Letters, Medals, Roses

Introduction

This book of poetry was written as a result of many hours of conversations with Vietnam veterans at the Chicago Welcome Home Parade on June 13, 1986, and at several Vietnam veterans' reunions held in Crawfordsville and Kokomo, Indiana over the last several years. For the reader who is not a veteran, I hope that these poems will give you a better understanding of the problems these veterans faced in the past and are still facing today. For the veteran who reads this book, I hope that my poems will somehow help you as you try to heal the emotional and physical scars caused by this war.

Overview of the Collection

The following is an overview of the collections of poems in this book related to the Vietnam War. These Memories Will Last is a poem that describes how a soldier felt on his way to Vietnam, his fears, his thoughts, his experiences and the impact they would have on his life in the future.

All That I Can Give is a poem about the nurses in Vietnam and their dedication to nursing the many wounded soldiers in Vietnam.

Missing You is a poem about a boy whose father was killed in Vietnam before his birth. The boy is missing his father and reflecting on how it could have been if his father were here with him today.

Other topics covered in my war poems are Agent Orange, veteran suicide, the POW/MIA issue, and the Welcome Home Parade in Chicago, Illinois.