EDWARD JAY RYKOSKEY POST #1
CARLISLE VIETNAM VETERANS

All Gave Some, Some Gave All
you are NOT fogotten
Welcome home, my brother

Bob Hinkle - The Warrior Poet  

 
Poetry by Bob Hinkle

Click for a tribute to Bob Hinkle by Patsy and Rod Keckler

I Want To Kill The Man Who Killed Grandpa

A father and mother with three small children
Stood at the Viet-Nam Wall
And the father, trying to hold back tears pointed and said
"There, on line twenty three is the name of your
Grandpa"

He said Grandpa and nearly 59,000 other Heroes
Died fighting for freedoms you enjoy today
Then he lowered his head and in a voice you
Could barely hear
"It's a Hell of a price to pay‚"

A little boy said "Dad, what was Grandpa like?"
Dad replied "I really don't know‚
Like you, I was only five years old when he was killed
And that was so long ago"

The little boy still curious asked "How do I
Become a Hero and get my name on a wall?"
And, "What is it really like dad" and then he added
"Someday, I want to kill the man who killed
Grandpa"

Before dad could answer, mom quietly said
"It's getting late and we really should be on our way"
But the little boy spoke up and in a sad voice
"I don't want to go - this is where Grandpa lives and
I want to stay"

Then he glanced back at the Wall and said "mom and dad
I can see Grandpa waving at me"
And he's saying "It'okay Robbie, I'm doing fine in here
I've got all my buddies with me you see"

Then a smile appeared on Robbie's face
And moved and said "see you Grandpa‚
I'll make sure mom and dad bring me back here soon again
To visit you at the Wall"

Mom and dad (speechless) stared again at the big black Wall
But saw only their reflections once again
And they wondered - was this Robbie's imagination
Or had Grandpa really visited them

Then they glanced about ten feet to their right
When an old Veteran with a (bush) hat on and a cane
Stood facing the Wall
And they heard him say "hay! Homie"
"I told you I'd be back to visit you this fall"

He said "I brought you a pack of C-Rats
You know what I'm talking about
HELL HOMIE - the kind we use to eat in Nam
When we were together up near the DMZ"

Then for a few seconds the Veteran was silent
As he lowered his head and looked away
Then composed himself and said "FUCK IT, HOMIE
If I'd known you were going to buy the farm
I'd never have given you my peaches that day"

Then he sat down a can of hams beer
And said "here, wash those "Cs" down with this
At least this ones a cold one Hommie
Remember in Nam how they were always cold as
Tiger piss"

He said "MAN, you sure look good
HELL, you haven't aged at all
And one of these days Hommie, I'm gonna join you
Inside this big black Wall"

Then the Veteran saluted ard as he turned to leave
He looked at Robbie, winked and smiled because he knew
That the power of the Wall he and Robbie just experienced
Was only offered to a chosen few

Written by
Bob Hinkle
2006

Purple Heart

As I lay in a hospital in Viet-Nam
With shrapnel burned in my skin
I saw the door open at the end of the corridor
And a full bird Colonel and entourage walk in

He shouted "HOW YA-ALL DOIN' MEN
I've got a gift from Uncle Sam"
Then he held up a bunch of Purple Hearts
And said " I've got one for each and every man"

He stopped at every bed side
And shook hands with the Soldiers that were able to
And he pinned the Purple Heart on our hospital gowns
And he said to everyone "GOD BLESS YOU"

It stirred mixed feelings inside me
Of both guilt and Patriotic Pride
You see, I had proved myself in battle yesterday
But in that same battle - 3 buddies died

Their families would receive the same Purple Heart
That the Colonel pinned on my chest today
Yet, yesterday, I cussed GOD for letting me live
And for taking my buddies away

Why hadn't I died along with them I asked out-loud
It just kept running through my mind
Then a green angel said, "it was Gods will or maybe luck"
But for some reason it just wasn't your time"

As the Colonel was leaving he turned and yelled
His voice echoing through-out the hospital floor
"I'M PROUD OF YOU MEN - GET WELL SOON"
"YOU KNOW, WE'RE WINNING THIS FUCKING WAR"

When he had disappeared and things got quiet
A soldier missing a leg and half an arm
Touched his Purple Heart with his good hand and said
"What good does this damn thing do me when I get
Home on my daddy's farm?"

