Away in the Mangroves - Poem

The next poem was written after water borne operations on the Rung Sat. They were conducted in aluminium assault boats crewed by Australian engineers and manned by a section (7 or 8 men) of infantry per boat. We were looking for boats carrying Viet Cong or weapons and food for the Viet Cong and ambushing likely channels from the mangrove swamps. We didn't sink anything and we didn't sink, although 2 Platoon lost a boat, radio machine gun and the platoon commander was forever known as the 'admiral'.

Away in the Mangroves

Away in the mangroves, no dry for a bed
The wet 1 platoon lay down its wet head
The rain is a hosing, the sentry awakes
And rouses his mate with two mighty shakes

The river is rising the sentries retreat
And trample the gun ‘neath their clumsy feet
The link is all rusty, the gun doesn't work
While all around us huge mossies lurk

Now the mossies are biting, and no mossie juice
The skins of the sentries get beaucoup abuse
Old Snoop with his light looked down where they lay
Poor sods asleep in the mud and the clay

Now dawn is approaching, the tide's going out
When the boss awakens and lets out a shout
"STAND BLOODY TOO"
YAWN

Peter M. Anderson 310415
Whisky Three 1RNZIR
6 & 2RAR ANZAC BNs
Viet Nam 1969-70

Read more about my Viet Nam experience here.

Copyright Peter M. Anderson. Not to be published or reproduced without the permission of the copyright holder.