Intresting poem

[Grunt4Life]

Let me know what you think:

Take a man and put him alone,
put him twelve thousand miles from home.
Empty his heart of all but his blood,
make him live in sweat, in mud.
This is the life I have to live,
this the soul to the Devil I give.
You have your parties and drink your beer,
while young men are dying over here.
Plant your signs on the White House lawn;
"Lets get out of Vietnam".
Use your signs and have your fun,
then refuse to use a gun.
There's nothing else for you to do,
then I'm supposed to die for you.
There is one thing that you don't know;
and that's where I think you should go!
I'm already here and it's too late.
I've traded all my love just for hate.
I'll hate you till the day I die.
You made me hear my buddy cry.
I saw his leg and his blood shed,
then I heard them say "This one's dead".
It was a large price for him to pay,
to let you live another day.
He had the guts to fight and die,
to keep the freedom you live by.
By his dying your life he buys,
but who gives a DAMN if a Marine dies!

[Navy6064]

Alink to this poem.

http://www.finitesite.com/sarge/docs/who_cares.html

Originally Posted by Grunt4Life

Let me know what you think:

Take a man and put him alone,
put him twelve thousand miles from home.
Empty his heart of all but his blood,
make him live in sweat, in mud.
This is the life I have to live,
this the soul to the Devil I give.
You have your parties and drink your beer,
while young men are dying over here.
Plant your signs on the White House lawn;
"Lets get out of Vietnam".
Use your signs and have your fun,
then refuse to use a gun.
There's nothing else for you to do,
then I'm supposed to die for you.
There is one thing that you don't know;
and that's where I think you should go!
I'm already here and it's too late.
I've traded all my love just for hate.
I'll hate you till the day I die.
You made me hear my buddy cry.
I saw his leg and his blood shed,
then I heard them say "This one's dead".
It was a large price for him to pay,
to let you live another day.
He had the guts to fight and die,
to keep the freedom you live by.
By his dying your life he buys,
but who gives a DAMN if a Marine dies!

[USMCRET6391]

personally I give a pretty big damn and so do a lot of other people, I'm not impressed.

[USMC Chuter]

I think I get the meaning.. It illustrates the idea that there are a lot of people who don't "get it". They don't get what it actually means when they hear the stats on the news, as long as they have their beer, two cars in the garage, and the next bullshit football game on ESPN...

[Sir_Krahn]

I think this poem is very true to my life. I am going to join the Marine Corps after high school and there are plenty of guys that say war is cool and war is great but they don't seem to think they have to do anything in it to understand it. Most of the guys here paly video games and read books and think they can understand it. I don't even understand it! But at least I understand the fact that if you really want to know war, you have to play your part in it. Someday when I am a Marine I am going to look back at these guys and laugh at them, because of how naiive they really are. This poem helps to describe my feelings towards those types of people.

[Panzerman]

Meh. It's a little too whiney for my tastes. If you're a volunteer, you've got no ground to stand on if you want to bitch so vehemently about the people that you signed up to defend, unless you're doing it for completely selfish reasons, then you can pretty much go fuck yourself in my book, anyway.

However, if this is taken from the perspective of a Vietnam War draftee, it makes a little more sense that he'd be a little bitter.

But, one thing about the whole sense that you're buying someone's freedom with your life if you get killed in one of America's foreign interventions - I don't buy it. I don't seriously think for a second that the modern military truly serves to protect the freedoms of Americans. Yes, we do protect America's national interests overseas - but that is certainly distinct from protecting lives or basic freedoms.

[Spitfire101]

This was written by a Vietnam vet. I'm going to try and find the link for it again that shows who wrote it.

Since it dates back to that time, I do understand why it was written that way.

A beautiful, poignant poem. Seems to me like college kids care more about their parties and their cars then about their country. The only reason we don't have mass protests these days is because there is no draft, so no one is requiring them to make a sacrifice, and thus, they just don't care.

[Spitfire101]

That's the good thing about not having a draft. It's all about choices. Don't put all peas in a pot by saying that College kids don't care. If someone chooses not to serve in the Armed Forces, respect that. There's many of our young people willing to step up to the plate daily and do a wonderful job while serving. I am not going to waste my time worrying about the ones that don't want to join. They have that right.

Originally Posted by Spitfire101

That's the good thing about not having a draft. It's all about choices. Don't put all peas in a pot by saying that College kids don't care. If someone chooses not to serve in the Armed Forces, respect that. There's many of our young people willing to step up to the plate daily and do a wonderful job while serving. I am not going to waste my time worrying about the ones that don't want to join. They have that right.

Well, I understand that many of the college kids are ok, productive people, and I do respect people's choices. What I don't respect is spitting on veterans (which fortunately doesn't happen anymore) and people who are opposed to war because they might have to fight in it (as was the case during the Vietnam War) instead of having someone else fight. I hope that clears things up.

[Bronco1986]

A

beautiful, poignant poem. Seems to me like college kids care more about their parties and their cars then about their country. The only reason we don't have mass protests these days is because there is no draft, so no one is requiring them to make a sacrifice, and thus, they just don't care.

what year did you graduate high school? what college do you go to? People protest the war quite often. granted on a small scale but it is a regular happening on campus. Plus people in college have no fear of being drafted because if your in college you cant be drafted. it excludes you.

Also, as spitfire talked about, dont make assumptions about "all" of any group of people. If you walked into my dorm room and told me I "just didn't care" and only cared about parties. You'd really be in for a show and i hope you checked all your possible routes of escape before walking through my door. Because frankly you have no idea what i do.

What I don't respect is spitting on veterans (which fortunately doesn't happen anymore) and people who are opposed to war because they might have to fight in it

many students feel war is morally wrong or politically wrong, thats why the oppose it. Plus as i mentioned before college kids have no fear of fighting in war because they know they dot have to unless they actually want to. As for spitting? dont think that becuase Vietnam is over guys walking around in uniform on campus dont get spit at or yelled at. The only thing i've gotten was a few dirty looks, luckily. Granted it doesnt come close to Vietnam. My campus Army ROTC building was firebombed by students during the 60's. Many of the cadets were authorized to carry .45's to class. Crazy stuff.

Have a nice day.

[Field_Sailor]

Originally Posted by Panzerman

Meh. It's a little too whiney for my tastes. If you're a volunteer, you've got no ground to stand on if you want to bitch so vehemently about the people that you signed up to defend, unless you're doing it for completely selfish reasons, then you can pretty much go fuck yourself in my book, anyway.

However, if this is taken from the perspective of a Vietnam War draftee, it makes a little more sense that he'd be a little bitter.

But, one thing about the whole sense that you're buying someone's freedom with your life if you get killed in one of America's foreign interventions - I don't buy it. I don't seriously think for a second that the modern military truly serves to protect the freedoms of Americans. Yes, we do protect America's national interests overseas - but that is certainly distinct from protecting lives or basic freedoms.

I think it is good whether it comes from a Draftee or Volunteer. If you've been there you have a right to Bitch. The way I take it is this; it was written to the American Public by a Combat Vet. Very valid. BTDT = right to, itch. We bitch about idiots who protest our funerals, same thing. He was right, an anti-war Liberal is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.