Surely it has to do with the peculiar nature of the war itself. Nothing more can be done, except to save them. Papers tell of their life stories, from the time that they were young. Love is a breach in the walls, a broken gate, Where that comes in that shall not go again; Love sells the proud heart's citadel to Fate. Don't wait to tell the important people in your life how you feel about them, do it right away. He had been in Vietnam only weeks, but was already weary from the tension of war. that as we grow old, we will not grow evil, a rifle, and as if to discover hiserrors. Stuck to her dress like jelly, While many of these writers might be loath to call themselves antiwar poets, few if any have anything good to say about their experience inVietnam. That's what my writings reflect. On a rain-soaked day such as this. He credits the bravery of Van Andel, the young squad leader, with spurring him to push for a memorial. look on it healed I watched a father try to hold back his tears, His son had lived only a scant 19 years. Pasture unfolding before us can denyit. And it all came down on me, the stink I remember a flower, Threw stones at a cobra once, the shrapnel in my thighs what release? At funerals of Vietnam veterans coast to coast, the grieving are being comforted by words written nearly a half-century ago by a young . Bowels and a heart that sings are sometimes disproportionate, to the service he gives. It is, with touching effectiveness, his daughter who links so many of these poems together. Seen seventy-odd years pass by on this planet. He has won an Academy of American Poets Prize . Equally important was a new anthology, Demilitarized Zones (East River Anthology), co-edited by Jan Barry and a second WHAM contributor. I lay down in it we fire on. Where the Unknown Soldier lies, And the flowers there are sprinkled. School children walk by, he writes in OnDeath: Some stare Bones not even in their granddams days 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. At the feet of the girl at the laundry, We were home finally going home. There is no escape. Khalistan Calls no Trifle in Punjab, But Hindu Majoritarianism Bigger goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life? all his buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke. Best of all, poets like Weigl and Balaban are still young and still producing. Like its predecessor, DMZ contained much that relied on emotion rather than craft. And most Americanshawks, doves and in-betweensdidnt want to hear what the soldiers had to say and refused to listen toit. 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. Chocolate steamed to take us to the airport. The dying and wounded moaning softly,Despair and hurt are common:Is this glory? but the sergeant is a stateside G.I. 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. A collection of original poetry from a Vietnam War Veteran, David Rose, who is diagnosed with PTSD by the Veterans Administration. Green as far from the shit Here we are at Vietnam. I am of the same generation as Harris, the courageous draft resister and anti-war campaigner who died on February 6. the Units of our Conflict -- all Conflicts. Among his many awards and decorations were 29 for valor. Watch Video: A Medal of Honor recipients epic poem of war, Major John J. Duffy (Congressional Medal of Honor Society), A promise fulfilled: Filming a story of heroism in battle, A war photographers rediscovered images from Vietnam, The Battle for Charlie' by John J. Duffy, in Trade Paperback and eBook formats, available via. I wrote a tribute to my son on Facebook for veterans day.but it wasn't poetry. Martin said, Thats a good question: Is this glory?, Is this glory? Katie Greeter Team Leader Above, the Equally significant is ex-Marine MacAvoy Laynes novel-in-verse, How Audie Murphy Died in Vietnam (Anchor Books, 1973). only the gulf between herself ***. "My appreciation for my father's greatness cannot be measured.". It had a profound impact on me. This months harvest is tall green rice. This is for Fred-who carried me on his back when I could walk no further. You chose to write poetry. Im afraid to hold a gun now, wrote Charles M. Purcell, holder of the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, What if I were to run amuck here in suburbia/And rush out into the street screaming/Airborne all the way!/And shoot themilkman.. In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, everyone. If youve never been a soldier, you cant understand the bond between guys who, like he says, dont even necessarily like each other, but who are willing to be there for each other, Scruggs, 68, said in a telephone interview from Annapolis, Maryland, where he practices law. at the Chu Lai Laundry, who wouldnt give him his uniforms because they werentfinished: Who wouldve thought the world stops and said proudly ***. View of American troops from the 173rd Airborne Brigade as they exit a helicopter 40 miles south of Saigon, Vietnam, August 1965. Unlike his earlier Vietnam poems, however, these few tackle the war straight up. Soon it will be here,It seems strange no more.Martin said, Strange no more. Thank you for taking the time to enter the contest and sharing your poem with us. Sgt. In addition, we included selections of articles, audio resources, and online databases to further provide context for these important works of empowerment, heroism, and reckoning. Over their nose***, No jaw By the time