 West – Line 24
PFC Dennis Reese (age 20) – Panel 6 West – Line 24
PFC Karl Reineccius (age 20) – Panel 6 West – Line 24
All were members of the 498th Air Ambulance (DUSTOFF)
God be with them….
1959-1975 Vietnam War
This is early morning frost on The Moving Wall, I thought it was beautiful.
IN HONOR OF THE MEN & WOMEN OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES WHO SERVED IN THE VIETNAM WAR. THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES AND OF THOSE WHO REMAIN MISSING ARE INSCRIBED IN THE ORDER THEY WERE TAKEN FROM US.
OUR NATION HONORS THE COURAGE, SACRIFICE AND DEVOTION TO DUTY AND COUNRTY OF ITS VIETNAM VETERANS. THIS MEMORIAL WAS BUILT WITH PRIVATE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.NOVEMBER 11, 1982
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