Vietnam
folded flag ~ behind her hands a little girl cries
This is a memory from an honor guard I served in when in the U.S. The flag from the Marine's coffin is folded and given to the next of kin. In this case, the Marine's young daughter was crying behind hands held in front of her face as the flag was given to her mother.
fitful spring breeze ~ down a willow-lined street a cloud of ao dai
Vietnamese women walking by the Perfume River in Hue... one of the better memories.
triple canopy ~ noon C-rations in the semi-dark
field full of fireflies ~ memories of tracers
grass moving on a still night ~ shooting the wounded
friends once known ~ rubbings from a black granite wall
low wall and tall obelisk by a rice paddy ~ they also served
Almost every village in Vietnam has cemetary for their fallen. Most are surrounded by a low wall and have an obelisk memorial.
gb US Marine Corps
Copyright authors, 2004 -