by : Bob Prineslaar
Unnatural Causes"A Film"
I watched a movie about all the Vets.
exposed to defoliant spray
And I thought of all the vets
who are hurting and dying each day
This isn't a movie we watch on T.V.They are blind, they are crippledThey are prisoners of hurt with no bail
They all did their duty away from this land
Ans sometimres it was too much to bear
It's hard to watch buddies die in the dirt
and wondering if there's someone to care
Then going home happened, t'was a great day
Leaving all the misery behind
But the war never left, especially at night
It's almost like losing you mind
And some left some pieces, no longer whole
And some are dying real slow
And they're lying in beds all over this land
with wheelchairs that no longer go
So I think of the movie, and think of the war
and I think of the friends I have lost
And I wonder how many just watching that filmRemember just what it all costs.
by : Bob Prinselaar
"Just Thoughts"
My days are lonely without you in them
Internet life has made you near.
Realities sadden us with its truth.
Long distance phone calls giving me hope
Praying and wondering; wishing you were close
Now here I sit out on my steps
With nothing to hold but emptiness
I can hear your laughter within my mind
Reminisce a hug a thousand times
But now here I sit out on my steps
With nothing to hold but emptiness
Yes, here I sit out on my steps
With nothing to hold but emptiness
Oh, can't you see what you've done to me
What kind of dreams you wake inside
Dreams of a life spent in joy
Waking and finding nothing but longing
And now here I sit out on my steps
With nothing to hold but emptiness
With nothing to hold but emptiness
..Michelle..
Poem from Jimmie JR.
First let me get some paper
And a little bit of ink
Let me tell you baby
Just exactly what I think
A few lines and melodies
Just to make the moment right
I will take you to Heaven
If you'll just stay with me tonight.
Baby, all I want is the touch of your hand
To feel a little tenderness and care
Just to know that you will always by my ultimate fan
And that you will always be there.
I know that even to say these words
I know it's sometime, not enough
But......No matter what......
Through the good or the bad, We can always
Look back at what we have had.....
"I LOVE YOU"
Written by Jimmie Dale Alexander, JR.
The Dove
As the dove soars high into the sky,
He feels the love that awaits him on high.
And as this dove ascends his fight,
He has our Mighty God within his sight.
He awaits you there with open arms,
And assures you that he feels no harm.
He’s every flower that blooms, every rainbow aglow.
He’s every drop of rain, every wind that blows.
A dove of pure white, cleansed by our Lord,
And at peace with himself for ever more.
As nighttime brings stars, he sends his love
To family and friends from high above.
He’s waiting there, but not alone,
For he’s found peace in Our Father’s home.
And as another dove begins to ascend,
We’ll know what lies beyond the bend.
MY OPEN LETTER TO JIMMIE & WANDA
After a few weeks of discussion and chatting via ICQ with you folks, I
decided to make plans to arrive at your AO with the purpose in mind of dragging Jimmie out of
the house to "face THE WALL." It was the week of my 25th wedding anniversary and I was
traveling from North Dakota to North Carolina to spend that ONE day with my bride. Arriving
at the Washington, DC bus terminal, I found that I would be there for five hours, so I grabbed a
cab and went to The Wall in hopes of speaking with the vets I knew would be there and making
arrangements to drag Jimmie out of the house. It was early morning, around 0100 or so as I
recall, on 29 July 1998 (my anniversary) when I arrived. I was so angry at the cold reception I
got that I sat down right there in the bus terminal and poured my heart out onto the back of a
placemat and when I got to my friends' home in North Carolina, I "blasted the net" with my
anger. I didn't have my own internet access, so I used a family friend's system to email my
words. As a result, they became "stuck in the middle" when a flood of responses began to pour
in. What you see here was posted BY THE AUTHOR, so you don't have to worry about
requesting permission from me to post it. Jimmie, you ARE the Lonewolf I was writing about,
and I pray to God that when you finally face your Wall, it is a warm reunion between yourself
and all the friends I am sure are inside that marble waiting to greet you. Anyway, here's how one
of my many "friends on the net" ran it up his flagpole:
THE WALL IS DESERTED AT NIGHT!!
Vet found Himself Alone at The Wall!
It brings about some thought as to what has happened
to the People that vowed to stand watch.
at the Wall, so that no Vet would
be alone to face their demons.!
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date sent: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 13:16:05 -0400
From: Darrell and Connie, Terry
Send reply to: darcon@gibralter.net
Subject: THE WALL IS DESERTED AT NIGHT!!
Gram and Bill, I went to the wall at 0100 in Wednesday, 29 July, 1998 and found myself to be
the ONLY breathing soul there. The vets that promised to maintain a night vigil when it opened
were all AWOL. The taxi driver who took me there, stopped long enough for me to conduct a
civil visit, and was rewarded for his efforts with a $50 ticket for stopping in a no standing zone.
So much for the respect and serenity I was hoping for, so now I get to voice how I feel
regarding what happened:
The Wall Revisited
Where have all the people gone
That used to stand at night
Who stood the watch upon The Wall
With those who fought the fight?
There used to be so many
I could see each way I'd face
But tonight The Wall was silent
As to memories I paced...
No vets, no tourists, no breathing soul
Was present in my haze
Just me and the driver who got a ticket
As I sobbed alone and traced.
Where are they now those brave young men
Who swore they'd stand so tall
That NEVER would a sobbing vet
Alone come face The Wall?
I'm glad I came alone this night
Because next week you see
I would have drug a friend along
Who's a lot worse off than me.
The Walking Dead are walking still
And will for years, I'm shown
Until they finally face THEIR wall
But they can't go alone.
So stand aware, you vets and friends
The lone wolf comes one night
To face HIS hell so I hope you're back
To stand his six in the fight.
GunBunny
29 July 1998
Bus Terminal, Washington, DC
I sure hope that you can help me find an appropriate place to post this on the
net so maybe someone out there will have a memory jogged. The vets who go there really DO
need a friend when they get there, and the really hurting ones I know have ALWAYS chosen to
go there after dark, away from the eyes of joe-schmuch-the-tourist.
Wanda and Jimmie, I can't think of a more appropriate place to put it than on the homepage
of the vet I wrote it for.
Golden Star
Oh Lord, Why Him, my flesh and blood
He was so young and strong.
To take him in his youthful prime
Oh God, it seems so wrong.
Why couldn't you wait a little while
to let him taste of life
To laugh and sing and be a man
to let him have a wife.
I still remember when he left
So proud with head held high
He felt he could lift up the world
Nothing to hard to try.
The telegram does not say much
but it broke my soul apart.
With great regrets, your son is gone
Cold words to sooth my heart.
Through days and weeks and lonely years
I've missed my only son.
My boy is gone, forever gone
killed in a land so very far.
And now I grieve..Oh God, I grieve
A Mom with a Golden Star.
Bob Prinselaar
