Military Men
I have known men of courage…
Who served during WW 1 even when they knew
That the only service they’d be allowed to perform
Was latrine, urine, clean up and digging ditches
Trenches for the Real, White GI’s
Or to serve in the officer’s mess as cooks
Or stewards because these men of courage were not
Fit or able for real combat duty because they were Colored
And when they returned they were not fit to be served at Southern lunch counters
Those men were my Grandfathers and Uncles
Who served during WW 2 and performed the same duties as their forefathers
Not fit for combat or officer status because they were Negroes
Until someone discovered that these men could fly planes with the best
And earn honors and medals and fight in the War To End All Wars
Tuskegee Airmen, 92nd Infantry Buffalo Soldier Division-- “Deeds, not Words”
Who served with distinction and were awarded late honors and medals
They were Over There when Mussolini was defeated, hanged and burned
And when they came home they were not fit to be seated at the front of the bus
Among those men was my Father
Who served voluntarily, not drafted, during Vietnam
No running to the Canadian border or receiving “college deferments”
They were in battle off the coast of South East Asia
Smelled napalm in the morning and were sprayed with Agent Orange
Returning from ‘Nam, no parades for them…the baby killers
Some crippled by mind blowing sights and sounds
Or their minds were just blown and gone… some survived
And when they landed home they were not fit to buy houses in White suburbs
Among these men was my Husband
(And then there was my Mother, not fit for combat
Because she was female and Negro, but she was fit enough
To serve as a nurse in the field
But all she did was try to stitch back together and comfort
The Colored… Negro… wounded warriors…)
~EBPryor
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