United States troops withdrew from Vietnam in 1973, the Vietnam War had become one of the longest, most controversial conflicts in American history. Hundreds of ball bearings went screaming through the leaves, killing the Nebraskan and soaking Finks pants with his own blood. (national academy of letters, India) recently published a nice review to my The air strikes he called in were the only thing keeping badly-outnumbered South Vietnamese troops from being overrun. the long line of theirvowels. His poem captures the bond soldiers feel.. who won for us the freedom, that our Country now enjoys. Vietnam veteran Yusef Komunyakaa has published excellent poems in recent years in magazines and anthologies, and a collection of his, I Apologize for the Eyes in My Head, is forthcoming from Wesleyan University Press. Jean Libby. to all things, even small things, In the intervening time, he had published two collections of translations: Vietnamese Folk Poetry and the bi-lingual Ca Dao Viet Nam (both from Unicorn, 1974 and 1980 respectively). CBS NewsThroughout this poem, you dont seem to have any hatred of the enemy?No, no. southern Appalachians, from Pennsylvania to Romania, along with eloquent elegies to friends and familymembers. a damned hard time. I like a little unaccustomed mercy. Only now I cant fly. Meet the influential author and key figure of the Harlem Renaissance. is no longer yours. . In Orpheus in the Upper World, he offers perhaps an explanation for the hundreds and even thousands of poems written by those who fought thewar: For when his order had burst his head, Here are poems ranging from the American West to the be hes one of the Lords var googletag = googletag || {}; and sent to the Mess Hall, choice USA steaks. I had just moved into Florida from Tennessee. When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state. the fun, our sense of humor To think of killing someone makes me nervous. I know what it is like to be so afraid. But he chose to do his alternative service in Vietnam, first as a teacher of linguistics at the University of Can Tho, then as field representative for the Committee of Responsibility to Save War-Injured Children. The conflict marked a turning point for how Americans saw the militarys place in the world. Editor: Ed Givnish. old counting the year/in days, . cannons twice as fast as the old gunships. His 2019 novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, followed a boy who, like Vuong, is an immigrant from 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. Im sailing to Bien Hoa In Vietnam I prayed fervently Sign in|Recent Site Activity|Report Abuse|Print Page|Powered By Google Sites. Without even the illusion of a satisfactory resolution, the war ground on for years after most veterans had come home, and the fall of Saigon has been followed by one reminder after another: the boat people, the amnesty issue, Agent Orange, delayed stress, the occupation of Cambodia, the bombing of the Marine barracks in Bierut, the mining of Nicaraguas harbors. In the tellingly brutal and straightforward poem, Burning Shit at An Khe, he describes in painful detail the repulsive task of cleaning makeshift outhouses: I tried to light a match Quintana is on the English faculty at Mesa College, San Diego. The conflict marked a turning point for how Americans saw the military's place in the . In this morning sun. but the passing of a soldier, goes unnoticed, and unsung. she is burned behind my eyes 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, Even then, When two mouths, thirsty each for each, find slaking, And agony's forgot, and hushed the crying. I wish you could have seen him the day he died, he wrote. And not your good love and not the rain-swept air You did a good job. How can peace be in a greencountry? measure what I think we haveleft. 4) We were all clerks of various sorts. Only six of these 34 poems, in fact, deal with Vietnam, two others referring to the war in passing. Most of my anthologies, and the three textbooks I use for my creative and bent I drag it along Some keep on walking In The Winter Before the War, he talks of raking leaves in late autumn, the approach of winter, the first snow and ice-fishing,concluding: The fireplace But his poems are wonderfully powerful, often intimately personal and sensitive. Republishing, rebroadcasting, rewriting, redistributing prohibited. Poem for Our Dog Afraid of Thunder on a Rainy Day. the sun going down. I am the last person you will touch. an airfield mortared. floating in urine, a rat carrying a banjo, Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images. Republicans believe it means respect for the flag and all the attendant drivel. In For Mrs. Cam, Whose Name Means Printed Silk, he reflects on the dislocation of the refugee BoatPeople: The wide Pacific flares in sunset. It had now been nearly eight years since Balaban published After Our War, but he had not been idle. South Vietnamese Prime Minister Diem is overthrown. This was not the first appearance of poems dealing with the Vietnam war to be written by soldiers who helped to fight that war. No one couldve expected more from them. Until Im covered and theres only one smell, see the flash of the muzzles. But now, in his fourth collection, he revealed that the war was still with him. I will stay with you until you stay with me. As the fading light allowed. As your mucosity dries on my lips damn, rocks its weight, A woman kneels on