WAR YEARS

Copyright (c), 1995, Bobby L. McBride, All Rights Reserved
Shown here with written permission

See us old men
Sittin’ round the table
Remembering when we were still young
Remembering when we were still able

Drinking our Beers
Coffee or Ginger Ale's
Telling our stories
Telling our tales

Once we were Warriors
Once we were strong
Our whole life was before us
What went wrong?

We once had dreams
We each had a plan
When did each of us discover
That we were just a man?

Once we were Warriors
We fought in the Vietnam War
While many back home were chanting
“What ya’ fightin' for?"

Some of us were wounded
Some of us died
And each of us felt
The loss of our nation's pride

Ask us to tell our stories
If you dare
To share our memories
But beware

Not all our memories are fun
And not all our stories are good
Because Vietnam was what we had
Instead of a happy childhood
 
We trained hard
We learned to kill
Some of us never got used to it
While others liked the thrill

Life there was cheap
We could end it with a push of a button
That's why we forced ourselves to say
"Hey man, it don't mean nothin'"

Some of us flew through the air
Some of us served on the seas
Some of us fought in the jungles
Or in the paddies, in mud over our knees

Don't blame us if we seem angry
Try to understand us if we seem bitter
It's because our "Leaders" used us up
And then cast us aside like litter.

Once I was a Warrior
In a land far away
But that was a long time ago
And now is today

It's your turn now
All you young women and men.
It's your turn now
To start to begin.

Your life is ahead of you
Your future is so bright
I pray that you never wake up
Screaming in the night

So look hard and see
If you can
That once I was a Warrior
And not always an old man.


Bobby McBride
Portland, OR (formerly Puyallup, WA)
Copyright (c), 1995, Bobby L. McBride, All Rights Reserved
DEDICATED TO ALL VIETNAM HELICOPTER CREWMEMBERS.

---

Literary Works
Light Horse Home