NO DEROS FOR TOM BLISS

 

NO DEROS* FOR TOM BLISS

The vet in the Vietnam cap

at the pharmacy waiting for his Covid shot

has a big personality,

I’m married, he tells the pharmacist,

I’m happily single

she shoots back

and I’m paying attention now

now I’m holding up

the line talking to the young

Vietnamese woman

pushing needles

in both arms

Who’s still there from your family

Have you been back

and coming out of the room

we’re on each other now

the medic from the MASH hospital

at Phu Bai

during Tet

we took those kids from him

 at the 85^th Evac in Qui Nhon

sent them home

he wants my rank and MOS

71G40, hard stripes,

the only one among MSC,

but you’re not the only one

the SP5 married man

from Phu Bai and An Khe

says then,

Why aren’t you at the VA

he asked three times

like a shot pattern

My buddy Tom Bliss

had hard stripes

zipping up body bags

he zips those bags everyday

wears those stripes to bed

no DEROS

for Tom Bliss

*DEROS refers to estimated day of return from overseas

MOS refers to Military Occupation Specialty

MSC refers to Medical Service Corps

TET refers to Vietnamese new year as celebrated during the first seven days

of the first lunar month of the year

TET OFFENSIVE refers to 1968. Google 1968.

Jim Bodeen

29 October 2023