The Path
When it finally happens and it's over, As you stand there and think— Something so mutilated can't be human So it was dead enough without this But even here there is beauty A small flowered patch of ground, a bird's call And the grace of a butterfly Frustration and disappointment Become a laughable thing But always the conflicting emotions to smile Or say the hell with it and cry —SP4 Bob Jackson. The Hell with It. (1970) In early December, we left Firebase Jamie with orders for a combat air assault. A Huey is the greatest invention since the wheel. It gets you to ground where there are no roads or rails, which is most everywhere. The next morning, five Hueys landed thirty feet apart on Jamie's dirt strip. I said to Bob, “ I don't want to be killed on my first air assault. ” “ Artillery already cleared the LZ (landing zone). T he choppers touchdown 3-4 feet in the LZ for only a few seconds. Jump out and run kinda bent over for the wood line, ...