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Headin' Home
There was an awareness both day and night
that you weren't a veteran 'till you made the flight,
and it was a long time coming.
Then it finally arrived, the day we were all hoping for,
the day to step off the distant shore of South Viet Nam.
And step onto that "Giant Bird" and scream away
headin' home again.
My vision or dream, and I think this was shared with others that were there,
was to scream away at high noon so I could turn and stare,
at Viet Nam behind me.
But it wasn't a day flight.
In darkness we left.
Just got aboard and flew away,
feeling like thieves in the night.
I say thieves and I say it willing.
The take-off was almost chilling.
It was quiet and austere, and no one dare make a sound.
It was a silent moment of care for our friends we left on the ground.
You'd think we'd be cheering to be young and alive and free and headin' home,
instead we were praying that our friends would survive to get a flight of their own.
But we'd never know and it's like we stole something they might need,
fighting support or fellowship, in the event that they might bleed.
I think this was shared, in unison we stared from the flying bus,
and as hard as we stared we could not see, Viet Nam behind us.
But we were alive and lucky and on a flight, and proceeded on into the night...headin' home....
- Dennis Sprague -
1/502 1969-1970
The name of this poem is Headin' Home, the title means that people are coming home from the war. The subject of this poem is a man who is coming home from the Vietnam War. This poem is about soldiers that are coming home from the Vietnam War that are feeling guilty about leaving their friends. The poem talks about how the soldiers had to wait for a flight to come home from the war. Although many people believe that these soldiers should be happy that they are coming home to see their family and friends, they were more focused on their friends that were still fighting the war. They were just praying that their friends got a flight of their own. Some important words are home, chilling, and dark. This poem also talks about how they would sneak off into the night to get on the planes like a thief in the night running away from the crime. Overall this poem was very moving to me because of all of the emotions that were out into it.
There was an awareness both day and night
that you weren't a veteran 'till you made the flight,
and it was a long time coming.
Then it finally arrived, the day we were all hoping for,
the day to step off the distant shore of South Viet Nam.
And step onto that "Giant Bird" and scream away
headin' home again.
My vision or dream, and I think this was shared with others that were there,
was to scream away at high noon so I could turn and stare,
at Viet Nam behind me.
But it wasn't a day flight.
In darkness we left.
Just got aboard and flew away,
feeling like thieves in the night.
I say thieves and I say it willing.
The take-off was almost chilling.
It was quiet and austere, and no one dare make a sound.
It was a silent moment of care for our friends we left on the ground.
You'd think we'd be cheering to be young and alive and free and headin' home,
instead we were praying that our friends would survive to get a flight of their own.
But we'd never know and it's like we stole something they might need,
fighting support or fellowship, in the event that they might bleed.
I think this was shared, in unison we stared from the flying bus,
and as hard as we stared we could not see, Viet Nam behind us.
But we were alive and lucky and on a flight, and proceeded on into the night...headin' home....
- Dennis Sprague -
1/502 1969-1970
The name of this poem is Headin' Home, the title means that people are coming home from the war. The subject of this poem is a man who is coming home from the Vietnam War. This poem is about soldiers that are coming home from the Vietnam War that are feeling guilty about leaving their friends. The poem talks about how the soldiers had to wait for a flight to come home from the war. Although many people believe that these soldiers should be happy that they are coming home to see their family and friends, they were more focused on their friends that were still fighting the war. They were just praying that their friends got a flight of their own. Some important words are home, chilling, and dark. This poem also talks about how they would sneak off into the night to get on the planes like a thief in the night running away from the crime. Overall this poem was very moving to me because of all of the emotions that were out into it.