Christopher J. Chambers

HOW IT HAPPENS

The blades begin to turn – as the engines spool up,
As the bird with the red cross lifts off.

She lumbers into the air and slowly gains speed – as she erupts from the dust cloud,
Turning – toward where help is needed.

We stand and hope they get there in time – as we watch it leave with its gunship escort,
Then, we say a little prayer and hope they’re not too late.

Sometime later – they return to the F.O.B, hot into the medevac pad,
We jump up on anything so we can see.

What we are looking for – we don’t know,
But we have to see – if it’s one of our boys.

Then, we see the stretchers with Joe’s on them;
Silence… is all we know.

Anxiety – pangs in our guts, as we say quietly, “hold on just a little longer”
We say another prayer hoping the Doc’s can patch em’ up.

Later, we get the call to wash out the bird ‘cuz they got to leave again,
A lot of water later, the blood spills from the birds belly and spreads across the pad,
to be soaked up by the hot concrete and dust.

And we know that it was bad.

They load one of the wounded up again…
they have to move him – now!

All the faces are grim… Heads shake,
We didn’t know him, but you still feel bad…

Again, they spool up and lift into the sky,
Trying save this soldier.

We… well… “WE”… go back to work.

What of the others that came with him?
We’ll never know, never did.

We get news when our apaches come back;
They put a lot of rounds and rockets downrange.

The word was 14 enemy killed and more trapped in a cave they blew apart!!!
WE CHEER!! To us… it was like a personal retribution… for hurting one of our own!!

As we go back to work again… we wonder about that soldier… Did he make it?
Then… we find out the phones are shut off again… That can only be bad.

So, we wait…
And wait…
for 2 days…

We pray and hope that our families don’t hear about it on the news….
Before… we can call them and assure them that at least “WE” are safe.

The hardest thing for us to do… is to watch our birds fly out,
– ready to fight – to make us proud.

Hoping, and praying that all on board return safely,
and our birds back to our care.

We know that our job is to keep our birds flying in the air,
No matter how hard it is being stuck on the F. O. B.

“How it happens”… is… that for at least today…
I hope… that because of our bird… we helped save that Joe’s life.

©Copyright 2005–2006 by Christopher J. Chambers