Face to Face
[ Based on interview of Vietnam War veteran Rich Luttrell
by Jane Pauley on NBC-TV 1-28-05, 4-13-05 ]
We'd been in Indian Country nearly three days. So far, Charlie had not yet been seen.
Our uniforms dripped with rancid sweat. Our whole world was shades of tan & green.
Out on point, I led our squad through thick vines, when there’s suddenly one man ahead.
I don’t know who was the more surprised, but one of us would soon be dead.
Seconds ticked by, dragging to forever, with his eyes completely locked to mine.
Instead of fear, curiosity, with his head the slightest bit inclined.
Then my training finally took me over, M-16 spit bullets through his gills.
My sergeant slapped me upon my back, congratulating my first kill.
Face to face, it’s all right in this moment.
Face to face, it all adds up to now.
Just where our lives are leading from ecstasy to torment:
Face to face.
There’s a battle raging in the forest. There’s a battle raging in my head.
A man lies dead in the jungle path, all his clothing turning into red.
From his pocket falls a damaged photo of him holding his young daughter close.
I’ve seen a lot of family shots, but this one haunts me more than most.
Face to face, it’s all right in this moment ...
Thirty years pass: my wallet held that photo ‘til I left it at the Viet Wall.
Thought maybe now I could find some peace. Maybe that would be the end of it all.
But behind the scenes, there’s something happening: items left there honored in a book. *
Beyond my reach, out of my control, I’m forced to take another look.
Is it just coincidence that leads us through our lives?
Is this all just happenstance or some divine purpose?
Through a sequence I can barely fathom, here I find myself again in ‘Nam.
Bouquet in hand, I approach the home of the girl I took her father from.
What does one say to someone that you’ve orphaned? How does one ask someone to forgive?
With grace and warmth, she accepts me in: a closure where her father lives.
Face to face, it’s all right in this moment.
Face to face, it all adds up to now.
Just where our lives are leading from ecstasy to torment:
Face to face.
by Contributing Poet Mick Terry Copyright © 2005
VWP 2019 First published in VietnamWarPoetry.com
Pittsburgh, PA - These song lyrics requested by Thomas Hall, printed in the program
& read live to large Memorial Day event 2006
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF_SP8-CbdA
* Offerings at the Wall: Artifacts from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1833827.Offerings_at_the_Wall
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/08/06/website-showcases-mementos-left-vietnam-wall/31104037/
[ Based on interview of Vietnam War veteran Rich Luttrell
by Jane Pauley on NBC-TV 1-28-05, 4-13-05 ]
We'd been in Indian Country nearly three days. So far, Charlie had not yet been seen.
Our uniforms dripped with rancid sweat. Our whole world was shades of tan & green.
Out on point, I led our squad through thick vines, when there’s suddenly one man ahead.
I don’t know who was the more surprised, but one of us would soon be dead.
Seconds ticked by, dragging to forever, with his eyes completely locked to mine.
Instead of fear, curiosity, with his head the slightest bit inclined.
Then my training finally took me over, M-16 spit bullets through his gills.
My sergeant slapped me upon my back, congratulating my first kill.
Face to face, it’s all right in this moment.
Face to face, it all adds up to now.
Just where our lives are leading from ecstasy to torment:
Face to face.
There’s a battle raging in the forest. There’s a battle raging in my head.
A man lies dead in the jungle path, all his clothing turning into red.
From his pocket falls a damaged photo of him holding his young daughter close.
I’ve seen a lot of family shots, but this one haunts me more than most.
Face to face, it’s all right in this moment ...
Thirty years pass: my wallet held that photo ‘til I left it at the Viet Wall.
Thought maybe now I could find some peace. Maybe that would be the end of it all.
But behind the scenes, there’s something happening: items left there honored in a book. *
Beyond my reach, out of my control, I’m forced to take another look.
Is it just coincidence that leads us through our lives?
Is this all just happenstance or some divine purpose?
Through a sequence I can barely fathom, here I find myself again in ‘Nam.
Bouquet in hand, I approach the home of the girl I took her father from.
What does one say to someone that you’ve orphaned? How does one ask someone to forgive?
With grace and warmth, she accepts me in: a closure where her father lives.
Face to face, it’s all right in this moment.
Face to face, it all adds up to now.
Just where our lives are leading from ecstasy to torment:
Face to face.
by Contributing Poet Mick Terry Copyright © 2005
VWP 2019 First published in VietnamWarPoetry.com
Pittsburgh, PA - These song lyrics requested by Thomas Hall, printed in the program
& read live to large Memorial Day event 2006
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF_SP8-CbdA
* Offerings at the Wall: Artifacts from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1833827.Offerings_at_the_Wall
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/08/06/website-showcases-mementos-left-vietnam-wall/31104037/
Bio: Mick Terry, composer-songwriter lyricist, is the Co-founder, Web Designer
& Webmaster of this VietnamWarPoetry.com website.
For more info, please see his bio on the About Us page.
LinkedIn.com/in/MickTerry
& Webmaster of this VietnamWarPoetry.com website.
For more info, please see his bio on the About Us page.
LinkedIn.com/in/MickTerry
Except where otherwise attributed, all pages & content herein
Copyright © 2014 - 2020 Paul Hellweg VietnamWarPoetry.com All rights reserved
Westerly, Rhode Island, USA