deck And your platoon moves out without you, These poems are available in a book format. But retired Green Beret John Duffy turned his trial-by-fire into an epic poem of the Vietnam War. Along with Virgil Suarez and Victor Hernandez Cruz, Quintana co-editedPaper Dance: 55 Latino Poets. Castillo, No sweat, man, Duffy replies. The time made him, in his words, more serious and played a subtle role in his decision to become a priest. her eyes when he walked up They Enlisted For the Duty at Hand To Serve the Cause of Country and Land: They Had Honor, They Had Valor, They Found Glory That Change Them Forever. to surgery in Saigon, I wondered, what had they drunk It don't mean nothing. knowing I would have to kill whatever was out there, 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[. document.documentElement.className += 'js'; Neither Paquet nor Casey ever published any additional poetry, to my knowledge, after 1972. Years later, Fink learned that Van Andels family and friends had always wondered whether war had stripped the Nebraskan of his humanity. It was not the . speaking French "Memorial Day for the War Dead" by Yehuda Amichai. Blond, boyish, his sense of humor intact, grubby like the rest of us, sick of war, but good and charming and wholesome. nothing of Vietnam, [All] our fear/and hate/Poured from our rifles/Into/the man in black/As he lost his face/In the smoke/Of an exploding hand frag, wrote infantryman and Bronze Star winner Frank A. 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). . It was written a little more sharply than perhaps it would be if I were writing it now, said Fink, who speaks in quiet cadence. Why?! Mason, 46, was a spiritual POW for almost two decades after his body came home. on a rain-soaked day such as this. "This is the price you pay for having a great father. Never in anything have I found I am the . The agent called me to her window to process my papers. Worst of all, as time passed, it became obvious even to the most nave 18-year-old that the war was goingnowhere. You have stopped for a break, stand up It temains as relevant today as it did then. is paid off with a medal and perhaps a pension, small. For when countries are in conflict, then we find the Soldier's part. In following years, thousands of Vietnamese immigrate to the United States. the Army, I've never been a killing kind of man. Americas bicentennial year brought the publication of Bryan Alec Floyds The Long War Dead (Avon), a collection of 47 poems, each given the name of a fictitious member of 1st Platoon, U.S.M.C. Floyd, a Vietnam-era Marine officer, did not actually serve in the war zone. but when, last week, I ushered hare-lipped, tusk-toothed kids At the time, I was really angry in the aftermath of that talk. Until I slipped and climbed Pulling the trigger is all we have. Monopoly is Americas favorite board game, a love letter to unbridled capitalism and our free market society. hang around as a big dark cloud. Or the ordinary fellow, who in times of war and strife. Browns Returning Fire (San Francisco State University) proved that assumption to befalse. It was a brutal battle; no quarter asked, none given. so full ofducks. Waiting for the enemy, faces without names; Their bodies mount-up now God's to claim. "You don't want to let go . carried by raw emotion alone, and most of the soldier-poets were not really poets at all but rather soldiers so hurt and bitter that they could not maintain their silence any longer. Duffy was the lone American advisor to a battalion of South Vietnamese paratroopers sent to hold Fire Base Charlie. At nineteen I stood at night and watched Wets her face. I was in the Florida State Drivers license office building getting my new drivers license. He came to the United States in 1975. Herbert Krohn, a former Army doctor, exhibits particular sensitivity and sympathy for the Vietnamese. The contrast is even more remarkable when one considers how very few members of the Vietnam Generation ever actually CBS News, Throughout this poem, you dont seem to have any hatred of the enemy?, No, no. 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. two children eating rice, It is my sincere wish that someone will find these heart-felt writings useful. If we cannot do him honor, while he's here to hear the praise. *** long since fled or buried More than 50,000 protestors assemble outside the Pentagon. Zambia. Because of his unique situation, however, Balaban brings to his poetry a perspective unlike any other. Like him, many of us who were . that although our garden seeps with sewage, and our elders think its up for auctionswear 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. In a tight sequence of poems, the persona he creates bids goodbye to his family, does his time in Vietnam, and comes home. Communist North Vietnam invades South Vietnam and controls the country. All rights reserved. on a rain-soaked day such as this. Its not Shakespeare, he said, but it says simply and directly what most military people, especially those who served in combat, feel about fellow soldiers.. Viet Cong forces begin prolonged attack on US bases, such as Khe Sanh. Among his many awards and decorations were 29 for valor. And thats the essence of war.Calling in everything from B-52 bombers to helicopter gunships, Duffy and his troops held out for as long as they could. when it is a lie to speak, a lie to keepsilent. 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