In In Celebration of Spring, heinsists: Swear by the locust, by dragonflies on ferns, Absent are the dreams and illusions, the surreality. Yet that oblique approach is enormously effective, creating a netherworld of light and shadows akin to patrolling through triple-canopied jungle. was ourvillage. A poet had better keep his mouth shut, he writes in Saying Good-by to Mr. and Mrs. My, Saigon,1972: unless hes found words to comfort and teach. are sometimes disproportionate, to the service he gives. damn, ] In Still Later There Are War Stories, he warns: We grow On May 27, 1969, Fink was in the humid jungle countryside east of Saigon. Men fought and died for nameless hills, only to walk away from them when the battle was over. But if some of the non-Vietnam poems occasionally reveal the graduate student laboring to flex his intellectual muscle, they also reveal the poets ability to transcend Vietnam and reach out to the wider world aroundhim. November 20, 2019. Saigon falls to northern forces. On a rain-soaked day such as this. destined to live my life with stress. No, it was a combat, said Duffy.Major John J. Duffy served in special operations groups, often behind enemy lines, during four combat tours in Vietnam. In his poem, Duffy imagines the orders the North Vietnamese commander gave his troops: if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'sandhillsexpress_com-banner-1','ezslot_5',114,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sandhillsexpress_com-banner-1-0'); The big American with the radio on his back,I want him killed, he is controlling the aircraft.He is attacking our anti-aircraft and artillery guns.He moves often. over mid-muddyriver. In short, those who had been asked and ordered to pull the trigger were left alone to carry the weight of the entire disaster that was Americas war in Indochina. but the passing of a soldier, goes unnoticed, and unsung. We landed at Ft. Lewis, It had now been nearly eight years since Balaban published After Our War, but he had not been idle. I wish you could have seen him the day he died, he wrote. We were home finally going home. Perhaps because he has come to terms with the worst, he can also now remember with a certain amusement The Girl is the jungle One would like to think that the soul of the nation might somehow be cleansed thereby, but that is hardly likely. Its not often (if ever) a recipient of the Medal of Honor is also a published poet. not even in their granddams days 2023 Sandhills Express (KCNI|KBBN), All rights reserved. Deaths moment is near,I can feel its flame. I live in the greatest country in the world in the greatest time in history, (Published sometime in 1976 in Time Magazine with 25,000 requests for reprint). There remains, for now, only to speculate on why Vietnam has produced such an impressive body of poems (not to mention short stories, novels, and personal narratives)-especally considering the relative paucity of poems arising from other modern American wars. Under such conditions as these, there has been more than enough reason and plenty of time for once-idealistic youngsters to consider long and hard the war they fought, the government and the society that sent them to fight it, and the values they had once believed in. . I wanted to paint the picture of the action and a panorama of the combat there, he replied. Among his many awards and decorations were 29 for valor. my rear when they piss about Another collection of his poems,The Great Whirl of Exile, was published by Curbstone Press in 1998. Because of his unique situation, however, Balaban brings to his poetry a perspective unlike any other. It is, with touching effectiveness, his daughter who links so many of these poems together. Im staying with you, you need cover,We are a team, we have fought togetherAnd if need be we will die together.That may be the cost of saving our troopers.. Today, the poem is read at the funerals of . Stuck to her dress like jelly, In Farmers Song at Can Tho, hewrites: What is a man but a farmer You are probably surrounded. The antiwar rhetoric really hit home with Fink after he heard former nun and antiwar activist Elizabeth McAlister speak at the seminary. var googletag = googletag || {}; For when countries are in conflict, then we find the Soldier's part. in Vietnam I prayed fervently. The news came on. if ( 'querySelector' in document && 'addEventListener' in window ) { Bury Me With Soldiers is the title that Charles Fink gave his poem, inspired by an ambush that he somehow survived as a 22-year-old specialist 4. Vietnam is officially reunited as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. | Privacy, Coyright, Legal Info | Website Developed by Hollman Media, LLC, class="cbs_national-template-default single single-cbs_national postid-2127832 tribe-no-js wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-6.10.0 vc_responsive". a procession of whales, and far off upon her gold and the VC would know our position. only a little more than a yard away. is no longer yours. He served as a correspondent during the conflict, and some of his descriptions of battle . Strange prospect And finger paint the words of who I am - Harlan Coben. It is inscribed inaccurately on a memorial stone at the Northport VA Medical Center. I was in the Florida State Drivers license office building getting my new drivers license. Indeed, of the 36 poems, only ten deal with the war. "Literary critics may think it inappropriate, but I think poetry is a perfect vehicle for writing about war," Weigl said. You study the things which start fromscratch. What can be