It was in September of ‘68
I was just a boy of eighteen
I said goodbye to my girl Elaine she whispered “please come back home to me”
a small town boy with the heart of a man
goin’ off to fight for uncle sam

Twelve weeks of learnin’ how to stay alive
I’d become a fighting marine
they said “son, only the strong survive so kill every one of them you see”
I was proud to serve to protect our land
‘till I got a taste of life in Vietnam

I saw innocent children and families
slaughtered one by one
I saw villages burnin,’ but couldn’t look back
we just kept movin’ on
we had become killing machines, evil took our hearts and our humanity

We were stationed on the shores of Qui Nho’n
the men of platoon 108
getting’ stoned singin’ all the hit songs
trying’ to make it through another day
so many friends fell by my side, how many more of us would have to die
We were sent to a jungle somewhere in hell

the smell of death everywhere
the Viet Cong were hiding up in the trees
with Ak’s aimed at our heads
when they opened fire all we saw was a flash
in the blink of an eye they took us down, we never had a chance

I returned home in ’73, my girl Elaine was gone
no heroes welcome no one waiting for me
I felt lost and all alone
a small town boy with medals hung on his chest
but all people saw was a sad weary vet

My tours been over now for 50 years, duty and honor destroyed my soul
I still spend sleepless nights thinkin’ of, my friends who never made it home
for those who died those missing in action, we will remember them all
the memory of what they sacrificed, will live forever on the wall

By Allan Licht
Copyright 1997/2019 - Allan Licht/ABL Records