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Groucho's Poem
When I joined up in '68 I was young and fit, I felt really great The training was great fun at Kapooka too Mind, you still got in a lot of poo
They trained me up, 'till I was real fit 'Till I filled up my uniform to a tight fit Then off I went to Infantry School Where we learned that our weapon was really a tool
Then when we were ready, to Canungra we went Some of us volunteers, others were sent The instructors caused us nothing but pain Nothing would stop them, not even the rain
They gave us 7 days leave to say goodbye 'Cause we didn't know if we'd live or die Then came the day when we got on the plane I remember it well, we took off in the rain
Our landing in Vietnam went by the book Bomb craters were everywhere you did look We got in a Caribou and went to our base Where I freshened up, even washed my face
Then down to the boozer to get my 2 tins Then first thing in the morning I had to clean bins I was in this unit called 1 A.R.U. Where they shoved more training at you
All the training was over, this was it! In my unit machine gun, that was my fit From now on, each time we went out of the wire Our nerves would be jangling, our bellies on fire
You had to watch every footstep you took Behind every leaf you had to look You learned, that the jungle was a dangerous place As you moved around in it with paint on your face
Leeches, mossies, insects galore They dropped from the trees, came up from the floor They sucked you, bit you, stung you as well Some of the bastards hurt like hell
You slept in the bushes, in the dirt that was mud You just found a leech sucking your blood You woke during the night on sentry again You sit quietly watching through darkness and rain
You wake in the morning, breakfast you eat 'Cause you know that all day you'll be on your feet Walking round quietly, trying not to get killed If you get back to base safely you will be thrilled
Patrol after patrol, you did your time Walking around in the muck and the slime You'd hear of a contact, someone had died You felt really bad, you should have cried
When one of my mates copped it, I lost the plot Dead drunk in the boozer is what I got From then on Vietnam became a blur Then you came home to the ridicule and slur
Thank you Australia, in our faces you spat Our boys died over there, so you could do that For freedom we fought to give them a life So they didn't have more trouble and strife
Just remember boys died over there When at the cross of remembrance you stare They died scared and in pain, those brave men So think of them kindly when you say amen
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