They say "Join the Army,
the Navy,the Marines,
become a hero,
the likes you've never seen.

The day he signed, only 
seventeen, 
I wonder if he knew,
or even had a clue
as to what lie ahead, 
the terror, the dread,
the terror and the dread,
the terror and the dead.

Gung-ho he marched,
proudly performed his 
gunnery drills.
Stood at attention for hours,
even days at a time
perfectly still, perfectly still.

He was tortured and taunted,
humiliated and haunted,
in dreams he heard orders,
"drop and do twenty,don't like it,
there's plenty,where those come from."

Finally he became a man,
sent to Viet-Nam as a 
flight deck hand.

One day his C.O. yelled
"come on son, grab your gun,
we're goin on a P.T.boat
to have some fun!"

In a secret location his training
started,
he became a great swimmer,
carrying a load of guns and ammo,
in a cammo, to unfold.

He'd surface to land, with great finess,
quietly, cautiously,
he became the best.
He'd spot them and shoot them,
men, women, and small children,
he'd watch them go down,
swim back to his boat,
laugh like a clown.

They told him "Top Secret, don't say
a word,not of what you did,
what  you saw,
what you heard."

When he came home his heart was cold,
no love could he show 
to those who cared, 
his features were of stone,
loved ones grew scared.
He chased them away with his anger,
self torture, his guilt unspoken
revealed itself in violent acts.

"Oh how could you scare me,scare me
 away?"

"I met you young, took the vows,
 you went to war, 
 it took you somehow,
 took you away,
 a boy who was whole,
 and sent back a shell
 without a soul."