A tribute to Army Aviation.
My Olive green chest has donned a host of great names: Kelly, Rosbeck, Dempsey, Holloway and a multitude of others that have etched my worn and weary smile on history`s mirror.
From a humble beginning, I have climbed to the summit. I have seen my family mature in the hottest of cold wars and have mixed my blood, sweat and tears with the brackish paddies of Nam Can and the crytal blue of Dong Ha.
Thus, I have paid the price of involvement, earned my badge of courage and come of age. On my durable wing I have leisurely soared through the thin humid skies over Ia Drang and my rotor wash has uncovered" Charlie" in the mangroves of Ca Mau.
From Soc Trang, Blackhorse,and LANE, I have flown and have sent my tracers slicing through the Asian dusk and dawn....stabbing at the elusive shadows that menace freedom. My rockets have given relief to my brothers-in-arms and brought smoke, flames and death to our enemies.
With keen vision and through my ingenuity I have found my enemy....the tyrant, the oppressor, who would deny his fellow man`s rights. I have guided the awesome terror of my cousins` shells to fix the fleeting, faceless guerilla.
On my back the Queen of Battle showed the fury of her long rifle. Together, through swamp and jungle, we have pursued, engaged and won.
The battle for democracy will go on until free men everywhere have won the age old conflict with forces of oppression, the shadows of darkness, the face of hate.
Whether at home or on foreign shores, I will be there....keeping my faith in God and Country....BECAUSE...........I AM ARMY AVIATION!
This was written in 1970 by Major Larry E. Joyce, Infantry, U.S. Army