L.C.
“Chicken man is down”
yelled soldier with a grin.
“Hope fucker burns in Hell
places he’s put us in.”
_________________
We had just returned
to gather more supplies.
“L.C.’s chopper is down.”
“The smoke is where it lies.”
_____________________
“Saddle up, move quickly.”
“Catch chopper number one.”
Recon, saddle two through four.”
“Get going guys, have fun.”
_______________________
Up into the midday air
four choppers quickly flew.
Twenty-five of us secured
down chopper and its crew.
_________________________
Pilot with two broken legs.
Co-pilot broken back.
Huey chopper is destroyed
and one L.C. we lack.
Hooray!
(C) John Steinmeyer
L.C.2
Another L.T. Colonel
has come to take the place
of asshole in the chopper
who landed on his face.
___________________________
But this one is so different.
He cares about his men.
He’s got his shit together.
We’re doing good again.
______________________________
Thank God there are no screw ups
like all we had before.
There is no damn distinction
being casualties of war.
________________________________
This L.C.’s a humper.
He comes out in the shit.
But thirty days of humpin’
will get our L.C. hit.
_____________________________________
This time there is sorrow.
We lost a good L.C.
Now we sit and wonder
and wait for number three.
Damn!
(c) John Steinmeyer
- Other Side
- Sniffer
- The Fish
- More to Come
John Steinmeyer served in Vietnam as an Infantry Sergeant with the 9th division in the Mekong Delta, then was transferred to the 25th Division and served the last half of his tour in a sniper team.
Thuy Smith’s father (Vietnam Veteran) and Vietnamese mother along with Thuy were friends of John and his family. This will be the first post of a collection of poems that John wrote of his many experiences during his time in Vietnam. The collection is titled – The Rain. Thuy Smith (TSOI) was given permission to share his poems on all of TSOI’s media platforms, etc.
Veterans, War, and Peace 
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