Eagles And Harleys
Don’t you remember that we were brothers,
I covered your ass and you covered mine.
Now I’m standing here with a peace sign
and you are across the road calling me a traitor.
Are you still my brother like we were in Vietnam
or did you forget all about that ?
Besides all the bullshit brother
didn’t we fight for freedom
freedom to say I’m against the war
freedom to say I’m for the war,
so have your For The War action another day,
we won’t bother you at all, it’s your right.
I know 80% of you never saw battle
you were smoking pot and drinking beers
in the rear where you had it made,
I hope it’s not you causing the trouble.
But 20% of you were like me
fighting and bleeding together
eating ham and motherfuckers brother
in the rain when the leaches
would jump on us, sucking down our blood.
Do you remember how the Vietnamese hated us,
No VC, No VC, they would say to us,
yet there were all kinds of kids in their village
and their fathers were no where around.
I was so pissed off humping back
from the field one day,
mamason had a Coke stand on Highway one.
I told her to give my squad big Cokes with ice
then when she asked for the money,
I raised my 16 at her, ready to blow her away,
none of them gave a shit for us fighting
for their country
they liked our money and liked it
when we would die because they hated us
So we were fighting and dying for nothing
just like in Iraq and Afghanistan now.
What would of happened if we had won
our war,
they now have a Ford factory in Vietnam
while they close a Ford factory in Michigan.
Now Penny’s shirts are made in Vietnam
cost is $40 – $50 a pop at the mall
and now you want me to back
a punk and coward named Bush,
who finally made it to Vietnam last year
and all his draft dodger friends are
For The War for oil to get rich.
Give me a motherfucking break brother
give me some fucking respect
give me some fucking truth.
Walter Reed and the VA are chumping
our Iraq and Afghanistan wounded Soldiers
just like they did to us,
or did most of you not fire a shot
in Vietnam so you don’t know
what the fuck I’m talking about.
I’ve seen your Rolling Thunder on C-Span
when he asked one of you
where he was in Vietnam, he couldn’t say
because he was never there.
He was just some wannabe on a Harley
putting along just for the ride.
But a brother in mortar in our company
who sometimes went out with in the boonies
and had a real nice hootch over there
rode his Harley from Detroit to DC
to be with you, rode there with peace
but came back with war.
Your Gathering of Eagles do Not
make me proud.
You are not protecting the Wall,
you are protecting the coward Bush,
you are Not protecting our Soldiers in Iraq
because the Iraqi people hate them
just like the Vietnamese hated us.
It took courage and bravery to fight
the VC and NVA
but it doesn’t take a big man
to spit on peace marchers
and throw sulfuric acid at them,
maybe it’s because they are for peace
and you know they won’t attack you,
Yes, I remember coming home
to the peace movement from Vietnam
at the end of 1968.
I have scars on my arms and legs
and my Dad, a WWII veteran
took me down to his VFW Hall,
they bought me a beer and then
turned their backs on me.
My father was cussing all the way home,
do you remember that or did you
erase that from your memory ?
Yes I remember the hippies
and students against the war.
39 years ago the peace marchers
didn’t always treat us so good,
I know you blame them for losing
our war
and that’s where your anger comes from.
But even back then I never spit on them
or tried to hurt them in any way
so leave these new ones alone
and let me do what I have to do.
Vietnam will never be over for us,
we will take to our graves.
I hope you will never forget
we will be brothers until we are dead.
If you are working for the government,
I take back all I said,
please do Not threaten me with death
because I still have a gun
and I will kill you first
just like in Vietnam.
– By Dennis Serdel, Vietnam 1967-68 (one tour) Light Infantry, Americal Div. 11th Brigade, purple heart
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