A Cry For Mercy In The Night

This is a chronicle, in verse, of my personal journey to, during, and after serving in a Dustoff unit in Vietnam. Dustoff units provided front-line medical evacuation of the wounded from the battlefield to the field hospital in unarmed, fragile, flammable UH-1H helicopters. Our ships drew enemy fire at a rate seven times higher than any other aircraft flying in the combat zone and our crews suffered casualties of one in three completing these missions of mercy. The dedication, courage, and personal cost of this endeavor to the men of these units have been both grievous and inspiring. I was privileged to have served in country with these men for twenty-two months and twenty days and was blessed with the opportunity to memorialize their actions.