I often wonder what that Colonel thinks today
Does he see wounded and dead when he sleeps
Does he feel the medal he handed out justifies the end
Or does he live with guilt and pain, like me

Written by
Bob Hinkle
2003

He Stood Alone

He was leaning against a light pole near the
Old town square
He looked old and tired and it had been a
Long time since he had shaved
He wore an Army field jacket with faded jeans
And a hat that said Viet-Nam 67-68

Not one person said hello to the old veteran
As they passed him by that day
And he left the impression that he didn't much care
Whether they spoke or just went on their way

The Memorial Day ceremony was about to begin
About 100 people had stopped to see
They were honoring the veterans of our great land
Who had fought to keep us free

As the speaker spoke I glanced at the vet
With the hat on standing all alone
He seemed unimpressed by the words he heard
And that (stare) kind of chilled you to the bone

The speaker talked about the history of America
And the battles our veterans won in the past
He read from a paper and sounded mechanical
I could tell the (VET) by the pole has wondering
Just how much longer will it last

When the speaker finished the crowed came alive
They clapped at the history lesson they'd been to
That is everyone clapped except the tired looking vet
Standing all alone by the pole

Finally, it was time to raise the American flag
Followed by a bugler playing taps
And the first time the vet by the pole paid attention
As he stood up straight and covered his heart
With that old faded hat

I realized he wasn't as old as I thought he was
As he stood there, with his hat off, standing tall
But when the bugler stopped he put his hat back on
And went back to leaning against the pole like it
Was a wall

Well, I finally got up enough nerve to walk
Over and ask him
Hey! What did you think of the ceremony today?
He kind of gave me that annoyed look
And then he responded this way

He said men and women (veterans) gave their lives
So Americans can be free
But look around you-just look around
How much of the "FUCKING" public do you see?

And the General with all the medals, who spoke
With a speech I'm sure someone else wrote
I wonder if he ever held a dying buddy
While blood gurgled up out of his throat

I felt kind of ashamed and for awhile turned away
Because I really didn't know what to say
And when I did think of something and turned
Back around
He was already walking away

As he disappeared I suddenly understood
Why the Viet-Nam Vet has so much bitterness and scorn
He had fought for his country, he dearly loved
But got no love or thank you in return

Bob Hinkle
1988

Heaven or Hell

When I reached the gates of HEAVEN, there was
A holding room filled with Veterans from all wars
And at a table up front sat St. Peter's assistant
With a note pad adding and subtracting our scores

When I reached the front he showed me a chart
Outlining all the good and bad things I've done
And he proudly explained, "It was close but you made it"
"You can enter the gates of HEAVEN my son"

"Do you have any questions?" he asked with a smile
As he layed that golden chart aside
But he looked real surprised when I said "Yes, I do"
"I'd like to know if my buddies from Nam are inside"

Well, you could tell no one had ever asked any questions
After being told they could enter GOD's house
But he regained his composure and said "I need names"
By now the room was quiet as a mouse

There's Adkins and Brasswell and Harbaugh just to name a few
I'd sure like to see them again
Then he picked up a phone and when he laid it down
He said "I'm sorry, but they're not in there my friend"

I just sat there for several minutes
Knowing I was holding up the line
But I had to decide should I enter HEAVEN
And just leave my buddies behind

Man! We'd gone thru HELL (together) before they moved on
We were closer than families could be
And I promised them when they died that somewhere down the road
I'd see them (again) when the demons set me free

So I finally said to the guy at the table
Who by now was annoyed and a little mad
"Your chart's not complete, you've missed a few things"
And I told him of other times I'd been bad

Well, he had to add up all the figures again
And then looked at me with sad eyes
Then said "You just missed the cut off my friend
To enter HEAVEN, you don't qualify"

You could tell people in line felt sorry for me
And a small, little nurse said "I'm sorry you can't get in"
I replied, "It's okay, don't feel bad for me"
You see, I'll be with my buddies again

Bob Hinkle
2004

Voices Within The Wall

I stared at the Wall so long and black
All the names had faces and they all stared back
None of them smiled, but they all seemed to say
We waited a long time for you to pass this way

I saw Adkins wave with just half a face and head,
And I remember crying "you can't be dead!"
And those two kids I wasted, it wasn't meant to be.
Their expression from the Wall seemed to ask, "Why me?"

