by Cpl. Robert L. Cook
Jan. 42~Sept. 45
The called us the
"great generation"
After we fought the war.
We came home to
A grateful nation
That promised
We'd fight no more.
Our nation stands
Always ready
To fight for
Rights we adore,
And soon we were
Back in the foxholes
Defending those rights
Once more.
The nation that
We fought for
Was small,
Had little to give.
They only wanted assistance
To give them the lives
That they lived.
We spent days
Without number
In cold and blistering heat,
We conquered the foe
'Twas not easy
To make a
A tactical retreat.
We felt no shame in our doing,
We were left unbeaten by far,
A wise man led us to safety,
'Tis the fortunes of war.
This was the same generation
That had conquered
The foe of the East.
They left with the
Satisfied feeling,
Of stopping
The Communist beast.
They left that small nation
At peace and
Wholly intact.
It seems we cannot tolerate
A tyrant in command,
We rise up and challenge him
In any clime or land.
When e'er we see
A people
Suffer beneath the lash,
We feel we must interfere
To set them free.
We sent our Marines
Upon the scene,
In far away
Vietnam
They did their best
On their behest
To sweep the nation clean.
They fought a bloody battle
That lasted long
Not well.
They could not squelch
The enemy
No fault was theirs
To tell.
Our nation was not
With them,
Politics intervened.
If they had been
Left alone
There'd be no loss
To atone.
So once again
They left the shores
Bloodied,
With heads held high.
Their pride was not extinguished,
It vaulted to the sky.
They came home to a nation
That did not welcome them.
There were no parades
Or gatherings.
No happy sounding din.
Time never stops turning,
Around and around it goes.
Another nation in distress,
So off to war we go.
The Marines, as is usual,
Were first upon the scene.
They found a situation
That honed their senses keen.
With time and perseverance,
With help they won the day.
God knows what
Will happen next.
What mission they'll
Insert.
But you can bet
Your lazy ass
Who'll be
There first.
* * *
About the author: Robert Cook served with Reg. Weapons Co.(2d-2d) from 1942~44, at Guadalcanal
and Tarawa, during a 33-month overseas tour.
