Hello! Wall I come to visit,
I traveled hundreds of miles,
To see how I would feel inside.

I come cold, hard & unfeeling
Just as war made me.
I come to look upon your cold,
Black face.
To see the names of 58,000
Young men,
(All comrades of mine.)

I see the rice paddies & the jungles
I remember the battles of Khe Sanh
and Hamburger Hill.

I hear the screams of Pain & Agony.
As a comrade falls,
his legs torn off by a shell.

I hear the whirl of a helicopter
The screams for Medic over here
I smell the stench of death
And destruction
As tho I were there again.

Not to mention the look,
on a young Vietnamese child
as its family is blown to hell.

Will your thirst never be quenched.
If so, then why? Lebanon, El Salvador,
Desert Storm and all the others.

And even as I stand here,
(My image reflecting in your face)
You tear my heart and soul from me.

David E. Underhill
Copyright TXV680503
3-6-95

I was with 184th Org. Bn., 820th Org. Co. in Qui Nhon in 1969. I am currently on my third term as commander of a VFW.

This poem is available on print quality 11x14 paper suitable for framing. All profits go to help needy Vietnam Vets and their families. You can email me with inquiries and or comments at [email protected].