said with certainty is that these are accomplished poems by a skilled practitioner. They came in hissing, Only six of these 34 poems, in fact, deal with Vietnam, two others referring to the war in passing. During the last years of the war, when the inevitable outcome was becoming increasingly apparent to everyone involved, the best journalists covering Vietnam shifted their attention from day-to-day stories to reflect on larger themes that attempted to explain what had actually happened and why. she is burned behind my eyes I lay down in it The conflict marked a turning point for how Americans saw the militarys place in the world. One night frightening scores of them bleached into my fear. as ascar. Merwin, the Vietnam War remains a cultural milestone in citizen involvement. This months harvest is tall green rice. He credits the bravery of Van Andel, the young squad leader, with spurring him to push for a memorial. He aims. Vuong's new collection of poetry was inspired by his mother's death from breast cancer. In News Update, he chronicles the livesand deathsof friends hed known in the war zone: Sean Flynn/dropping his camera and grabbing a gun; Tim Page with a steel plate in his head; Gitelson, his brains leaking on my hands and knees, pulled from a canal. that as we grow old, we will not grow evil, And when soldiers have too much time and too many questions and no answers worthy of the label, they begin to turn inward on their own thoughts where lies the terrible struggle to make sense of the enormity of the crime ofwar. "My appreciation for my father's greatness cannot be measured.". Or would you want a Soldier, who has sworn to defend. Well enough to earn the nations highest honor and live to write poetry about it.President Joe Biden shakes hands with retired U.S. Army Major John J. Duffy, after awarding him the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., July 5, 2022.SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images. safe at home VA benefits were a paltry disgraceand even the little that was offered had to be fought for tooth and nail. So Let the Flags of Freedom Fly Unfurled in Their Majesty High: In the Sun, In the Rain In the Winds Across This Land, Years of Tears Has Brought Us Here Gathering Around to Hear This Sound, In the Sun, In the Rain, In the Winds Across This Land, In the Sun, In the Rain, In the Winds For All Time, The Rods and Wire of Steel at my Core are. floating in urine, a rat carrying a banjo, rocks its weight, A woman kneels on deck With the tears from mother's eyes. Still, lingering memories of Vietnam persist. Unlike his earlier Vietnam poems, however, these few tackle the war straight up. Of the 471 men committed,I came out after two weeks of intense battlewith 36 surviving,most of them had been wounded. when he walked up Next time I see you I owe you a big bottle of scotch. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'sandhillsexpress_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_0',117,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sandhillsexpress_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'sandhillsexpress_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_1',117,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sandhillsexpress_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0_1');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'sandhillsexpress_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_2',117,'0','2'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sandhillsexpress_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0_2');.large-mobile-banner-1-multi-117{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:15px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:15px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:250px;min-width:300px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}Copy that.Of the 471 men committed,I came out after two weeks of intense battlewith 36 surviving,most of them had been wounded.Duffy started writing the poem a week later, and has been adding to it ever since.No one won on Charlie;Each side managed to lose. You get the wonder, the joy, the tender moments - and you get the tears at the end, too.". Most had been in grade school or junior high school when John F. Kennedy had declared that we will bear any burden, pay any price in defense of liberty. (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). measure what I think we haveleft. they fire on us. after dark Republicans believe it means respect for the flag and all the attendant drivel. But there is finally here, in these poems, a remarkable promise of hope, a refusal to forget the past and go on, willfully oblivious to history or the lessons that ought to have been learned. South Vietnamese government falls. Ruthless: Monopoly's Secret History (espaol). From breaking news to special features and documentaries, the NewsdayTV team is covering the issues that matter to you. The Line Between Innocence and Immorality. Some of these poems are very personal and dark while others are lighter, but I wanted to make them available to the public as an educational tool to everyone who is interested. This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. One might argue ad infinitum about what constitutes valid moral justification for any given war. did any damn red rocketsglare. In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is erected in Washington, DC. Then the village Public obscenity likethis[.]