Forwarded by Detachment Member Bob Brockish via Bill Baldaccini, Korean War Veterans Association

  On July 27th, 1953, the armistice ending the hostilities of the Korean War was signed; 37 months and 2 days after the beginning of the war.

THE SHOES OF A KOREAN VET

By Jack D. Ross, Sandusky, Ohio.

It was fifty years age in a place far away

but the memories remain and surface each day

of the mission of our platoon, to defend a barren hill

from the North Korean soldiers and it was kill or be killed with artillery and machine guns, carbines and men

you fight off the enemy again and again

you defend the damn mountain till the objective was met

there are medics shooting morphine into a wounded man's vein

to silence the cry and lessen the pain

the stench of bodies, the unforgettable smell

makes you whole body tremble and you're scared as hell

a good friend you seek out, but he was in the wrong place

for now an olive drab blanket is covering his face

you look to the heavens and quietly pray

but your prayers go unanswered day after day

the chaplain is busy helping carry the injured men

to the helicopter landing where fighting has been

you recall when it ended, we've all held our ground

and it's time to go home and there's hardly a sound

if you've often wondered is this as bad as it gets

you're walking in the shoes of a Korean vet

you were the lucky, back on American soil

but what you've been thru still makes your blood boil

and this has turned you into an angry young man

who committed legalized murder with blood on his hands

you don't want to look at people passing by

just want to be alone and you're too proud to cry

there are times when you think you'd be better off dead

and visions of suicide rush thru your head

and you tell yourself that time heals all wounds

after all these years you know it's not going away soon

you don't watch war movies in the theater or on t.v.

cause you know it could trigger another of these heartbreaking  memories that you're trying to forget

then you're walking in the shoes of a Korean vet

there are more wars a coming, and I'm too old to fight

but when I look at our great banner, its stars and its stripes

it sends shivers thru my body, and I know right then

for liberty and freedom, I'd do it all over again.

Foothills Detachment member Bob Orlando is offering free martial arts training for active duty servicemen and women at his JE DU-TOO SCHOOL OF MARTIAL ARTS.  To quote from his web site:

United States Active Duty Service Men and Women

• Stationed in Colorado?  As long as you are on active duty you may train with us for free.
• On leave or furlough in Colorado?  You too, may train with us while on leave at  no charge.
  Again, free -- absolutely no charge.

This free martial art training offer for active duty U.S. Military is not some bait and switch scheme designed to draw you in, only to start charging you for instruction later.  This is a legitimate offer -- our way of saying, Thank You  for standing between us and those who would destroy our nation.

The instruction offered, while not specific to wartime combat, is nevertheless, realistic, no-nonsense, practical self-defense.  Dutch-IndoChinese and Filipino martial arts provide the bulk of our empty-hand and edged/impact-weapons training, but we also incorporate practical self-protection elements from other arts into our instruction as well (i.e. stand-up jujitsu, down-and-dirty ground fighting, and one of the best fighting strategies, Mexican judo). 

Inexpensive protective equipment is mandatory (primarily groin protection and footwear), but uniforms are not, so please check out our  Required Equipment  page.

Again, for active duty service men and women, the instruction is absolutely  free.  It will cost you NOTHING.  Try it, or at least stop by and watch.  What do you have to lose?

And to my fellow Devil Dogs out there, Semper Fi.

Check out his web site at www.OrlandKuntao.com for full details on his school and his very generous offer.