Anglican Morning Devotion, 29 March 2022 Anno Domini
a ministry of the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide (Vietnam Veterans Day in America)
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” John 15:13-14 (KJV)
From Danang’s stormy shoreline,
To Saigon’s steamy bars,
The soldier stood his watches
And fought his dreaded war.
In Mekong Delta’s paddies,
And Ahn Khe’s rugged slopes,
Our best men suffered horrors
To battles angry notes.
Point man, walk with caution!
The trail with traps is sown,
And every man a target
As known to God alone.
The tunnel rat, courageous,
Seeks out the hidden foe,
And risks his life for others
Where cowards dare not go.
The soldier wakes ere daybreak
To meet his chopper flight,
He comes again if lucky
To sleep another night.
He dreams of home and family
As his DEROS day looms near.
If God allows, he makes it,
And comes home to hate and jeer.
Smirk on, unworthy traitor,
Who smears the hero’s name.
Renounce your blessed birthright –
Endure betrayals shame.
The purchase of our freedom
Is paid with blood and sweat,
But the soldier stands e’er ready
To meet the tyrant’s threat.
He bears his service proudly
Without remorse or blame,
He is his country’s pride and hope
To history’s proud acclaim.
March 29 has been designated Vietnam Veteran’s Day; therefore, I have written this tribute to those many unsung heroes of our nation who served, and some who died, in that terrible conflict, crude as my poem may appear. JLO