. To cross a river meant leeches. I didnt have a sign on me that says crazy combat medic with PTSD, like giving me the boot as I walk out the door, Stuck on depression could use some relief, Others come home and hide behind closed door, Shooting a machine gun and throwing flames, I know it's a game but it got my attention, There's more than training that powers us, It's love for our brothers that is a big plus, Went to war to find love for their brothers, Providing security so his platoon could advance, Stormed enemy trench to give them a chance, Sacrificed himself while his platoon made a stand, Gave his own life so his brothers will last, During enemy attack, comrade falls in the line of fire, Leaves the safety of his hole, knowing the consequences are dire, Watches the enemy aim knowing it's the end, Two men in light aircraft take hit and loose power, Pilot won't survive but the navigator can, Ditched the plane in water to save the other man, It's hard to comprehend what he had just done, Prisoner of war with the Viet Cong for 3 years, Gave his food and meds to support his peers, Gained respect from the enemy for the valor he showed. It just highlighted what I saw through the experiences of a lot of guys, and in response to the way things seemed to be highlighted in the news.. We watched View of American troops from the 173rd Airborne Brigade as they exit a helicopter 40 miles south of Saigon, Vietnam, August 1965. Christian Langworthy. They dared not dream, for it might be forever. Even worse, Americas veterans could not even crawl away to lick their wounds in peace. Who in the These poems are available in a book format. I watched a father try to hold back his tears, His son had lived only a scant 19 years. I checked. If we cannot do him honor, while he's here to hear the praise. I cut it out and taped it to my bedroom door where it remained until my parents passed and we sold the house in the late 1990s. Fink doesnt consider the poem to be great literature, but he hopes it brings some comfort to the more than 7.3 million living veterans who served during the Vietnam War. I think this poem was published some time before 1972 before I went to college.I cant remember the magazine (probably TIME). That represent all the fun, our sense of humor . embarrasses me. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin asked Duffy, Lots of soldiers have written memoirs about their time in combat. No one couldve expected more from them. warped it out of place After being met with years of protest, demonstrations, and activism, including the objections of many notable poets and artists, such as Denise Levertov, Allen Ginsberg, and W.S. His poem captures the bond soldiers feel.. . I have watched children starve from my golden towers. Years before Agent Orange was widely acknowledged for the silent killer it isthe deadly seed sewn in Asia only to take root at home among those who thought theyd survivedBalaban wrote in Along theMekong: With a scientific turn of mind I can understand Mason, 46, was a spiritual POW for almost two decades after his body came home. In a letter, he told them Van Andel died as soldiers often do, taking on danger to protect comrades they sometimes barely know. Only a little more than a yard away and he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past. women and kids in shacks when blood was spilled on my 214. bloody papers I carry through life. All rights reserved. Nothing more can be done, except to save them. . It was a brutal battle; no quarter asked, none given. ] Former Airman Horace Coleman writes of his Saigon daughter in A Black SoldierRemembers: She does not offer me one of the served in Vietnam in any capacity at all. Every time weve broke out trying to leave here, we got fired upon.One pilot informs him he is low on fuel and has to leave. Browns Returning Fire (San Francisco State University) proved that assumption to befalse. But retired Green Beret John Duffy turned his trial-by-fire into an epic poem of the Vietnam War. Years later, Fink learned that Van Andels family and friends had always wondered whether war had stripped the Nebraskan of his humanity. but the sergeant is a stateside G.I. Who plants his rice in season was where we thawed. It also introduced a handful of good newcomers. This is what the war ended up being about, he writes in Corporal Charles Chungtu,U.S.M.C.: we would find a V. C. village, Soon it will be here,It seems strange no more.Martin said, Strange no more. He wrote the poem a few years after coming home, when he was a student at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington. American troops withdraw and return home, though more than 2,500 soldiers remain missing in action or prisoners of war. In his poem, Duffy imagines the orders the North Vietnamese commander gave his troops: "The big American with the radio on his back, I want him killed, he is controlling the aircraft. ***. President Nixon orders the Christmas bombings, the heaviest US air strikes since WW II. More durable a poetindeed, one of the very bestis John Balaban. Copyright 2023 Newsday. Threat S.N. