Once I Was A Soldier…

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Roger Young

Silver Spurs in Vietnam:

For Operation Iraqi Freedom & Operation Enduring Freedom:

The song, “Once I Was” by Tim Buckley is available as a MP3 download from Amazon.com

Lyrics:
Once I was a soldier
And I fought on foreign sands for you
Once I was a hunter
And I brought home fresh meat for you
Once I was a lover
And I searched behind your eyes for you
And soon there’ll be another
To tell you I was just a lie
And sometimes I wonder
Just for a while
Will you remember me
And though you have forgotten
All of our rubbish dreams
I find myself searching
Through the ashes of our ruins
For the days when we smiled
And the hours that ran wild
With the magic of our eyes
And the silence of our words
And sometimes I wonder
Just for a while
Will you remember me
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About Roger Young

Roger "Bear" Young served with the Silver Spurs as a Scout crew chief and Line Chief from Dec '69 through Nov '70. Upon his return to the "world" he served at Hunter AAF as a Cobra Periodic Inspection team leader. He founded the Spur website in Sept 1997.
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12 Responses to Once I Was A Soldier…

  1. Charlie E Helms says:
    May 20, 2011 at 12:20 pm

    It takes a lot of people to live this stuff, but only takes one great guy to put it all together. Thank you so much Bear!!! I’m so proud to have been a small part of this unit in the scout platoon. I will carry my experiences and thoughts of this unit to my grave.

    • Bear says:
      May 20, 2011 at 12:25 pm

      Thanks Charlie. The slideshow wouldn’t be possible without all the Spurs who have shared their pictures with me. This song is pretty haunting and was featured in “Coming Home” in ’78.

  2. Pat Ramsey Spur 29 says:
    May 20, 2011 at 3:54 pm

    Great and it brings back many memories Thank You

  3. Henry Brown says:
    May 21, 2011 at 12:24 am

    THANKS TO ALL THIS MEMORIAL DAY GOD BLESS

  4. Charles Stutzman says:
    May 21, 2011 at 9:16 am

    Thanks for the dedication of time to assemble this work of Brotherly Love. It Brings back memories of the most intense part of my life. The time I spent as a Silver Spur Trooper definitely formed my inner self and how I view the life and the things that really matter!

    Spur 13
    Class of ’69

    • Bear says:
      May 21, 2011 at 3:27 pm

      Charles,

      Thanks for all you do maintaining our Spur membership roster. It is a tedious and thankless endeavor, but we all appreciate your dedication!

  5. J. Waldo Pepper says:
    May 26, 2011 at 8:28 am

    Bear my brother, your mission on earth wasn’t in the fields of Vietnam but serving your brothers who have suffered so many trials since coming home to an ungrateful nation. Your web and blog has been a source of great memories, comfort and tribute to all the Spurs past and present.

    You and I shall always be brothers to the end of our days. I will stand the line with you always through thick and thin. I am blessed by God to have served with the Spurs. The only decent unit I served in from Ft. Rucker to the National Guard. Thank you bro.

    • Bear says:
      May 26, 2011 at 11:24 am

      Waldo, you are too kind my brother. Our website and blog is truly a combined effort from the contributions of many Spurs -- including yourself -- that have honored our fallen brothers and hopefully have brought a sense of pride in our service with the Spurs during the war.

      God Bless!

  6. SFC Michelle Shaw says:
    May 31, 2011 at 11:44 am

    Our society don’t realize what our Soldiers went thru back then. A few will only tell what they went thru and to endour hardship during the War. Your song will inspire those to understand what our Soldiers had to go thru to survive. Thank You. I to joined end of Vietnam and saw what Soldiers had to deal with when they came home. Sad the way society treated our Soldiers that got called to War. Today we are well recognized and honored and thank you for our job protecting our country. I joined in 1975 and yes still serving our country in the United States Army Reserve and have been mobilized going on 3rd time. I am proud to serve my country. Thank You for your inspiration and your song. Also Thank You All for Serving our Country.

    • Bear says:
      May 31, 2011 at 4:05 pm

      Michelle,

      Thank YOU for your many years of service to our country, and for taking the time to post a message. God Speed to all of you serving today and may the good Lord look after all of you when deployed so that you can return home safe & sound.

  7. Frank Irvin II, Spur Door Gunner says:
    June 3, 2011 at 10:34 pm

    This is a great piece of work. Your contributions to the Cav can never be described. We love you man.

  8. Pat Ramsey Spur 29 says:
    June 4, 2011 at 3:38 am

    As a recent victim of the war thru Agent Orange the music of that song “Once I was A Soldier” has a bitter sweet message and is extremely powerful once you listen to the words. A a victim of Agent Orange I use this song in a message to reach out to other AO victims thru the and with the help of others like the Michael J Fox, Team Fox organization fighting Parkinsons. Which will host our third golf tourney in Sioux Falls, SD this July 8. Thank you and others for the support many of us older vets now face and also current vets remember we are not alone When you know the end is coming you look at things much more and remember the good but remember there is more to do.

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