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Veteran Poems by Roberto J. Prinselaar MEDALS Don’t envy a man his medals All those ribbons on his chest He did not try to get them They’re not there at his request They were earned in stinking hellholes Where no man would like to go Or in cold and wintry places Where there’s only ice and snow He didn’t know he earned them Till they were awarded at parade And they were bright when he first got them But in time the colors fade He was told he had to wear them And to wear them all with pride But when the colors fade He was told he had to wear them And to wear them all with pride But when the memories come to haunt him Those same medal’s make him hide Cause those medals will not bring back All those guys he left behind And he would trade them all forever For a little peace of mind So don’t envy a man his medals You don’t want to take his place Thinking back to long gone battles And meeting dead friends face to face SEMPER FI CHAT I feed my soul with conversation A talk with men who were there too Who left their friends in far off places The men who now become so few Our gray hair is an indication That we are now among the old Our talks revolve around an era When we were young and oh so bold We talk of war and talk of pleasure We talk of friends who are now gone Our martial past a fine honed memory But now, oh God, we’re so alone We are now strangers in our country Civilians do not think the way we do So when we talk, we’re back together The ones who went, the proud, the few HAM AND MOTHERS I loved the names we gave our food Although some names were downright lewd One thing for sure the stuff was light That made a difference in a fight The rations now are MRE’s The rations then were mostly “C”s There were some good, and some were bad But damn it all, that’s all we had And there were times that you could swap Cause there were guys who loved the slop At every meal came time to trade It was a fun game that we played There was one ration we all know I’ll tell you now we loved it so The one we really loved to eat “Ham and Mothers” was the treat Yes, lima beans were good for you They manufacture methane gasses too But if you think I’m selling sky I’m just a vet, and never lie “UNNATURAL CAUSES” A FILM I watched a movie about all the vets Exposed to defoliant spray And I thought of all of the vets That are hurting and dying each day This isn’t a movie we watch on TV This is real and it’s not just a tale They are blind, they are crippled And some slightly nuts They are prisoners of hurt with no bail They all did their duty away from this land And sometimes it was too much to bear It’s hard to watch buddies die in the dirt And wondering if there’s someone to care Then going home happened, t’was a great day Leaving all of the misery behind But the war never left, especially at night It’s almost like losing your mind And some left some pieces, no longer whole And some are dying real slow And they’re lying in beds all over this land With wheelchairs that no longer go So I think of the movie, and think of the war And I think of the friends I have lost And I wonder how many just watching that film Remember just what it all cost I’M O.K. I’ll admit I’m slightly troubled And there are times I’m downright sad When I think back on things that happened And some of those were really bad But I’m O.K., I tell you truly I’m alive, and that’s a lot I’m better off than some old buddies Yeah I’m alive, and they are not There are times I dream about them But mostly now, I only sleep I’m telling you I’m doing fine now Why should I think ‘bout things so deep I never cry, cause that’s not manly It’s not the way that I was taught And what the hell, it’s all behind me I’ve put aside just why we fought I can’t remember all the reasons There had to be some, I suppose I do remember, for God and country But it was more than only those I lost some friends, for lofty reasons And they are now forever gone But I’m O.K., yeah, I’m still living But sometimes GOD, I’m so alone Roberto J. Prinselaar I have served my country, in the Navy and Coast Guard for 31 plus years. During those years I was in Korea, China, and Southeast Asia. I entered the service as a Seaman recruit, and after becoming a Chief Petty Officer, I received a Presidential commission to LTjg. And retired as a Lieutenant Commander. LCDR Roberto J. Prinselaar, USCG (Ret) |