Angels Came at Dawn

[Lynn]

While written about a different war and a different time, Alice in Chains' "Here Comes the Rooster" song, once explained, is pretty powerful. I am not a huge fan of the group, but this song has taken on new meaning to me, especially considering Rocky was a gunner in a Howitzer toward the end of his deployment in Bagdad. Before that, for the previous 12 months? He was the sharp shooter doing guard duty at makeshift hospitals. His eyesight is probably around 20 12 or so (or was back then). I had 20 15 up until I turned 70 and he thinks I am blind.
Here is the back story on the song:
https://www.tiktok.com/@coldhouse.st...879969?lang=en
And the official video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAE6Il6OTcs

DON'T watch the second video if you have a weak stomach.

[Too Many Projects]

I didn't get to go to Vietnam either, Lynn. Drafted in the '71 lottery, I failed the induction physical and was declared medically unfit from a total high frequency hearing loss from near fatal infantile pneumonia. One of my fathers many gifts in my life. My best friend since 6th grade, Mike, and a mutual friend, Greg, enlisted on the buddy system, as their numbers had been drawn low enough to be drafted too. They went thru basic and then were sent to helicopter repair/maintenance training. Once sent to SV, they were split up, for some reason. Greg stayed on the south end near Saigon and no danger, but Mike was near the DMZ for his tour. At one point near the middle of his tour he sent me a letter that he had been approached to be trained as a nose gunner on a Cobra, as they were short on personnel for that position. He never mentioned anything about a rooster, but after he looked into it and was told the same thing, the average life span of the nose gunner, under actual combat, was about 10 seconds, as that was were the first VC sniper and machine gun rounds were aimed, he declined. He did get to witness many of the severely wounded being brought back to the hospital at that base and only told me about some of that a couple times. Until I heard his stories, I felt like I had missed out on something but after that, I was glad I did.
Knowing Rocky was in a similar situation in the middle East is very meaningful that he made it back safely.