Best Vietnam War Poems

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...

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Vietnam War Memorial Wall
58,318

Victory
Into
End
The
Names
At
Memorial

Worshiping
Americans
Remembering

Meaningful 
Everlasting
Memory
Of
Real
Individuals  
A
Love

Written
All
Lost
Lives

Contest Two: Your Best Poem that is trophy worthy Two
Sponsored by: Tania Kitchin
Dated Entered: 10/01/2019

I believe this poem is trophy worthy for the meaning behind it, a trophy is only a symbol, this is a true story that needs...

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The slickness of a blade
pressing against a throat....
the cold steel meeting tender flesh
blood drips and a body tumbles 

the taste.... the sight... the sound....
all quite euphoric.....

Ripped clothes, smashed items, 
echo screams, and the raging fires that glow throughout the night

The beauty.... the savagery.... the destruction
all...

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I Was Very Eager to Go with Him,
My Most Trusted Friend.
Even I Was a Bit Surprised
At How Trusted He Was in the End.

We Went out on Patrol Each Night.
You Would Always See Us Together.
I Couldn’t Tell You How Much I Loved Him,
If I Could, I...

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I finished high school four months prior to my 18th birthday. By this time, my country was heavily engaged in the Vietnam war.  I was very much subject to being drafted into the service and sent thousands of miles away to a war zone....

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Gawd!  I awoke this morning wondering what I'm doing in this miserable place!
I thought the oath I took was to defend America's shores, not a foreign race!
The French made a mess and ran, now, America has to straighten things out.
It's a civil war and...

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His daddy died from workin’, the boy dropped out of school,
He should’ve hid out in college, that patriotic fool.

His mama, she was weepin’ that day he raised his hand,
He wrote her almost ev’ry week from a Southeast Asian land.

He led his men in battle, he...

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VietNam War – TET

war
60’s
Viet Nam
youth quickly lost
Greyscale TV’s final shock and awe

Written April 28, 2019
Contest: Tetractys This Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Charles Messina...

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Over 50 years ago the draft almost took my brothers soul
A Vietnam Battle that almost took his life
On Sept 16th in the year of 1968
While out on patrol a sniper was lurking in a tree
Pop was the sound that he heard that brought him to...

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The daughter of a lucky Vietnam marine, 
 his only child is my husband you see
lucky because he made it out alive,
aware of the alternative..
as he watched buddies die.

Some days for hours I’d listen to stories
many times in disbelief…………
it wasn’t until he pulled out his...

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Troops confidently led to Ong Thanh Stream
United States Companies B and D.
Watched as air strikes troubled the VC team.
Later found seventeen killed enemy.

Silver Star presented to Welch that day.
Captain Nguyen Van Lam set up ambush.
First Platoon reported trees were a sway.
A claymore mine exploded in...

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January 27, 1973

I was sitting in the barracks
yelling and screaming echoed through the halls
sirens blaring, horns blowing, fireworks popping;
the war was over
...

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Seeing Ghosts
I walk around the streets
Of old Saigon
Seeing sensing the undead

The ghosts of the war 
That haunted life 
So many years ago

So many people died 
For a war 
That never should have been fought
For reasons that are still not clear

A great tragedy unfolded 
In a...

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BLOOD ON THE MOON
 
WRITTEN BY JEFF R HILTON  OCTOBER 2019
 
 
WOUNDED WARRIOR
BROKEN WING
CONSCIOUS OF EVERYTHING
MOVE IN SILENCE OF NIGHT
TRAVEL LIGHT
THE HOURS BURN AWAY
RIGHT INTO THE LIGHT OF DAY
KEEP ON GOING
OR DIG IN AND STAY
 
HE LIVES EVERY DAY
LIKE IT COULD BE HIS...

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For Those Thrust into War's Maw
by Michael R. Burch
 
This poem is dedicated to Harvey Stanbrough, an ex-marine who was nominated for the 1999 Pulitzer Prize and has written passionately and eloquently about the horror and absurdity of war in “Lessons for a Barren Population.”
...

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