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    A Common Bond II
    A Common Bond II
    A Common Bond II
    Ebook233 pages1 hour

    A Common Bond II

    By Richard Epstein

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    About this ebook

    In 1993, two Vietnam veterans got together over coffee and founded The Memorial Day Writers' Project (MDWP), a creative vehicle and venue for veterans and others who have been touched by war. The MDWP sets up a tent within sight of the Vietnam Memorial (The Wall), rain or shine, every Memorial Day and Veterans Day since its founding, to encourage and facilitate the sharing of creative works by playwrights, poets, and home-grown balladeers. This eloquent anthology, A Common Bond II, carefully stitched together by veteran Richard Epstein, contains poetry, prose, and songs written by 21 MDWP participants, and spans 1993 – 2011, a period in United States history that began in peacetime and has stretched into the longest war fought by the U.S. military since Viet Nam. This sampling will make your heart bleed, but your soul will smile.

    MilSpeak Books is the nonprofit publishing division of MilSpeak Foundation (501c3), and is dedicated to publishing creative works by military people. MilSpeak Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness about creative works by military people.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMilSpeak Books
    Release dateMay 23, 2012
    ISBN9781452477442
    A Common Bond II
    Author

    Richard Epstein

    Richard Epstein is editor of A COMMON BOND II. Richard enlisted in the U.S. Army and went to the Signal School at Ft. Monmouth, NJ. He was trained as a microwave radio repairman and was assigned to a communication site located in the northeast corner of Thailand (Phu Mu) with the 207th Signal Company, 1st Signal Brigade. After his return to the states, he served as an instructor at Ft. Monmouth. After three years in the Army, his first civilian job took him to back to SE Asia as a technical writer and then field engineer for Page Communication Engineers. He worked throughout Viet Nam and Thailand for an additional three years.

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      Book preview

      A Common Bond II - Richard Epstein

      Preface

      From a Co-Founder

      In 1993, two Vietnam veterans got together over coffee and founded The Memorial Day Writers' Project (MDWP)— a creative vehicle and venue for veterans and others who have been touched by war. The MDWP sets up a tent, rain or shine, and has encouraged and facilitated playwrights, poets, and home-grown balladeers within sight of the Vietnam Memorial (the Wall), every Memorial Day and Veterans Day since its founding. MDWP participants have also read their poetry and sang their songs at veterans' gatherings, college campuses, high schools, and libraries throughout the Washington, D. C. metropolitan area.

      The prose and poems presented here represent a sampling from the many readings presented at the Wall. You may not agree with all that is said, you may not like all that is said; but these men and women speak the truth—their truth, and offer a look inside our fellow veterans—the men and women who served their country, as well as their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, husbands, and wives. Read slowly. Listen carefully.

      In a book with this magnitude of emotional output, the reader may be hard pressed to go back time and time again and complete the whole work, but read it all you must. What lies before you is the future of your sons and daughters: the scars and memories that will be carried for a lifetime if we can't find better ways to solve our problems other than with war.

      This eloquent anthology, carefully stitched together by fellow veteran Dick Epstein, contains poetry, prose, and songs written by mostly non-professionals. What you will find herein is raw, heartfelt, and moving. At times, your heart will bleed but your soul will smile. In many ways, with each emotional tug at your heart, you will be paying tribute to all members of the military, the authors, those who remember, and to those who gave all! I think that is the very least we can do.... read and remember.

      Clyde A. Wray

      Co-founder of MDWP

      www.clydeawray.com

      "Father and Son" Jessica Lee

      From the Editor

      In 2002, I published A Common Bond, a 150-page anthology of poems and photos by both American and Vietnamese veterans. The anthology presents selected poems to represent the many readings heard as part of The Memorial Day Writers’ Project, which takes place not far from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. Since then, many new authors of poetry and prose, singer/songwriters, and playwrights have come and gone. Now we’re hearing from veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. This eBook is a tribute to all of our veterans. May we learn from the past and re-learn how to live in peace. As each returning veteran puts down the tools of war, let them raise their voices and take pen in hand.

      Special thanks to Mark Raab, Suellen Manning, Jessica Lee, and Ken White for their wonderful photographs, Milspeak.org for this exciting opportunity, and to the all of the authors who voices may be heard in this publication.

