"The shoes of a Korean War Veteran"

[VIETNAM 1968]

Recently I attended a memorial service for Korean War Veterans and received a poem that moved me deeply. It was originally written by Jack D. Ross but is just as relevant to the Vietnam War as it was to the Korean War. I hope that all of my Vietnam Veteran Brothers and Sisters enjoy reading it. I think it cuts right to the bone and exposes the feelings of a Vietnam Veteran just as it did the Korean War Veteran. I hope you find it as relevant as I did.


"It was fifty years ago in a place far away
but the memories remain and surface each day"

"Of the mission of our platoon to defend a barren hill
from the North Korean Soldiers. It was kill or be killed"

"With artillery and machine guns, carbines and men
you fight off the enemy again and again"

"You defend the damn mountain till the objective was met
you are walking in the shoes of a Korean War Vet"

"There are medics shooting morphine into a wounded man's vein
to silence the cry and lessen the pain"

"The stench of bodies, the unforgettable smell
makes your whole body tremble and you are scared as hell"

"A good friend you seek out, but he was in the wrong place
for now an olive drab blanket is covering his face"

"You look to the heavens and quietly pray
but your prayers go unanswered day after day"

"The chaplain is busy helping carry the injured men
to the helicopter landing where fighting had just been"

"You recall when it ended, we have all held our ground
and it's time to go home and there is hardly a sound"

"If you often wonder is this as bad as it gets
you are walking in the shoes of a Korean War Vet"

"You were among the lucky, back on American Soil
but what you have been through still makes your blood boil"

"All this has turned you into an angry young man
who committed legalized murder with blood on his hands"

"You don't want to look at people passing by
just want to be alone and you are too proud to cry"

"There are times when you think you would be better off dead
and visions of suicide rush through your head"

"And you tell yourself that time heals all wounds
after all these years you know it's not going away soon"

"You don't watch war movies in the theater or on TV because you
know it could trigger another of those heartbreaking memories
that you are trying to forget.
Only then you are waling in the shoes of a Korean War Vet"

"There are more wars a coming, and I am too old to fight
but when I look at our great banner, it's stars and stripes"

"It sends shivers through my body, and I know right then,
for liberty and freedom I'd do it all over again"


As stated before this poem was originally written in memory of the Korean War Veterans, but it could just as easily have been written by a Vietnam War Vet. The thoughts and fears all apply to Vietnam as it did to Korea. In fact, this poem probably reflects what all participants of all of our nation's wars, have ever felt. After reading it, you be the judge though.

To all of my Vietnam Veteran Brothers and Sisters I again state:


WELCOME HOME


VIETNAM 1968