by Steve Hassett
The Hessian in his last letter home said in part
"they are all rebels here
who will not stand to fight
but each time fade before us
as water into sand...
the children beg in their rude hamlets
the women stare with hate
the men flee into the barrens at our approach
to lay in ambush
some talk of desertion...
were it not for the hatred
they bear us, more would do so
There is no glory here
Tell Hals he must evade the Prince's levy
through exile or deformity
Winter is hard upon us.
On the morrow we enter Trenton.
There we rest until the New Year..."
by W.D. Ehrhart
It's practically impossible
to tell civilians
from the Vietcong.
Nobody wears uniforms.
They all talk
the same language
(and you couldn't understand them
even if they didn't).
They tape grenades
inside their clothes,
and carry satchel charges
in their market baskets.
Even their women fight.
And young boys,
and girls.
It's practically impossible
to tell civilians
from the Vietcong;
after awhile,
you quit trying.
(Reproduced from Beautiful Wreckage: New & Selected Poems
by W. D. Ehrhart, Northampton, MA: Adastra Press, 1999.)
Compare and Contrast the American Revolution and Vietnam War
| American Revolution | Vietnam War | |
| Date of Conflict |
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| Reasons for Conflict |
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| Climate Conditions |
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Fighting Styles of:
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| Results of Conflict |
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