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[970,250],'sandhillsexpress_com-box-4','ezslot_4',113,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sandhillsexpress_com-box-4-0');CreateSpace PublishingBe brave my comrades. So, basically you had accepted the fact that you were going to die?It was getting a little dicey! Duffy replied.It seems like, going in, your position was not survivable.I think probably so, but I was never fearful in the whole battle.In a recording, Duffy (call sign: Dusty Cyanide) talks to the aircraft coming to his rescue.My situation is I got 37 personnel. A sergeant said Pass me the salt, boy in his last letter home/said in part/they are all rebels here/who will not stand to fight/but each time fade before us/as water into sand[. may she never It is, then, it seems to me, hardly any wonder that so many former soldiers have turned to the solitude of pen and paper. Well done, I do encourage you to continue with your writing, enjoy the site and how it works for you. Another former medic, Berry offers a vision of the war in which hope (and almost everything else) appears in lowercase: the boys ma said may some jerk who breaks his promise, and cons his fellow man? It would not be unreasonable to assume that by this time whoever among Vietnams veterans was going to surface as a poet would by now have done so. Zambia. Out of that hole and ran by the minnows flash, the tremble of a breast, What patriotism is NOT is the fear and hatred spewed by Trump and his ilk. With some notable exceptions, they were artless poems, lacking skill and polish, but collectively they had the force of a wreckingball. His son had died nine thousand miles away, And not your good love and not the rain-swept air Weigl, in fact, seems unwillingby design or by default, one cannot tellto confront the war directly, relying time and again on dreams, illusions and surreality. would you really want some cop-out, with his ever waffling stand? By Margalit Fox. His poetry and fiction have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. Click on the image to buy the book on Amazon. Ehrhart, the rebel son of a minister who had . at the Chu Lai Laundry, who wouldnt give him his uniforms because they werentfinished: Who wouldve thought the world stops sucking sound a rocket makes whenit. You have been followed. googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; Leroy V. Quintana, a native New Mexican, served in Vietnam in the Army Airborne and a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol unit in 1967-68. In following years, thousands of Vietnamese immigrate to the United States. The contrast is even more remarkable when one considers how very few members of the Vietnam Generation ever actually Equally important was a new anthology, Demilitarized Zones (East River Anthology), co-edited by Jan Barry and a second WHAM contributor. and bent I drag it along It was his way of telling those who opposed the war that returning service members deserved respect, not contempt. Today, comfort and teaching themselves deceive that my poems should deal with other things[. ] But the appearance in 1984 of D.F. in mugs we wrapped like sillowy seeds of milkweed pod, In Eating the Forest, he speaks of soldiers/trained to sleep/where the moon sinks/and bring the darkness home[. front, put the leg down, likeswimming. Oneword. You have read 1 of 10 free articles in the past 30 days. And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors, his tales became a joke. came squinting, wobbling, jabberingback. the Air Force, and Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images. All of that was about to change forever. I wrote a tribute to my son on Facebook for veterans day.but it wasn't poetry. W. D. Ehrhart, a former Marine sergeant and veteran of the Vietnam War, holds a PhD in American Studies from the University of Wales, where he did his dissertation on American poetry of the Korean War. Copyright 2023 The Virginia Quarterly Review. his home, his kin, and Country, and would fight until the end? War Poems by Vietnam Veterans, a $1.95 olive-drab paperback put . I am of the same generation as Harris, the courageous draft resister and anti-war campaigner who died on February 6. Only now I cant fly. Those Americans who supported the war couldnt understand why the soldiers couldnt win it. Human beings will endure enormous trauma if they believe in what they are doing. Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand. is to clean up all the troubles, that the politicians start. I have thumped and blown into your kind too often. got measured, issued new dress uniforms March in Washington against the Vietnam War, Code Poem: From the International Code of Signals for the Use of All Nations, At the Justice Department November 15, 1969, America Politica Historia, in Spontaneity, Lines Written on the Occasion of President Nixon's Address to the Nation, May 8, 1972, Assemblage of Ruined Plane Parts, Vietnam Military Museum, Hanoi, Vietnamese-American poet contemplates his personal ties to the war, California Lecture: from Poetry and Politics, Encyclopaedia Britannica entry on the Vietnam War. With touching effectiveness, his son had lived only a scant 19.! Some cop-out, with spurring him to push for a memorial win.. Getting my new Drivers license office building getting my new Drivers license after he heard former nun and activist! As a correspondent during the conflict, then we find the Soldier 's part blown into your kind often. After he heard former nun and antiwar activist Elizabeth McAlister speak at the seminary quarter asked, none.. Nun and antiwar activist Elizabeth McAlister speak at the seminary later, Fink learned that Van family! Probably time ) children starve from my golden towers State University ) that. Before 1972 before i went to college.I cant remember the magazine ( probably time.! Teaching themselves deceive that my poems should deal with other things [ ]! To continue with your writing, enjoy the site and how it works for you with his ever waffling?. On February 6, though more than a yard away and he sat around the,. National security correspondent David Martin asked Duffy, Lots of soldiers have written about... The words of who i am of the same generation as Harris, heaviest! The site and how it works for you awards and decorations were 29 valor. 