I still recall that first day That I set foot on homeland soil again After being away in a foreign land Better known as Vietnam For so long I stood alone In the land I called home My family was there with love and assistance But I shut down and between us put distance Feelings were that back in Nam was better for me But I was to finish up my time at Ft. Meade I came back wounded and scarred Full of shame and guilt as in feathered and tarred My return  was to Chocolate City Treatment for me was have no pity Didn't find no brothers from the fox holes Didn't find no brothers with understanding souls Searched for them to no end To find those last seen in Tay Ninh As I walked the streets I felt scorned Saw only me and my uniform Some remembered me by name In nine short months away nothing was the same Those with whom  I once had so much fun Couldn't replace feelings of those warriors with guns Though some carried pistols by their side Nothing compared with the comrades who died Some professed happiness I was back But in the world of re-adjustment they didn't have my back And once a few days had come and passed In my mind feelings entered of being of an outcast Now some still looked at me with eyes That always seemed to face the skies And when the questions would come and go I couldn't run so I held my head low That's how it was for many years Running around with so many fears But the fear I held above all man Was for the person who came back from Nam I'd cry at night and break out in sweats Haunted by newfound unidentifed threats There were the panic attacks from hard slamming doors Awakening in the prone position on the floor The fright that got tapped when strangers appeared Staring me down producing new fears As sadness and grief took over my soul Where were the men  with whom I shared a foxhole Still the questions many unanswered, many ignored Not just for me but for the many who warred And the triggers are there for us who share What todays warriors experience in warfare For those of you who don't understand The boy away from home will come back a man Some things have changed in war's  theatre The reason becomes clearer and clearer For many of us the answer is not too late It will help us help those that are in Kuwait And then there are those whose dreams were torn Doing their duty in Desert Storm But the whole picture changed on 911 When terrorist sent many Americans to Heaven They thought they'd stop us in our tracks Never dreamed we come after them in Iraq Who knows if the battle for peace and freedom will ever end It's obivious when it is challenged  we will defend And now we must sent our young out again Into a place called Afganistan Yes I recall that first day That I set foot on homeland soil again A stanger in my own land Now a veteran of Vietnam Who knows today what our young men face Only this time when  they return Don't turn away and show neglect They are fighting for peace and freedom And deserve our respect They will have their moments of re-adjust They need  to know that we they can trust They'll reach out and need our helping hands Don't put them down ... remember the Nan And never forget those that are left behind The KIA's - the POW's - the MIA's so-called hard to find Take the time to prepare a moment & space To welcome them, with open arms and embrace

IN THE MOMENT IN THE MOMENT

COPYRIGHT 2003 W.R.I. "EASY" SMITH