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WHY DID JOHNNY DIE
(For J.W.W., who was the Australian flag-bearer at the Chicago Vietnam Veterans Welcome
Home Parade in 1986, and worked as hard as anybody to ensure Australian veterans were given a similar welcome home, only to
take his own life just weeks before the achievement of his dream)
We've come a long way in recent times,
The dark years have passed us by;
We seemed to be going ahead with our lives
So why did Johnny die?
He
won his fight with the bureaucrats
When they made him a T.P.I.;
For him the war should have been over
So why
did Johnny die?
You should have seen him in Chicago
Marching with head held high;
So full of pride you'd
have thought he'd burst
So why did Johnny die?
He carried the flag of the Southern Cross
Aloft in the
northern sky;
It looked like the start of a brand new life
So why did Johnny die?
He stood up on stage
just to say "G'day"
It sounded so dinky-di;
And a hundred thousand Americans cheered
So why did Johnny
die?
He dreamed of an Aussie Welcome Home
For his mates he'd give it a try;
And at last that dream was
coming true
So why did Johnny die?
If you long for the day when we all come home,
When no more mothers
will cry;
You may find the solution if you can explain
Why Johnny had to die.
Lachlan
Irvine
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