USMC COMBAT TOUR HAIKU TRILOGY
Old salt remembers
The long, the short, and the tall
And an adventure
Interesting tour
Third Battalion Fifth Marines
Semper Fidelis
To Okinawa
Aboard APA Renville
First March Sixty-Six
Fleet Marine Force PAC
East China and South China
And Philippine Seas
We sail through typhoon
Landing Ship Tank to Japan
Mount Fuji in spring
Swimming in Subic
Overboard man overboard
Three days bread water
Training on island
Isolated Japanese
Surrenders to us
On Liberty Call
In Olongapo City
A lesson learned
Sit facing entrance
Shore Patrol says off-limits
Exit well planned
LPH Princeton
Contemplation till sunrise
Guard duty on deck
Viet Nam monsoon
All hands heave out and trice up
We are deploying
Observe search destroy
There are friendlies in region
End to non-friendlies
II*********************
Last one in first out
Helicopter lifts off deck
Drops to sea then soars
Boarding hatch open
Perfect view land air and sea
Green hills rice paddies
Sikorsky on ground
Incoming rounds leave their mark
Perimeter set
Landing zone secure
Multiple lands and departs
Bouncing back to ship
Hot thick engulfing
High power rifle cracks air
Jungle labyrinth
Scorpions Leeches
Elusive lime green Habu
Among punji stakes
Mortars send welcome
A deafening percussion
Howitzers whistle
Marine in his sight
Take out Viet Cong sniper
Then Phantom appears
Slow tumbling barrel
F-4 shrieks splashing napalm
Opposite ridgeline
Instantly silent
Enemy cover erased
This moment in time
Civilians at ease
Water buffalo, tiger
And cobra observe
Locate new LZ
Our transport copters descend
For next objective
III*******************
Out of the jungle
Transferred to urban combat
Adjust momentum
Three/Five alumnus
To Military Police
At Da Nang Airbase
Secure area
Troops coming in from the bush
Christmas with Bob Hope
Driving with Captain
Separated at skirmish
Find my own way back
Returning convoy
Fifty-caliber vacant
Clear jam open fire
Walking fuel pipeline
Sunset to sunrise duty
Force Recon contact
Need covert supply
Case forty-five caliber
Replenish grease guns
Use infrared scope
At perimeter outpost
Function accurate
During base patrol
Disturbance at EM Club
Ended with one round
Training and weapons
Extensions to our being
Focus and humor
Determination
One year one month seven days
Accelerated
A traditional
Bellicose experience
Cosmic deja-vu
TXu 1-673-107
Effective date
of
registration:
February
10, 2010
Author:
Andrew
Louis Syor
USA Copyright
