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Moral Injury 24 X 7 (poem)

By Mike Hastie

An active duty Marine touching the name of a Vietnam veteran on the Oregon Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Portland. When he touched the name, he started to cry

"You" are walking around in circles,

morbidly depressed and withdrawn.

Nothing makes any sense anymore.

But, it never made any sense long before

"You" ever went to war.

It was simply "your" turn to find out the

absolute truth, and finally realize why

countless veterans throughout history

wound up in suicide cemeteries.

"You" never knew about betrayal,

because those who went before

"you" were never allowed to speak.

The public just wants heroes.

They do not want to know the

veteran's mindfield.

The magnitude of "your" illness is equal

to the depth of "your" silence.