Circled In Red

The young Marine had just arrived To bare Nam’s burdens, there deprived He’ll count each day one by one, Until the day his duty’s done. He’ll proudly walk along destiny’s path A solemn prayer to protect from wrath And though his life there defined, His worries are of home sublime. No mirthful days before each dawn His joyous day long since gone And dare he dream of such days Emerged dusk the enemy’s gaze. Upon his shoulders Freedom hung In his hands a trusted gun. Honor, duty commitment The Corps demand Against his good name nothing stands. For upon his first day he could tell “Thirteen months of living hell. On the calendar circled in Red A rotate day if he’s not dead. His honor withstood the gruesome test For on those paths the taste of death There upon the hallowed ground His joyful days no longer found.