THE REALITIES OF LIFE THAT WE FACED IN OUR WAR

The hot Mekong Delta sun beats down without any mercy
The damn humidity alone could destroy an exhausted body
You're gasping for air as you try to adjust to conditions

Only days before you left the USA in the dead of winter
The day I had left it was 10 degrees out and a blizzard
We were now frying in the 100 degree weather in Vietnam

It was a very shocking climate and very deadly there too
There were so many changes to adjust to in just a few days
And this was just the weather we hadn't even fought as yet

Then just when you think it can't get any worst for you
You're introduced to your first night time mortar attack
It was mainly harassment fire to keep you from sleeping

Later we learned about all these new type exotic creatures
And all the many deadly type snakes living around all of us
It was suddenly apparent why they said watch where you step

They'd say turn your boots upside down before putting them on
For if you just stick your foot in them you may get a surprise
You see at night creatures like scorpions would crawl in them

This surely was a very beautiful country aside from the war
There were many historic sites all throughout South Vietnam
But you'd quickly return to reality with that first explosion

There were many things we'd have to get use to in that land
Most things were horrific for anyone to have to deal with
Then you became aware of the fact you had a year to go yet



© Terry Sasek - Alwaysawarrior - all rights reserved.



War in and of itself is a terrifying thing enough for anyone
to have to deal with at any age, but when you throw into this
mix some of these freaking exotic creatures that we also had
to deal with at the same time during the day or especially at
night there was enough to drive you insane at the very least.
It was hard enough to prepare yourself for those things you'd
face in combat like an unseen enemy who was lobbing in shells
from mortars and rockets at your outpost or your air base, but
nothing was more terrifying than coming face to face up close
and personal with a cobra knowing the fact that if it struck
you with it's fangs you wouldn't have a prayer of surviving
it's deadly venom. They say that war is hell and I can truly
testify to that fact, but there are things that were far more
terrifying than the many mortar or rocket attacks on our base
especially when one of those things was coming face to face
with some of those very exotic and deadly creatures who lived
down in the Mekong Delta as we fought to defend South Vietnam.

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