The Vietnam Veteran

 

I was never interested in war
But the war had an interest in me
When the war started, I was drafted
They sent me to Nam to fight Communism

I believed in my country
I fought for my country with honor
I fought with my buddies side by side
I defended America

When I came home
I was not welcomed
Some were hostile towards us
Some called us baby killers

I was stunned
I was humiliated
I was angry

How could they turn their back
How could they betray us
We did nothing wrong
We followed the orders

I was an innocent boy
I was naïve and sincere
I was nineteen
When I went to Saigon

In Vietnam
I saw nothing friendly
Smoke and napalm
Booby traps and painful deaths

I became a man in Vietnam
The war transformed me
Moreover, the war consumed me

My father was a veteran
Who fought in the WW2
He was respected by the community

I am a veteran too
I fought for my country
But I see no respect
Things are changing

I feel utterly sad
When I recall my dead buddies
They had gone
Vanished into oblivion

My life was ripped into pieces
I see no future
I see no escape

I am a Vietnam Veteran
Without an identity
We are forgotten
Forgotten by the people

Dr Ruwan M Jayatunge