DOGTAGS: A SOLDIER'S PRAYER
(With apologies to The Deck of Cards)
It was 15th of August back in '68
At a fire-base in Viet Nam;
For the Feast of Our Lady's Assumption they had
Holy Mass in a tent in the sand
Of a burned-out dry paddy just south of Xuen Moc
Where a batt'ry of guns was deployed,
And the Priest had flown out from the Nui Dat base
To provide for the Faith of the boys.
At the end of the Mass they decided to pray
A full Ros'ry to honour the Feast,
And those soldiers who had them drew out their blest beads
And they answered the lead of the Priest.
Then one gunner came late and he sat at the back -
He was not of the Catholic Faith -
And he rolled in his hands his two "Dog Tags" and chain,
Closed his eyes, with a smile on his face.
Now a Sergeant nearby who was one of the flock,
And a man of devout faithfulness,
Watched the boy with disgust and grew angry at him
' Cos he thought he was "Takin' the Piss".
At the last Joyous Myst'ry, the last "Glory Be...",
The Gun Sergeant sprang up to his feet,
Grabbed the insolent lad by the scruff of his neck
And then lifted him right off his knees.
But, the boy, he protested, he'd done nothing wrong,
" I was prayin' like ev'ryone, Sarge !"
But the Sergeant would not hear of his lame excuse
And he placed the culprit on a charge.
The next day at Stand-down on the Batt'ry Parade
They had set up a Summary Court,
Against "Milit'ry Order and Good Discipline"
The Accused, he had clearly been caught.
So the good NCO gave his evidence first
Noting great disrespect on the part
Of an ill-mannered gunner who'd ev'ry intent
To insult the Padre for a start.
Then the Battery Captain who first heard the charge
Was so wild at this kind of offence,
He'd award him a sentence the harshest he could
That's unless the boy had some defence.
Then when offered the chance, he could speak for himself,
The poor gunner with face looking bland,
He unbuttoned his shirt and took off his Dog Tags
And he let them hang loose in his hand.
Then he said, "Sir, I know that I play up a bit,
That I drink and am keen on a fight;
But, when mortar rounds land, an' the Gooks open fire,
Then I shake bad in terror and fright."
"In the dark, Sir, is worst; when alone on the gun,
and I think that it is the last day
That I might spend alive. Then I get my Dog Tags,
And I look at them hard and I pray.
I don't know all the words of conventional prayers,
Nor do I have a book to read from,
So, I look at the words written on these two tags
And they help me get through the nights long."
"When I see the "N.Z", at the top there, I think
Of the country to which I was born,
And I really thank God, out wherever He is
Its not like Viet Nam - all war-torn.
Then I pray that He'll get me back home soon and safe
To the hills back of Nongotaha,
For I've just 45-and-a-wakey to go
And I'm proud to have served here so far."
"When I see then my own SERVICE NUMBER I know
I am just one poor soldier of many.
I am not here alone, for I have all my mates,
And I thank the Good Lord for their compn'y.
For the number reminds me that many have gone
From New Zealand to serve overseas,
And that I should be priv'leged to follow, and pray
For all those whom to God were released."
"My RELIGION reads "METH", but it doesn't mean much,
For to God we're the same as each other;
And I think as a Christian, I'm supposed to be kind
And to have some respect for my brother.
Then I think of the wars that Religion has caused,
And how people have fought in God's name;
And how this War's no diff'rent, it began with some strife
Over Buddhist and Catholic claims."
"Then I look at my BLOOD GROUP and thank God for life
That he gave to me, and my good health...
And then also the trust that he put in me too
That I must take good care of myself.
For I know in the Service we're walking Blood Banks,
We might have to give blood in a scrap -
That we must do our best to keep free of disease
And must not catch a dose of "The Clap"."
"When I then see the NAME that my family gave
Just to me at the time of my birth,
Then I pray for my Mother and Father back home
In "Godzone", at the end of the Earth.
I too ask that my service to God and the Queen
Will so honour the name that I bear,
That my sons and my daughters who follow me on
Will be proud that I served over here."
"When I look at my Dog Tags together I know
That one could be, in fact, my tombstone;
And that if I should die on the field today
Here, that it will accomp'ny me home.
For the boys will rip one of the Tags off my neck
And then hand it in later to you;
The other they'll put in my mouth, or some way
They'll just tie it around my big toe."
"Now I hope you see, Sir, I meant no disrespect
Yesterday at the end of the Mass.
For my Dog Tags to me are my "Ros'ry Beads"
Though they might not be in the same class
As the ones that the Catholic boys learned to use
When they pray to the Virgin Mary.
But, see, mine have for me that same blessed effect
Of reciting the Saints' Litany."
So the Battery Captain he dismissed the charge
And then marched the Accused out the door,
And he told the Gun Sergeant he ought not assume
An offence in such acts as he saw.
Then the B.K. said "If we were all so well blest
With that raw kind of Faith, to be sure,
We would be better men, be at home, and at peace -
And would certainly not be at War!"