A Solider's Lament Part 1 - MEMORIES Part 2 - THE WALL

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NIAI
Member

since 2001-03-29

Posts 52

0 posted 2001-05-14 06:28 PM

                   MEMORIES

                 Killed a youth
                 Barely a man
                 Felt
                 Nothing

                 Who he was
                 Didn't care

                 Killed again
                 And again
                 Congradulated
                 Filled with pride

                 Them or me
                 So I was
                 Taught

                 Doing my duty
                 As I was
                 Trained

                 Again & again
                 I killed

                 Decades have past
                 I purge
                 My soul
                 Trying to
                 Care

                 Screams at night
                 Terrifying
                 Children and
                 Wife

                 Still
                 I tried
                 To care
                 Untill.....

                 THE WALL

              Touched the names
              Felt the pain
              The guilt
              The sacrifice
              The disgrace
              The waste

              Classmates
              Friends
              Couisins
              Soldiers all

              I WEPT

              I weep still
              For those on
              The WALL

              For the others
              I try
              But
              Only hate

Marge Tindal

Member Empyrean

since 1999-11-06

Posts 42384
Florida's Foreverly Shores

1 posted 2001-05-14 07:30 PM

NIAI~
I feel your pain ... as I too have been to ...

'THE WALL'

'Touched the names
Felt the pain
The guilt
The sacrifice
The disgrace
The waste'

I also felt loving PRIDE for all those who fought.
But ... I never felt disgrace or associated it with the bravery of any soldier.

I understand your feelings ...
and know that many others do too.

God bless you ...
and may He free you from the nightmares of the past.
*Tenderly*
~*Marge*~

~*The pen of the poet never runs out of ink, as long as we breathe.*~
noles1@totcon.com

Wilfred Yeats
Member Elite

since 2000-08-04

Posts 2704
Wilmington, Delaware

2 posted 2001-05-15 07:21 PM

I was able to avoid korea =served 54-56 - and thus too old for Nam

What I DO remember was all the pro and anti rhetoric screamed almost daily =
I initially felt "kill those commies" - but long before Nixon - I changed 180 degrees=
~sigh~ - so I know both feelings

Well done Paul

RMW
Senior Member

since 2001-03-21

Posts 1424

3 posted 2001-05-15 08:35 PM

NIAI,

"Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am
     faint;
   O Lord, heal me, for my bones
     are in agony.
My soul is in anguish.
   How long, O Lord, how long?

I am worn out from groaing;
   all night long I flood my bed
     with weeping
   and drench my couch with tears." Psalm 6

NIAI....it is time to reflect in the knowledge that David was not only a shepherd but also a poet......and a warrior. It's time.  RMW (USMC)

Balladeer

Administrator

Member Empyrean

since 1999-06-05

Posts 25505
Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA

4 posted 2001-05-15 09:16 PM

You echo the sentiments of many, sir, with this very powerful piece of your soul.

RMW's response is right on.....it's time.

Nan

Administrator

Member Seraphic

since 1999-05-20

Posts 21191
Cape Cod Massachusetts USA

5 posted 2001-05-17 06:52 AM

To stand before the WALL is to shed a tear indeed... a tear that lasts a lifetime... Thank you for your poignant thoughts...

JamesMichael
Member Empyrean

since 1999-11-16

Posts 33336
Kapolei, Hawaii, USA

6 posted 2001-05-17 09:38 AM

Good expression of your experiences and feelings...James

Mother_Earth
Senior Member

since 2000-11-20

Posts 1370
1/2 year Texas & 1/2 year Michigan

7 posted 2001-05-17 06:56 PM

NIAI, none of my close family has been in any war except the Civil War. I have been to see and touch The Wall and have never had such feelings. I wish you a peace for mind and body. Find the help you need and try to forgive yourself. Hugs, ME

NIAI
Member

since 2001-03-29

Posts 52

8 posted 2001-05-17 07:17 PM

Thank You All. Perhaps I expected too much when I first visited The Wall. I was hoping for a catharsis. It didn't happen ! It is time ! I now plan a second visit this summer. I hope to do so with a more open mind and spirit that will allow me to forgive. Can never forget. Your thoughs have really helped. Not only to forgive the foreign enemy but also the domestic enemy that created the disaster and allowed it to esculate unabatted for years.

NapalmsConstantlyConfused

Senior Member

since 2001-05-15

Posts 529

9 posted 2001-05-17 10:23 PM

and once again they've done it to us, with Kosovo / Bosnia.... having been there, oh how true this poem is, and just because i felt it deserved it, *BUMP*
thanks for the memorial, NIAI, for those of us who've served, old or new

I Love The Smell Of Napalm In The AM!
"Why do i smell something burning?!?"
I Love The Smell Of Napalm In The AM!

Decaflame
Senior Member

since 2001-05-11

Posts 1635

10 posted 2001-05-17 11:07 PM

Sir...

I do not take for a moment one thing away from this...I hope to add to it...

there are walls
of hope
walls of despair
don't you see
the ones who care?

you did what
you were told to
do
now you live
as with no clue

we were not so
trained as you

we try and cry
at what we know
and what we don't?
you won't show

we are, too,
the wounded, walking
we laid awake
when you were grounded
we held our breath
while you were gone
you lived for us
while we held on

and now you're here
in a world, not yours
you gave your all
now are, unsure

the wives, the children
we've gone berserk
to hold within
these warsome quirks

you may agree, or
dis, I know
but the wars have hurt
us all, 'tis so....

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