Nooneleftbehind

When I had first arrived in Nam, it was on Operation Meade River. We got into a firefight and a Marine was killed. The choppers couldn't get in to medevac the body. Seven other Marines and myself were new in country so we got the details that others didn't want - this time it was carrying one of our own. At the time it was raining, and to this day I can still feel the cold, and the ground being so slippery. We had carried him so long that our arms were about to fall off.. I remember us cussing him for getting killed. I remember crossing creeks and climbing hills while carrying him. Finally we were told to set in for the night and I remember us laying his body down, covered with just a poncho because we had no body bags. Myself and the others got under our own ponchos, but it was raining so hard I was still getting soaked to the bone. Finally I went to sleep and awoke a few hours later. I remember waking up and looking over at his body. His poncho had blown off his head and his eyes were wide open. I felt so sorry for him that I almost cried. I remember going over to him and covering his face up and staying awake the rest of the night to make sure the poncho didn't blow off of him again. The following poem expresses how I felt that terrible rainy night.

S/F,

"Tex" Evans

O wind why do you blow

O rain why do you fall

O water why do you run

Right through where I sleep

My hands and feet are wrinkled

I am shaking in my poncho

I am so tired

I feel the rain - it feels like it's hailing

I feel the water running

Through right where all of us lay