Paul Hardcastle - 19

In 1965, Vietnam seemed like
Just another foreign war
But it wasn't, it was
Different in many ways

As so were those
Who did the fighting
In World War II
The average age of the
Combat soldier was twenty-six

In Vietnam, he was nineteen
In Vietnam, he was nineteen
In Vietnam, he was nineteen
In Vietnam, he was nineteen
N-n-n-n-nineteen

The heaviest fighting
Of the past two weeks
Continued today twenty-five
Miles northwest of Saigon

I really wasn't sure
What was going on

N-n-n-n-nineteen, nineteen
N-nineteen, nineteen

In Vietnam, the combat soldier
Typically served a twelve month tour of duty
But was exposed to hostile fire almost everyday

N-n-n-n-nineteen
N-n-n-n-nineteen

In Saigon, a US miltary spokesman
Said today, more than 720 troops
Were killed last week in
That sensitive border area
In all of South Vietnam
The enemy lost a total of
2,689 soldiers

All those who remember the war
They won't forget what they've seen
Destruction of men in their prime
Whose average was nineteen

D-d-d-d-d-destruction
D-d-d-d-d-destruction

According to a Veteran's Administration study
Half of the Vietnam combat veterans suffered
From what psychiatrists call
Post traumatic stress disorder
Many vets complain of alienation, rage, or guilt
Some succumb to suicidal thoughts
Eight to ten years after coming home
Almost eight-hundred-thousand men
Are still fighting the Vietnam War

None of them received
A hero's welcome

S-s-s-s-s-Saigon
Nineteen, s-s-s-s-Saigon
N-n-n-n-n-ninteen