Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 365
Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 365
Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 365
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Below is the poem, EAGLE STRIKE. Enrique del Rosario |
EAGLE STRIKE by Enrique B. del Rosario DaNang, Vietnam 1965 You may talk of war and glory, but listen to my story of how it was in nineteen sixty-five. In Vietnam's hills of green, where I was a young Marine with Helicopter Squadron Three-Six-Five. They were a motley crew, but the finest men I knew, 'though I've roved the wide world o'er. Not a truer lot there be in all the Seven Seas, from Newport News to Singapore. I was on an eagle strike aboard a Yankee Mike with a force of eager ARVN Rangers. We knew there'd be a fight when we launched that eagle flight, but Marines have never turned away from danger. From DaNang's sunny field, twelve choppers climbed and wheeled westward to a far L Z. They're ugly and they're bad, but they were the best we had -the indestructible U H thirty-four D. With the stingers up ahead spraying the treeline full of lead, the troop-laden slicks came not far behind. Though loud the battle sound, the 'copters touched the ground. "Twas not a place for the timid kind. The bullets came like bees from beyond the trees. The gunners answered with a deadly rake. The pilots' nerves of steel just held the choppers still. It was a time of give and take. With a wave and a shout, the crewchief ordered, "OUT!" and twelve determined ARVNs lost their grin. They began to lose their wits - we were taking lots of hits. The bastards had the L. Z. zeroed in. A co-pilot, he got mad, 'cause the only things he had was a revolver and a ka-bar in his suit. But he didn't hesitate - he drew that .38, with only six rounds, he joined the shoot. He soon run out of lead, so he grabbed a C-rat can instead and hurled it like a pitcher on the mound. Then much to my surprise, he hit a Vee Cee 'tween the eyes, and nailed that insolent bastard to the ground. "Let's di-di from this place!" sez Charlie with the bashed-in face, for our gunners were now getting the upper hand. The place was all insane but Charlie's fire began to wane. Still, we had those eager Rangers left to land. With a helping shove, the ARVN began to move, with a boot size twelve encouragement. They let a fearsome shout as they started to jump out - the men of the ARVN Ranger Regiment. and that's the way it was - oh, yeah! We would gun, gun, gun, from early dawn to setting sun, 'til our machinegun barrels were melting hot. But it was fun, fun, fun, 'cause we had Charlie on the run, and we always gave them more than what we got. by Enrique del Rosario Vietnam, 1965 Copyright © 1965, 2000 
The poem "Eagle Strike" received the POETIC JUSTICE AWARD for Vietnam Writing Excellence, June 2000.
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