Kenneth Edward Leonard

Specialist Four
B CO, 5TH BN, 12TH INF RGT, 199 INF BDE
Army of the United States
11 August 1949 - 15 September 1969
Havertown, Pennsylvania
Panel 18W Line 089

199 INF BDE

12TH INF RGT
Kenneth E Leonard

Combat Infantry

Purple Heart, National Defense, Vietnam Service, Vietnam Campaign

The database page for Kenneth Edward Leonard

13 Jun 2002

DEAD SOLDIERS
(AT THE WALL WITH KENNY LEONARD)


So many dead soldiers taken young,
spirits, contrails of their short lives
loom on the wall around you.

Your young face has not changed,
layered sweat and dirt of Nam
like at Tigerland, look familiar to me.

I reach out to touch you,
and am moved by the spirits that surround you,
in this, their final formation,
I feel the eddy of souls, cheated, unfulfilled,
wanting their life that never was.

I want to grasp your hand, and find out more
about Vietnam, the hell that I was spared,
and reminisce about Fort Polk and how we felt
at 19, training to kill other human beings.

I visit you every time I get to DC
and think of you every time
I hear the National Anthem,
and most of all, pray God
I can ever understand,
Duty, Honor, Country.
© Don Lopez

Please visit my complete
TRIBUTE TO KENNETH EDWARD LEONARD

Visit the
Imjin Scouts - Korean DMZ

From an Army friend,
Don Lopez
lopedon@isu.edu

03 May 2005

Just thinking of you, Kenny, and hoping that you're resting in peace.

From a friend,
Betty Kane
E-mail address is not available.





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With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Last updated 08/10/2009