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
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