      Dick Epstein

      Editor

      dick_epstein@hotmail.com

      "Qui Nhon Ammo Dump" Photograph by R. Epstein

      Clyde A. Wray

      Clyde volunteered for Vietnam. He arrived from Germany with 101st Airborne Division and was assigned to the 199th Light Infantry Brigade 1967-1969. He makes his living as poet, author, playwright, and director. Clyde has published several books of poetry and resides with his family in Canada. Clyde is co-founder of The Memorial Day Writer’s Project. You can hear and read more of Clyde’s work at www.clydeawray.com

      Clyde A. Wray

      For Those Veterans Who Find It Difficult to Breathe

      Through the Pain of Iraq and Afghanistan

      He is worse off now

      it’s the pictures of the dead

      of his long lost friends

      which light and live

      deep inside of his head…

      those shadows on the walls

      that call out his name

      want him to remember the sorrow

      the grief

      war’s destruction its pain…

      He’s worse off now

      though the years have flown by

      now afraid again to close his eyes

      never again did he want to see

      men in foxholes cry

      or that night-burst

      that once turned a midnight sky bright…

      He worse off now

      from the images he sees

      of flag draped caskets marched:

      eloquently

      silently

      solemnly

      across the television screen…

      He is worse off now

      than the years that are behind

      he weeps daily

      for the needless loss

      the deaths of all those that die

      in the opulent spring of their lives…

      Now again

      he must learn to breathe

      through the sadness and the ever present grief

      "Cholon" R. Epstein

      Clyde A. Wray

      How Long??? How Long???

      How long the bombs

      that foul the air

      how long the anguish

      wrenching cries

      mothers to suffer the dreadful lies

      how long to bleed tears…how long?

      How long the struggle

      with the foe

      to kill families we don’t know

      how long the tracks to ride across their backs…

      how long…?

      How long to listen to the serpents tongue

      that gives false hope

      when he knows there’s none…?

      How long to duty

      under tarnished flag

      where once pride flourished

      now that’s long past… how long?

      How long no sweet song sung

      of country’s honor

      of hope and love…how long?

      How long for hope of glory

      where there’s none

      none to make

      if it’s said there is then its fake…how long?

      How long the populace quiet tone

      to watch this evil go on and on…how long?

      How long ???

      Clyde A. Wray

      Let the Eagle Fly

      (To my Afghan Brothers)

      That’s right

      revenge is sweet, better

      served with bread

      bomb em!

      Bomb em

      bomb em

      until they’re dancing in the streets

      bomb em!

      bomb em

      bomb em

      until they change their minds

      let the steel black wings whisper

      in the darkest hour of night

      drop:

      honey

      barley

      wheat

      rye

      Bomb em

      bomb em

      by the tons

      hallelujah

      hundreds, thousands

      of sortie runs…

      By parachute

      drop

      those bombs

      vials of medicine

      they won’t break

      children will quit their belly aching

      Fill the skies of blue

      block out the sun

      carpet bomb

      with flour too

      add a touch of color

      corn just to see whose yellow…

      Let the eagles fly

      bomb em

      till we see light in their eyes

      "Cholon 2" R. Epstein

      Clyde A. Wray

      Futile Efforts Of Every Veteran

      Tried to lock it up, hide it

      in the darkest recesses of the mind

      tried to bury it cleverly, by not giving it light

      tried to forget it ever happened, that it cut like a knife

      that it sent waves of fear, that it turned blood to ice…

      Tried to slam the door on it, to keep it inside

      then much to quickly day turns into night

      tried not to remember the names, the faces

      those sunny and youthful manly embraces,

      they keep coming back, like someone had unearth them

      Tried to pray for the repose of their souls,

      that their God would tell them what their death was for

      tried to think that their spirits live in beautiful tall trees

      hear the sound of their voices, when the wind blows through leaves

      they're rooted to mother earth the way every man should be

      Tried to lock it up, hide it

      but then what for

      humanity hasn't learned, yet again another war

      once again the doors ajar

      its yesterday all over, you haven't gotten far

      "Brothers" Mark Raab

      Clyde A. Wray

      May He Look Down Upon You Kindly

      In praise of soldiers

      everywhere around the globe

      who thinks he fights for right

      you know it as your darkest day

      for which you’ll forfeit your life…

      your country stands behind you

      they’ll praise you to the hilt

      right or wrong they’ll rush to pin

      a medal on you

      shortly after you’re killed…

      praise to the soldiers

      who think they

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