Alwaysawarrior
1,320,774 poems read
WE STOOD TALL AND SERVED OUR NATION
As I look back over my own lifetime, I stood tall
There were many things I had done to help others
But there were times I felt I hadn't done enough
It seemed I was predestined to become who I have
And though there were times I felt like giving in
Something inside me told me to just keep going on
Regardless of what others may have thought of me
I had these feelings of Duty - Honor and Country
Though many who knew me couldn't understand why
Why would you ever volunteer to go do what you did?
I had always wanted to serve our nation and people
To be one who had done more than just talk the talk
I served proudly and with great distinction as well
Many times, I did more than was required of me to do
I knew it was the right thing to do then so I did it
And though it has caused me to suffer great pain now
From the deadly spray that was used back in the war
Caused by the toxins used to make that chemical spray
We were told that Agent Orange would save all of us
By killing off all those jungle plants where VC hid
They used them while waiting for darkness to attack
It had done its job well just as I had done my job
But when I had done my job people's lives were saved
But that spray used there did more than kill plants
Over the years the toxins have ravaged our bodies
Destroying nerves and causing many medical issues
Such as Diabetes, heart, vein and other diseases
But worst of all are the cancers killing many now
They knew the history and the aftereffects of it
Yet they still used it, and we are still suffering
© Terry Sasek - Alwaysawarrior - all rights reserved.
For many years these chemicals were used by the railroads
and the U.S. Forest Service to kill weeds growing along
railroad tracks and along the fire trails that were also
used by the U.S. Forest Service to reach many wildfires.
Even though they were aware of the effects it caused to
the workers who had been exposed to these chemicals and
the medical issues, complications and deaths for which it
caused to the workers then they still decided to use them.
These chemicals were banned from being used in the United
States of America and were then sent to be stored outside
of our country, but years later the chemical companies had
talked the government into using these chemicals in South
Vietnam to kill off those jungle plants and deprive the VC
of the hiding areas they used before attacking our bases.
I can only guess that the chemical companies thought we'd
be killed in the battles fought and no one would ever know
about the side effects from our exposure to the chemicals
years after the exposure to this Agent Orange defoliant,
so now those of us who survived our tour of duty we are
the ones who are now suffering these devastating results
from these aftereffects and many are dying from our own
nation's use of these banned chemicals during the war in
Vietnam is now having deadly effects on us as they were
reassuring us that these chemicals we were being exposed
to from those aerial spray missions and the ground crews
spraying it along the perimeter near our defensive gun
positions and bunkers were not only safe, but would save
our lives by depriving the VC of their own jungle hiding
places which they used to cover all of their movements
as they sneaked up to attack our bases.
as
There were many things I had done to help others
But there were times I felt I hadn't done enough
It seemed I was predestined to become who I have
And though there were times I felt like giving in
Something inside me told me to just keep going on
Regardless of what others may have thought of me
I had these feelings of Duty - Honor and Country
Though many who knew me couldn't understand why
Why would you ever volunteer to go do what you did?
I had always wanted to serve our nation and people
To be one who had done more than just talk the talk
I served proudly and with great distinction as well
Many times, I did more than was required of me to do
I knew it was the right thing to do then so I did it
And though it has caused me to suffer great pain now
From the deadly spray that was used back in the war
Caused by the toxins used to make that chemical spray
We were told that Agent Orange would save all of us
By killing off all those jungle plants where VC hid
They used them while waiting for darkness to attack
It had done its job well just as I had done my job
But when I had done my job people's lives were saved
But that spray used there did more than kill plants
Over the years the toxins have ravaged our bodies
Destroying nerves and causing many medical issues
Such as Diabetes, heart, vein and other diseases
But worst of all are the cancers killing many now
They knew the history and the aftereffects of it
Yet they still used it, and we are still suffering
© Terry Sasek - Alwaysawarrior - all rights reserved.
For many years these chemicals were used by the railroads
and the U.S. Forest Service to kill weeds growing along
railroad tracks and along the fire trails that were also
used by the U.S. Forest Service to reach many wildfires.
Even though they were aware of the effects it caused to
the workers who had been exposed to these chemicals and
the medical issues, complications and deaths for which it
caused to the workers then they still decided to use them.
These chemicals were banned from being used in the United
States of America and were then sent to be stored outside
of our country, but years later the chemical companies had
talked the government into using these chemicals in South
Vietnam to kill off those jungle plants and deprive the VC
of the hiding areas they used before attacking our bases.
I can only guess that the chemical companies thought we'd
be killed in the battles fought and no one would ever know
about the side effects from our exposure to the chemicals
years after the exposure to this Agent Orange defoliant,
so now those of us who survived our tour of duty we are
the ones who are now suffering these devastating results
from these aftereffects and many are dying from our own
nation's use of these banned chemicals during the war in
Vietnam is now having deadly effects on us as they were
reassuring us that these chemicals we were being exposed
to from those aerial spray missions and the ground crews
spraying it along the perimeter near our defensive gun
positions and bunkers were not only safe, but would save
our lives by depriving the VC of their own jungle hiding
places which they used to cover all of their movements
as they sneaked up to attack our bases.
as
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WE STOOD TALL AND SERVED OUR NATION
WE STOOD TALL AND SERVED OUR NATION