Women Who Served

[Deleted]

I wrote this some time ago to salute the unsung heroines of my war.
You may notice that women are never numbered among the war heroes,
it's always men, so I sought to set the record straight.


Eleven thousand went to Vietnam now many have died,
Women honored their country serving with pride.
Physicians, nurses, therapists, clerks and more,
Air controllers, communications, the intelligence corps.
Putting aside safety, security and feminine things,
They arrived in country by ship or on wings.
Devoted young ladies in olive drab attire,
Caring for men wounded by enemy fire.
Tired, exhausted working late into the nights,
Under adverse conditions with limited lights.
Saving the wounded, many missing parts, 
struggling valiantly with all of their hearts.
These wonderful women were never the same,
Remember their sacrifice and selfless fame

[Ayla]

Shan

A fine piece of writing and yes, it could be applied to the trans experience

Aisla

[Patty]

Shantel you know I have seen this before,it moved me the first time I read it and did so deeply again. The doctors and nurses who did their best to put us back together again were truly heroes, they had to deal with the worst of everything that one man could do to another. I bow to them and their sacrifices . Patty

[Deleted]

Jan 1, 2015 19:15:08 GMT 8 @julieblair said:

I have never been to war. The whole notion of that level of violence is so abhorrent to me as to be very difficult to relate too.Those prejudicial feelings do not pass to the soldiers who were and are placed in intolerable situations to pursue insane solutions to human failures. A rice paddy in Vietnam or barren valley in Afghanistan, politicians fail and young people are commanded to kill and die for abstractions far from home and hearth.

I weep for the lost ones. The soldiers, the children, so many.

For those who return, you have a bond that I do not and cannot understand. It is outside of my experience and forged under conditions I will never endure. Yet you draw emotion, compassion, and art from chaos and destruction. I am humbled, I may never understand, but I love you.

Julie

Thanks Julie, your comment is well received and shares kinship with similar feelings from those who are completely unable to relate to or understand transgenderism. If one has never been there or walked in the shoes of those who have, then understanding on a real gut level is virtually impossible and is always intellectually sketchy at best. What you say here gives me a good foundation to drive home that analogous situation which affects us all.

[JamieP]

Reminds me of the tv series "China Beach," the lead centered around a woman & those in the medical unit with her.