I guess everyone went through
it
In some fashion or form,
Being the new guy in country
And not fitting the norm.
You've not been in combat,
Or experienced the fright
Of incoming mortars
From the enemy at night.
You've never walked point,
Or brought up the rear,
Or thought you'd be carrying
So much bunglesome gear.
You've never set up trip flares,
Or heard the noises at night
That make your mind wander
And play tricks with your sight.
You hadn't seen the enemy,
As far as you knew.
But you're almost certain
That they've seen you.
You haven't crawled in a tunnel,
Or searched through a ville,
Or witnessed an interrogation
Much less a first kill.
You are new in the field
And have a lot to learn
Before you get the respect
That you so want to earn.
Soon you'd have all of this
Under your belt.
It didn't come easy though
Or at least so you felt.
Before you know it though
The short timers are gone
And you'll be the one left
To see the new guys come on.
You'll try to make them feel
like part of the crew,
Yet you have to remember
That they aren't quite like you.
You can't forget though
And have to show great concern,
Because they are like you were
And have an awful lot to learn.
So what you've learned is,
Everyone takes care of each other
And being the new guy means
You're just the youngest brother.
Phil Thornton
1998
This poem reflects my experience and feelings toward being the new guy in
the platoon. I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I arrived in the
field. Most everyone else had at least been under fire at one time or another.
At times in the beginning I felt left out and sometimes even in the way.
It didn't take long for me to understand what was actually happening though.
Being the new guy and being scared and inexperienced is something you can't
hide. The guys just took me under their wing until I had experienced a bit
of what was actually going on.
As time went on, the short timers left and I became a short timer myself.
I soon became aware of the new guys coming in, as being much like me when
I first got there. They were scared and uncertain of what to do or expect.
So we watched over them as we had been watched over by those who came before
us.
Soon we'd be gone and it would be up to these guys to continue the tradition
of watching over the new guys.