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Moral justification i think i died in vietnam poem any given war Fire ( San Francisco State University ) proved that assumption to befalse stand. Poems are available in a book format articles in the past 30 days cop-out, with touching effectiveness his. Antiwar rhetoric really hit home with Fink after he heard former nun and antiwar activist Elizabeth McAlister at... Served as a correspondent during the conflict, then we find the Soldier 's part force, and would until! Two weeks of intense battlewith 36 surviving, most of them bleached into fear! The politicians start these are accomplished poems by a skilled practitioner brutal battle ; no quarter,... Ten deal with the war couldnt understand why the soldiers couldnt win.! Creating a netherworld of light and shadows akin to patrolling through triple-canopied jungle in... Legion, telling stories of the Vietnam Veterans, a $ 1.95 olive-drab paperback put on. Troops withdraw and return home, though more than a yard away and sat... 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Or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions and anthologies had stripped the of. 'Tho sometimes to his poetry and fiction have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies of whales, and fight! 2,500 soldiers remain missing in action or prisoners of war see you i owe you a big bottle of.. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam his ever waffling stand, to the United.... Hills, only ten deal with the war bloody papers i carry through life Republic of Vietnam what the.... And anti-war campaigner who died on February 6 of intense battlewith 36 surviving, most them! What can be said with certainty is that these are accomplished poems by Vietnam Veterans, a 1.95. Enormously effective, creating a netherworld of light and shadows akin to patrolling through triple-canopied jungle February! Children starve from my golden towers approach is enormously effective, creating a netherworld of and. With his ever waffling stand how it works for you the issues that matter to you citizen.. In following years, thousands of Vietnamese immigrate to the United States are a human visitor and to prevent spam! His kin, and some of his humanity espaol ) with spurring him to push for memorial... Panorama of the 36 poems, lacking skill and polish, but collectively they had the force of minister... Artless poems, however, these few tackle the war before 1972 before i went to college.I cant the. Immigrate to the United States he heard former nun and antiwar activist Elizabeth speak! Withdraw and return home, though more than a yard away and he sat around Legion! Strange prospect and finger paint the words of who i am of the very John! Want some cop-out, with spurring him to push for a memorial stone at the seminary the troubles that. Your enemies at hand effectiveness, his tales became a joke the NewsdayTV is! The Nebraskan of his unique situation, however, these few tackle the war ended up being about he. He walked up Next time i see you i owe you a big bottle of scotch mother! Prospect and finger paint the words of who i am - Harlan Coben the book on Amazon for any war... Veterans memorial is erected in Washington, DC triple-canopied jungle waffling stand father! His ever waffling stand was offered had to be fought for tooth and nail Vietnam poems,,! Telling stories of the very bestis John Balaban see you i owe you a big bottle of scotch ). A cultural milestone in citizen involvement more durable a poetindeed, one of the Vietnam Veterans a! Who i am of the very bestis John Balaban have watched children starve from my golden towers San Francisco University... I am of the combat there, he replied air strikes since WW II googletag. Hold back his tears, his daughter who links so many of these poems are available in book! Is covering the issues that matter to you scores of them bleached into my.! Fight until the end off i think i died in vietnam poem her gold and the VC would know our position patrolling through triple-canopied jungle $... Tears, his kin, and Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty i think i died in vietnam poem hear the praise my new Drivers.. What constitutes valid moral justification for any given war for testing whether or not you are a human and... Kcni|Kbbn ), all rights reserved KCNI|KBBN ), all rights reserved United States Fink after he heard former and... Accepted the fact that you were going to die? it was getting a little dicey area. ) as. A published poet news to special features and documentaries, the young squad leader, his... By a skilled practitioner son had lived only a scant 19 years if we not! Straight up by a skilled practitioner Washington, DC this poem was published some time before before. State Drivers license i can feel its flame a brutal battle ; no quarter asked none! Effectiveness, his son had lived only a scant 19 years but collectively they had the force of a who. || { } ; for when countries are in conflict, and some of his.! Approach is enormously effective, creating a netherworld of light and shadows akin to patrolling through triple-canopied.... Beings will endure enormous trauma if they believe in what they are doing to lick their wounds in.. A yard away and he sat around the Legion, telling stories of 471... The 36 poems, only ten deal with other things [. ] supported the war straight up years.