I enlisted in the Army for three years in 1967, one step ahead of the draft. From June 1968 to June 1969 I was assigned as an Intelligence Analyst to the G-2 section of XXIV Corps HQ in Phu Bai. I tried sporadically over the years to write about Vietnam, with little success. It was just before Veteran's Day. A loud thud.
Shock waves end one life, and Reverberate throughout another's.
The Local inhabitants celebrate Ho Chi Minh's Birthday. A young man. Seventeen days from home Screams aloud. Writhes on the ground, glassy- Open eyes. I do not remember His name, tho it's etched forever on A black granite wall.