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I Knew Them All by Paul Stewart Dumsch - D Trp 17th Cav., 199th Lgt.  Inf.  Bde. Vietnam 1968-69
  

”Did you know anyone on this wall?” She asked

"I knew them all” I said

"The kid from Boise, whose helmet was too big

the guy whose pants didn't fit

and the one whose feet hurt

'cause his boots were too small

I knew the gunny guy from Cleveland

and the bouncer from Detroit

 "We had a guy we called 'Head'

he ate with his fingers

and had a head as big as a baskeball

"They weren't the Hollywood pretenders

like Charlie Sheen or Tom Cruise

These were men who had walked the walk

Some were heroes and some were cowards

but they were all there

 Some were wounded

and some died

Others were POW/MIA

and some came home

"They were from every walk of life

and every color

Some were bright

and some were dirt dumb 

"They worked in offices

on ships and firebaces

They fought from the Delta to the DMZ

"They were brave and scared

and they laughed and cried

 "They were nurses and doctors

who patched us up and we went out again

 "They were the best people I'd ever met in my life

"Did I know them all?

I knew they all

And so did you"