I could see faces of villagers as we set their homes on fire
And I can still hear my buddies scream "There's gooks in the wire!"
The boy from Kentucky, just three days in Nam
Who died in my arms while he cried for his mom.

As I stood there, I smelled napalm as it burned human skin
And I could hear those damn choppers cutting through the wind.
I can still hear the Chaplin saying "GOD is on our side"
And I remember cussing him and yelling "go tell those who died."

I relived (again) my first Christmas Eve away from home
When a dead soldier and I spent all night alone
And I could still see the cigarette I had placed in his mouth
And that small flag in his helmet from somewhere down south.

I wondered out loud, who's luckier - them or me?
At least the ones on the Wall souls are free.
While the Wall brought back memories, no healing took place
And I stood there and cried "Oh hell, what a waste!"

Bob Hinkle
VietNam Veteran

POW-MIA Roll Call

Each morning we take roll call
To see who joined us over night
We sure are getting crowded up here
In this room painted black & white

There are airmen and corpsmen and just plain grunts
From all of America's Wars
Some seem happy yet others are bitter
But for all, they will suffer no more

We welcome all of the new-comers
With hugs and plenty of smiles
For their "HELL ON EARTH" is over
They've walked their last 10 miles

There's Bently from the Korean War
Who was captured after his buddies fell
Then spent the next 30 years in Russian prison
It was nothing but a living HELL

The tall guy is Capt. Lavan from World War II
Shot down somewhere in Germany
He's been missing in action for 60 years
All that time his fate unknown by his family

In the corner, those guys are from Viet-Nam
There's Holmes, Rykoskey and Holtry
And Jackson (there) spent 5 years in one cage
All fill abandoned by their country

The younger guy is Spicher from the Gulf war
In 91 shot down over IRAQ
Spent 12 years in prison before he died
Wonders why America didn't want him back

All these POW-MIAs loved their country
But wonder why they've been forgotten
And they question, could their courage & sacrifice
All have been for

Here in this black & white room safe & sound
Just a holding place until judgment day
We wait and we think of what might have been
And when we finally meet GOD, what should we say

You see most of us wonder out loud
Why GOD and America let us suffer so long
I mean, we love and would do anything for both
So what has gone terribly wrong

Some of us pray to GOD each day
Others curse when they hear his name
But we all love each other and most of us realize
We were just "pawns" in a political game

OH! I almost forgot, there's someone in here who's not MIA
But it's a person we all love and trust
He's the small gray haired man who takes
Roll call each morning
Who goes by the name of "CHUCK"

Bob Hinkle
09/15/05

No Name Hill - Viet-Nam

It was late February and hot as hell
Somewhere near the Bong Son Plains
We were ordered to take a lonely hill
"HELL!" it didn't even have a name

Just before day break we jumped off choppers
In Elephant grass taller than me
And one hour later we started to climb
I swear I could see GOOKS behind every tree

We had gone only a hundred yards when AK's opened up
From the top of that NO NAME hill
And in just a few seconds
The enemy had their first confirmed kill

Two men fell just to my right
Blood forming puddles where they lay
And I remember screaming "Medic Up"
And I can still hear that gurgling sound to this day

I heard more calls for medics and one boy
Screamed for his mom
I saw bravery, and courage, and loyalty
That I haven't seen since returning from Nam

A GOOK opened up from a spider hole, and a
Soldier on my left greased his ass
Although scared as hell we all knew the only way to survive
Was to reach the GOD DAMN top "fast"

It was late afternoon when we reached the peak
We had lost 26 - either wounded or dead
And the enemy that we hadn't killed
Had picked up their weapons and fled

My body felt broken and my mind felt empty
There was no celebration - even the wind was still
And I thought "WHAT THE HELL WAS SO IMPORTANT"
To lose men on this FUCKING HILL

We secured the area and the LT said "clear a pad"
For all the Division Brass
Half hour later two choppers landed and out stepped
A General, two Colonels followed by the media
With their nose up his ass

The General bragged how the body count had reached 85
As he faced the camera with a smile on his face
But the men who had fought and earned there way to the top
Just sat staring out into space

When the cameras stopped they got back in the birds
Without giving us the time of day
And I knew then there were people I hated worse than the gooks
And that feeling is still with me today

Before darkness fell we started back down
From this lonely NO NAME HILL
And by midnight "Charlie" would (again) sit at the top
Eating his fish and rice meal

And I'm thinking don't anyone give a damn
About our pain and sacrifice
That's when this grunt started using the phase
"IT DON'T MEAN NOTHIN"
And I gave up on Jesus Christ

Bob Hinkle
2005

When Will It End

After more than 30 years I can still see
A dead soldier in a fox hole on Christmas Eve
After more than 30 years I can still see
Kids caught in my ambush near Beln Mei
And I wonder WHEN WILL IT END?

