Ban Me Thuot

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It seems that many of you liked my first poem about Vietnam in 1968. I don't know how many of these I will write but I hope they bring back only good memories of camaraderie, growing up, selflessness and adjusting to the environment of war.

Ban Me Thuot
By Franklin Price
8/31/2018

Out in the Central highlands, far away from Cam Ranh Bay,
In the town of Ban Me Thuot was a place where I would stay.
There was no space available at any compounds in that place
Stayed in a hotel unsecured. It was nice and no disgrace.

My room was on the top floor, bullet holes were in the wall.
A reminder Tet had happened, that death had come to call.
I pulled the blinds as night fell, left the lights off you can bet
Did not want to be a target, with a back lit silhouette.

Outside my room a balcony, could be seen there from the street,
Water closet at the end of it, the exposure not so neat.
If I didn't want to wet myself in the middle of the night
I made myself as small as could and headed to the right.

The hotel was not a five star but it was clean and not a dive
Every day day I would awaken, glad once more to be alive.
Would meet the others outside to inspect our six pack truck
We never found it booby-trapped. I guess we had the best of luck

Our job was at the Airport that was was several klicks away
We were there to fix equipment that was down but not to stay.
A TACAN to tell the pilots where they were in the sky
Was not working when we got there, was our job to find out why

Next to it was an ammo dump and some field artillery
First time I heard the 105's, thought they had come for me.
I dove out of the building, and as my body hit the ground, 
I saw the barrel lower and felt the biggest fool around.

We did the work required, lifting help from jolly green
Was the biggest helicopter that I had ever seen.
We finished all there was to do, to get back on the air
Spent the last night in the hotel and got our asses out of there.

Arriving at the airport we were met with a surprise
There was shrapnel lying everywhere, we could not believe our eyes.
Someone had placed an office chair o'er a buried mortar shell
Taped “Do not touch” upon it. I thought that was pretty swell.

My sergeant headed for the TACAN about two hundred yards away
He ordered me to stay behind, “wasn't safe”, he had to say.
He had to see what happened to all the work we'd done
If anyone was hurt because, it should be only one

The dump was detonating with explosions now and then
Two guys were driving in and out to recover stuff within
The sergeant was returning when the guys came out to go
Their truck was leaning on two wheels, “THE DUMP'S ABOUT TO BLOW!”

Could not have been a second before I heard the awful sound
Of the dump that had exploded. I saw my sergeant hit the ground.
As I ducked and headed for him, I heard noises in the air
I knew shrapnel was around me but I really didn't care.

I raced to see if he'd been hurt, was the least that I could do
When I arrived he just looked up at me, said, “You should get down too”
The explosions had all ended, I said, “We should leave this place”
I thought as we were walking off, “We are untouched, it is God's grace”.

 OurTACAN work was all for naught, was broken once again.
A shell had ripped the door off. The sun was shining in.
Shrapnel holes were everywhere. The roof was polka dot.
Never went back there again, don't know if it was fixed or not.

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