"Hot LZ"
By
L. Hunter

The sea of green rice begins to draw near,
As the adrenaline rush replaces the fear.
The tree line explodes with incoming rounds,
I flare the ship and the skids touch the ground.

The grunts quickly jump off, heading for cover,
As I pull in pitch and come to a hover.
Nosing hard over and out Hell’s back door,
Returning to base for some more JP4.

The crew on the intercom calls an “all clear,”
And I promise to buy each one a cold beer.
Their bravery and loyalty I'll always admire,
Another great job suppressing enemy fire.
The crew stood exposed, putting all on the line,
In defense of the grunts, their own lives, and mine.
We got ourselves out of another hot spot,
With those M-60 guns, and God helped a lot.

I glance over my shoulder at my crew chief,
He leans back and smiles with a sense of relief.
But we know in our hearts this will again be repeated,
And we pray once again that death will be cheated.