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OKIE TIME 71 to shutdown in 72
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Neal Chumley 1967-1969
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Jim Bartimus Camp Dillard 71-72
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Wayne Clark's Pic's
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial

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Feb 17	-	Vietnam Veterans Memorial

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Nov 14, 2008

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Guestbook

krod13 wrote on May 21

We All Were

If there is one thing
That I have learned
Over all these years is
That we all had been
Into things like nothing
We could have ever believed
We All Were
Changed in many a ways
No two of us were the same
By any means
We all came from
All walks of life
With many different
Colors, sizes and many faces
We each carried home
Our own haunting
That touched each of us
Never in the same ways
But touched we were
Never to be the same again
Some will have made it
Through the things of time
Others may have never made it at all
We each had to find
Our own way to deal
With what was locked up inside of us
In whatever way worked
For us at those times
Most of us still do
Some days more then others
We have no place

In this life to hide
Nowhere to run
For some everyday becomes
A fight to keep our minds
Some nights just a living HELL
Till the next day comes
We do our best to hide
All of this from
All of our loved ones
Some days we do good
Others not so good
The rage from inside
Just comes flying out
Mostly at those
Who love us the most
You know the ones
That never deserved
To have this brought
Upon them at all
But just so happens
That they are the closest
Ones at those times
We hate like hell
That it happens
But there is just no
Way of stop it
Before it flies out
No taking any of this back
We just have to
Try and move on
As best as we can
Hoping that we do
Better then we did this time

That is about the only
Hope we have for now
Trying each day
To be making things
Better then we had before
Because we know just how much
These words hurt those we love
Knowing they should have it better
Than they do trying to live with us
We also know it takes
Someone very special
To want to stay and love us
No one knows the Hell
Better then they do
Of what we can and often do
Without any warning
Just comes at them out of the blue
The sad part of this all
With each passing day
More and more of them
Like us are coming back home
To try and deal with
The life we had already
Been through
Leaving them just as lost
As we still are each day
With no real answer
As to what we should do

Written By
R.C.Keckler
05/15/12

krod13 wrote on May 18

It’s Not That

They don’t have fear
It’s that they don’t
Have time for it
There is far more
Important things
They need to get done
Then after all is over
Comes the laughter
To be hiding their fears
Away from others eyes
That has not been
In harm’s way as they have
For they have no idea
Of what that is like
You see they know
They also understand
That which others can’t
Comprehend the high
Of those places they have been
Trust me when I say
That they would have it
No other way
They love what they
Get to go out and do
To walk on the wild side
Of what they call
Feeling alive
Just can’t wait
Till that next time out
Walking on the wild side

Written By
R.C.Keckler
05/02/12

krod13 wrote on May 17

I’ll Be Home

In a few days here
Once again thanks
To some of my brothers
I’ll Be Home
With my long lost friend
Riding with her
Back on the road again
Getting to spend
A lot of time with her
Like a long lost lover
Just something that feels
So good inside
Knowing that we are
Once again together
Almost as if
We never parted
When others will come to see her
Find out what and how
She and others came to be
Along with why we had the need
Telling of her stories
Of all of her glory days
With how many lives she saved
What it was like just to
Have been a part of it with her
To be letting them know
Just how much she is a part of me
For when I’m with her
I’ll Be Home
With my brothers once again
It’s just like no other feeling
To me

Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/22/12

krod13 wrote on May 14

Out Of

The puff of the dust and smoke
As it all starts to settle down
There can be seen a
Outline of a soldier standing
Rifle in ready mode
For whatever is there
Coming in or at him
To defend at all cost
To see that all his brothers
Are safe and sound
After what has just gone down
For this is what
He had trained to do
This is all his knows
At all cost to defend
Those of his brothers in arms
From any and all that
May do them harm
Even if he himself is hurt
To make that stand is all
He can and will think about
Nothing but death itself
Would be able to stop him
Out love for life and God
That day he put the uniform on
To stand his ground
Or make that march on
To defend God and Country
To be keeping free our way of life
He will move on

Written By
R.C.Keckler
05/01/12

krod13 wrote on May 13

Hard To See

You walking out that door once more
With your bag in hand heading to
Board that plane to leave again
Not knowing for how long
Or if you’ll make it back home
Yes I do understand why it has to be
Yes I know I’ve done this before
But honey it’s harder ever time
Yes we both had agreed
It is what you have to do
Because we both believed
It is our right to go and do
When the oath was taken
To be in uniform
Put our own lives aside
Because our hearts say it’s right
We have the faith in God
To be keeping you safe
We know we can’t ask others to do
What we ourselves wouldn’t do
We can’t help it if they don’t believe
As much as we do
Just because they don’t
Doesn’t mean we won’t do what we can do
But baby it’s still hard to
See you go and I stay at home

Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/30/12

krod13 wrote on May 12

You Have Yours

To come home at night
To be there to hold you tight
To give you peace when you sleep at night
You know they will be there for you
To kiss you every morning when you wake
To be there to take your hand
To go for walks in evening light
To look at when you lay your head down at night
When I have only a picture to look at
When I come home each night
Then another picture to talk to
Letting them know I’m still alright
I have this other picture to lie
On the other pillow each and every night
When I go to sleep for the night
So it’s the first thing I see when I wake
Hoping that they’ll soon be home
Safe and sound as well as alright
This is my prayer at first day light
You Have Yours
Home safe and sound
While mine fights to keep us free
With others had theirs give their lives to
Keep you and yours safe each night
I can only pray to have mine back
To be hold them tight loving them
Even more than I have in my life
For believing enough to be in uniform
Keeping us safe and saving our way of life

Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/30/12

krod13 wrote on May 10

When I Open My Eyes

Never did I hear
It going off
Just know that it had
Remembering in my mind
Seeing this soldier
Reaching in and pulling me out
Of that burning aftermath
Outside to safety out of harms way
But his face was never clear to me
As I try to recall I couldn’t see
His face at all I just remember him
Picking me up in his hands
Dragging me out of there
Then laying me down then leaving me
I thought he had gone back
To see if there was anyone else
But when asked the medic
Who it was that pulled me out
He asked me who I was talking about
Because there was no one else around
The shotgun was dead
I was the only one there alive
After my truck hit the mine
But to this very day
I can see him pulling me out
My guess would have to be
My dead brother had saved me

Written By
R.C.Keckler
05/01/12

krod13 wrote on May 3

At War

This maybe hard for any of you to believe
But for those who have lived in
Places like these where War is everyday
A part of ones everyday life
One comes to find themselves
At a kind of peace inside about it all
After all they walk into it each day
After many years now looking
For what was had over there in my time
Never being able to find that back here
I now believe I understand what it is
That is so very much missed
That brotherhood that was
From us living and eating together
Through out each and everyday
Sleeping, along with staying together
In everything that we would do
Like we were all a family
As one brother once said
“A Band Of Brothers”
A lot of the times we never had to speak
Just look at one another, knowing what needed done
That was the one thing missing
In each of our lives this day
We spent a lifetime looking for
What was had at those days and times
At War

Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/25/12

krod13 wrote on May 2

She Sets

In the window sill
Of their old farm house
In the shadows
Holding back the curtain
Letting in the moonlight
Shining off of her
As she is looking
Up to the stars
Wondering if her love
Is doing the very same thing
Remembering how much
Their love truly means
Leaving her hoping and praying
That her one true love is safe
And he’ll soon be
Back home with her once again
Holding her in his arms
Just as they had always been
Never wanting to be letting go
Of him ever again
So till then
She Sets
In the window sill
Of their old farm house
Just waiting for him
Even more loving and longing
To have him holding
Her once again
Feeling the taste of his lips
The sweetness of their kiss

Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/26/12

krod13 wrote on Apr 29

Giving Up A Tear

After her first tour
Happy at first
Till at lest the 2nd day
It starts to set in
Just where she had been
Along with how
She now just don’t
Quit fit in
Back here from
Where she had been
Looking for that something
But not knowing what
That something just is
She now finds herself
Pulling away from
Those she once knew
Looking more for those
From where she just came
Not sleeping at nights
Going outside for
Long walks just looking
For just some place
Where she fits in
After the start of another
One of her long walks
She comes upon
And old creamery
With a lot of flags flying
Slowly she starts to walk in
In the moonlight reading
Some of their names

Finding quite a few
Newer ones that
Had been just put in
Of those names from
Where she had just been
Not knowing they had given
Their all while she was over there
With her never know
Till right now reading
All of their names
She found herself
Kneeling down in front
Of each and every one of them
Reaching out touching
All of them for a moment
Then moving on to
The next one
Doing it all over again
Giving to them her thanks
For being her brothers in arms
Not just her old friends
Whose names she was remembering
Once again seeing their faces
As they had been
Giving Up A Tear
For each one of them
As she knows they would have done

Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/21/12

krod13 wrote on Apr 27

More Saddening To

Any warrior than hearing
The sound of taps
For he knows
That another brother in arms
Has fallen another flag is being folded
To be handed to the family
He knows the look
That is seen in their eyes
From them when
They are being handed our flag
That is seen deep within them
Eyes of how come and why
Did we have to lose
Our loved ones
Knowing that there
Is never going to
Be any answer why
For every warrior has gone
Through the asking of
That very same question
Of why him and not me
We know
Only God knows
The reason why
We only know
We owe it to them
To do something
With our gift of life
Never forgetting
They paid the price

Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/11/12

krod13 wrote on Apr 26

Hearts Open

Eyes wide looking for anything not right
Hair up on end forever ready
For whatever coming our way in
To make that stand right up to the end
Giving everything one has to give
For to see brothers lives does not end
Not looking for anything in return
Just too still be here
To do whatever is needed by me again
Life to be given if need be
Just as long as my brothers
Get to walk back home again
Needing only to know
I had done all that can be done
Knowing that when their day comes
We will forever be together in the end
To talk and laugh once again
Till the tears flow like we had been
Never parted in life nor after it
Brothers right up till the very end
A bond that can never be broken
By anything or anyone
Forever brothers
Family and friends
Hearts Open
Life freely given

Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/18/12

krod13 wrote on Apr 21

Bright Flash

Then you felt the blast
A wave hitting you
Then if you were
One of the lucky ones
You’d hear the bang
Taking you off your feet
Hitting the ground somewhere
Trying to get your ass
Back up onto your feet
Getting ready to fight
With fire once again
Doing your damndest
To see everyone here stays alive
As well as your own life
When this comes down
Ones mind goes into overdrive
Then you’re just along for the ride
You have no time to think at all
You look identify and fire
Moving all the time
From one place to another
Looking for some kind of cover
Do everything one can to end
This night of hellfire in the sky
Not really knowing what is what
Till that last shot is fired
Then and only then
Does one have the time
To see what Hell lies behind

Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/10/12

krod13 wrote on Apr 17

In The Mirror

Setting here looking into
It seeing what I see
Looking back at me
Makes it hard
For me to believe
What I once use to be
Seeing nothing but
This old man
Looking back and it is me
Remembering so young and thin
But hard as a rock
Going for days non stop
Without thought or hesitation
Into action till the death if need be
Having done the things
That we did back then
Having gone through all
Those places that we did
With most of us coming
Out the other side
Now finding it very hard
To believe that
It was once me
Seeing what I
Now have to see
In The Mirror
Looking back for me to see

Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/09/12

krod13 wrote on Apr 13

He Stands Watch

Just outside of the truck
Looking out about
Those surroundings
To see what can be seen
That may be of harm to the team
Or him in anyway
It’s his job to see
There is nothing out there
Or coming their way
As he does so
He finds a moment
To look back upon
What just had happened
Not to long ago to them
Along with what
It had cost them
When one slipped by
Getting to them
How it almost cost
Some their lives
All the reason
Not to let it
Happen this time
Under his watchful eye
Because from the time
Already spent here that is his
There was enough
Blood on his hands
That he need not
Have anymore

Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/09/12

krod13 wrote on Apr 12

So I Believed

You don’t always hear about it
But at least for me it was true
The Army made me a better person
In life than I could have ever been
I was never in any better shape
Than I was way back than
Funny thou I always thought
I was never good enough
To be with the men I was
Knowing what all of them had done
Never did I think I did anything
That was even close to any of them
But still I did what was asked of me
No matter what that job was
Always looking at the others
Thinking to myself only if
I could be that good to
Do half of what they all could
Maybe I too could get to be that good
Enough to be looked up to
They always seem to have it together
Knowing just what was needed done
To be making things better for all
It was almost done without thought
As to how to get things done
All the time I seemed to be on the sideline
Always looking always watching
Everything any of them would do
Hoping to learn how to
It really did
Seem that way
So I Believed

Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/05/12

krod13 wrote on Apr 9

I Have Times

In my life when
I have to
Wonder about myself
If there is
Something wrong
Within me
Or is it
That I’m losing
My mind
By where my mind
Has some times
Takes me
Have I gone
Over that edge
Of no return
To where there is
No getting back
Or is it just
That I’m just
Growing to old
I know in every ones life
There comes times
Where one is not sure
What is real anymore
But I don’t think I’m
That far gone just
A bit of wondering
From time to time
About what is going
On inside of my mind

Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/02/12

krod13 wrote on Apr 6

She Walked

Barefooted out across
A wide open field
In a long white dress
Blowing about in
The warm summer breeze
With her hair flowing about
Some across her face
Eyes open wide
Looking all around
Seeing what there was to be seen
In her world here and now
Thoughts on her one love
Who was not with her right now
Wondering if he was thinking
Of her this very moment
Remembering the last time
She was held in his arms
Along with how sweet
Their kisses were and how
Much she missed tasting them and how
She felt every time she was in his arms
All the while walking across
The open grassy field
Barefooted
She Walked
Remembering how
He felt right now

Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/03/12

krod13 wrote on Apr 4

A Picture

Maybe worth a 1,000 words
But believe me when I tell you
It truly doesn’t tell you everything
What it smells like
Nor how it feels
Deep inside of anyone
Who has ever stood there
After all that was done before
That picture was taken
Those gut wrenching feelings
From having ones heart
Torn out of one’s chest
From what was seen
Laying there next to them
Another’s body torn apart
From the fighting the night before
An may I ask
How many of you
Have ever spent the night
With rifle in hand
With the dead next to you
With no others there
But them and you
Talking to them as if
They were still there
But knowing they are not
Their war is gone and done
But yours still is going on
A Picture
Doesn’t show you this

Written By
R.C.Keckler
03/24/12

krod13 wrote on Mar 28

Looking At Photos

Stopping for a moment
On one or just a few
Remembering my
Long ago yesterdays
Of those places
Along with those faces
As to how it use to be
Those who where there
With those who had died
And all of those who had past
Away from those long ago days
Some of those photos
Of the fun that once was
Enjoyed by all of us
That even now makes me laugh
After all that time has past
I set here with a smile
On my old tried looking face
Remembering those old days
Of my younger side of life
With them and me
Finding some happiness
In a war torn place
As we tried to make it
Just for another day
That is why I keep
LOOKING AT PHOTOS
Of what I once was
And those who were with me

Written By
R.C.Keckler
03/26/12

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