After more than 30 years I still see
My friend (Adkins) head exploding red & gray
After more than 30 years I still hear
Screams of the wounded where they lay
And I wonder - WHEN WILL IT END?

After more than 30 years I still hear
That distinctive "whump whump" sound
After more than 30 years I still feel
That help-less feeling as we were going down
And I wonder - WHEN WILL IT END?

After more than 30 years I still hear
Mortars exploding near by
After more than 30 years I still see
The face of Mai-Lin who was killed before she turned five
And I wonder - WHEN WILL IT END?

After more than 30 years I can still smell
The rain and that FUCKING napalm
After more than 30 years I still see the
Village chief and his family hanging on stakes-killed by the Cong
And I wonder - WHEN WILL IT END?

After more than 30 years I still hear
Someone yell "there's gooks in the wire"
After more than 30 years I still see that kid
Near Bong-Sin get crushed beneath a large GOER tire
And I wonder - WHEN WILL IT END?

After more than 30 years I still hear the co-pilot
Scream "we're going down"
After more than 30 years I still cry
When I think of our POW-MIAs that were never found
And I wonder - WHEN WILL IT END?

After more than 30 years I still hear a wailing sound
From a Vietnamese mother whose son was killed by the enemy
After more than 30 years I still hear the Army Chaplin
Who told me "GOD meant it to be"
And I say to that GOD 30 years later
WHEN WILL IT END?

After more than 30 years I still hear a Colonel say
"LRRPS hide, the General will be here soon"
After more than 30 years I still hear me reply
"It's okay to do his killing but not okay to be in the same room"
And I wonder - WHEN WILL IT END?

After more than 30 years I still see and hear
Protesters at the airport in Seattle, that day
After more than 30 years I still hear and see
The insults and spit they threw my way
And I wonder - WHEN WILL IT END?

By Bob Hinkle
2004

Where Do You Belong

God called St. Peter into his golden throne
Looked at him over his thick glass frames
Said, "I want you to build a beautiful wall
Call it - The Heroes Wall of Fame

Cover it with names of veterans who died
Fighting to keep America free
When you're done let me know, cuz' we're gonna hang it
Up here in heaven for all to see"

Then God said, "I want another wall constructed
To send to the devil - for his hell-bound train
It should be much larger than the heroes' wall
When you're done call it - The Wall of Shame

The wall of shame should have names of people
Who treated the US military disrespectful over time
Just the Vietnam War alone," he added
"Will keep you plenty busy, I think you'll find"

So St. Peter turned this task over to his top lieutenants
The next day, research in heaven's library began
And the over seer in charge to build both walls
Was assigned to his best friend - Billy Graham

Two months later he was given a long list of heroes
Whose names will be etched into the Heroes Wall of Fame
Adkins, Shughert, Brasswell and yes, even Patton
Along with Rykoskey, Dutch Gallagher, Cartwright and Cain

Washington, Lincoln and Paul Revere stood out
Along with Ira Hayes, Audi Murphy and Francis Scott Key
Chuck Barnes, Gary Ream and Red Monismith from Pennsylvania
And a famous general from the south - Robert E. Lee

These names would be etched in solid gold
The wall will be lit up all along Jesus' super highway
These heroes will be honored day and night
Not just on Memorial Day

Above each name was a picture
Of the heroes listed on the wall
Each face had a smile of pride
St. Peter declared it - Heaven's roll call

One month later another lieutenant presented St. Peter
With a list of names for The Wall of Shame
It was twice as large as the heroes' list
And St. Peter wondered, would it be too long for the Devil's hell bound train

He scanned over the list and was not surprised
To find Jane Fonda listed as number one
He recalled seeing a picture of her in North Vietnam
Smiling - sitting on a enemy anti-aircraft gun

After much thought St. Peter decided
We can't glorify people who rubbed military noses in the mud
They do not deserve to have their names in gold
Therefore, we will etch their names in blood

