THEN & NOW
by Gary Adams

Take a man and put him alone
Send him many a mile from home
Rob his heart of all but blood
Make him live in the dust & mud.

Give him a rifle, a pack on his back
Tell him he's walking on a well-worn track Show no fear,
you’ll do just fine
And hope to god you don't tread on a mine.

He's into it now, the fightings for real
You have to have nerves of tungsten steel
No favours in the jungles or fields of green
Just decaying remains of where soldiers have been.

Letters to home tell loved ones you're well
Not scared as shit and a stone's throw from hell
I'm a big boy now, all of 19 years old
My future seems to be left on hold.

When I came home I was wished all the best
Some nice shiny medals to pin on my chest
Wear them so proudly each ANZAC day
But they won’t help our problems which wont go away.

Many years later we're still fighting that war
The thousands of diggers who made it to shore
Flashbacks, nightmares, scars that won't heal
Drugs and booze and a rotten deal.

You felt like an outcast in the country you love
Many a mate sought peace up above
I'm now fighting the system, which sent me insane
Nothing to lose but plenty to gain.

And as long as there's hope
and a will and a way
All Vietnam veterans
will have their day.