The Vietnam War

The pro-Hanoi Vietcong many years ago In the 1950's Diem's government they'd overthrow All opposition was crushed killed or jailed These elected ones to their people they failed This Buddhist country so religious in belief Now politically torn apart, impending future grief In the early 1960's with the CIA in place Discussing with Vietnam's generals, Diem, assassinated in disgrace With the Vietcong army, growing from strength to strength Another communist foothold, going to any lengths In 1965, with 3500 U.S. Marines in place By December of that year, 200,000 in many a base These U.S. Marines, in their defensive mode Over the coming months, peace would soon erode With the Tet Offensive upon us, and the "Battle of Hue" The Americans were now involved, this bloody war now brews One decision to end this conflict, came in 1969 Nixon sent 18 B-52s, bordering Soviet airspace line He wanted to show he was capable, to end this bloody war But as the months and years progressed, the body count would soar The anti-war movement was gathering strength, also in 1969 But the "Green Beret Affair" started to undermine A U.S. Army platoon raped and pillaged, the village of My Lai Where civilians were massacred, and many left to die In 1970-71, Cambodia incurred wars wrath Where they and the country Laos, were in the U.S. bombing path Also in 71, there was the cutting of the Ho Chi Minh trail But arms and supplies got through, this mission to no avail Later in the same year, the Anzac's withdrew their soldiers The U.S. also reduced, many of theirs from Vietnam's borders In 1973, Nixon declared the suspension of offensive action The Paris Peace Accords took place, peace with this warring faction Between the years 73 - 74 under Trà, the Vietcong grew in strength There was no mass offensive, to lure the Americans to their trench Gradually they marched to their target, to see their enemies eyes To their city of Saigon, now over a million humans have died The average age of the American to die in this bloody war Was just nineteen years old, never knowing what they were fighting for So many came home from this horror, leaving themselves behind Because so many came home different, home with a different mind Even to this day, many Americans look back and ask Why their elected Congress, feed them to these tasks The sad thing about Vietnam, it continues to this present day Where governments make decisions, asking guns to hear their say