And while they are riding that hell bound train
Other passengers can read their names in red
And perhaps that will double their suffering and agony
For them desecrating the dead

St. Peter complimented his lieutenants for a job well done
Then authorized all veterans in heaven to wear a red, white and blue halo with their name
He figured they already spent their time in hell
And now they are honored on The Heroes Wall of Fame

While many of us still on earth get really upset
At those who treat our troops with disdain
The one satisfaction we can look forward to is knowing
Some day they will ride the hell bound train

 

GOD BLESS ALL VETERANS

Bob Hinkle
May 2010

Helicopter Ride - In Nam

We call for extraction and hope like hell they're not too late to get us out of this nightmare we're in. We sever the LZ and tell our half-dead buddies to hang on and we lie and assure them everything will be fine. As we wait, we are receiving sniper fire and one round snaps off a twig a foot above my head.

Then we hear that whoop-whoop sound of the rotor blades fighting the wind and we knew they are in-bound and we pop "red" smoke and all of a sudden a "gook" sniper close by cuts loose and our fear is he might shoot down our only hope of getting out of this green hell. But the courageous pilot brings the chopper down and we run like hell for our only chance to freedom, carrying our wounded buddies like rag dolls. As bullets are slamming against the chopper and grass at our feet, we somehow get aboard as the barrel of the machine gun spitting bullets into the jungle at Charlie is glowing red-and we yell "get out of here LIFTOFF - LIFTOFF‚"

The ship rattles and shakes and steam flies everywhere as we slowly lift off. Are we all aboard? I scan the ship and yell "YEAH!"- we're finally out of that green Hell. I can see Booker, our medic, working on Cartwright who has two bullet holes in his stomach and blood seems to be two inches thick on the floor of the ship. In fact, blood is everywhere as the wind blowing through the ship sprays it over everyone.

The crew chief has a look on his face as if he seen ghosts come out of that green hell onto his ship and when I glance his way he quickly turns his head away. Brasswell is directly across from me and has some kind of neck wound, but doesn't look as bad as Cartwright. I can still here pinging sounds as enemy snipers bullets hit the ship, but finally all is quiet except the cold rush of air going through the ship and once-in-a-while I hear Cartwright moaning. Then Cartwright shakes violently and Booker cusses loudly as he watches Cartwright cough up blood, shake violently (again) and die.

I stare out the side of the ship at the green mass (green hell) below and the only people I give a "FUCK" about right now are my team members and other grunts fighting this GOD-DAMN war the people back home (in the world) are not worth dying for-just guys like Adkins and Cartwright are worth dying for.

I see Brasswell (a black guy) reach out and take Cartwright's (white) hand in his and tears are running down his face and I recall a recent letter I got from my mother saying whites and blacks are fighting each other back in the "WORLD" and I almost say out-loud HELL! They think and call us animals and say we're insane over here. They could learn from us if they could see Brasswell holding a hand of a "white" buddy who is now dead and for the rest of the helicopter ride back to our forward firebase I kept thinking "FUCK-EM" all of them back in the world at that moment I hated the protesters and draft creeps more then the gooks I was fighting.

The change in the pitch of the blades and rush of air told me we were nearing the "OASIS" as I look at everyone on board we all seem to have that "FUCK IT - IT DON'T MEAN NOTHING" look on our faces because over here you had to have that attitude to survive to keep from going insane like the world thinks we already are.

As the chopper shakes and rattles to a soft landing, medics are there to take our wounded away, but for Cartwright, it's too late. People on the ground just stare at us as we un-ass the chopper and for the second time today they have that - I just saw a ghost look. My jungle boots slide on the blood on the floor of the chopper as I hop out and I try to look away as Cartwright is being laid on the tarmac. I turn and notice bullet holes in the chopper and the crew chief is already starting to clean up the blood and he looks up and with a shocked look on his face gives me a salute. I return it as he and the pilots riskin' their life to save ours. For a minute I think how lucky I am to be alive, but then I realize I must take another helicopter ride tomorrow or the next day back to that "GREEN HELL" and I turn around and again look at Cartwright and think to myself - maybe he's the lucky one and I walk away mumbling to myself "FUCK IT- IT DON'T MEAN NOTHING‚"

Written By
Bob Hinkle
True story from 1967 In Nam

 

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EDWARD JAY RYKOSKEY POST #1
CARLISLE VIETNAM VETERANS
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