Story Behind The Song
The song could well apply to wounded warriors returning from Iraq or Afghanistan, though it was written about a Marine rifleman casualty of the Vietnam War. This statement is especially true regarding the chorus.
Within a year of returning from Vietnam, I heard from my brother, Jimmy, that a young man from Petal, Mississippi had lost his legs in Vietnam. I didn't know when it occurred, or what had happened to the young man whom my brother, Jimmy, had coached in high school football. Years later, I learned that he had been shot in the back during his first firefight. The back shot, from a spider hole hiding Vietnamese soldier, severed the young man's spinal cord, causing loss use of his legs.
I never changed the lyrics because I felt the story portrayed heroic deeds that were unselfishly displayed during that war. Eventually, after many years, I provided the young man, Danny Riels, a copy of the poem. Sadly, Danny passed away several years ago.
A shame of that war was the terrible way troops were treated upon return from the war zone, and the anemic amount of medical and mental attention provided to them; especially, due to the lies about how Agent Orange could not have harmed so many of the returnees. Now a well-known fact, but only after many years of fighting the assertion finally ushered forth the truth.
For more regarding the story, click on the following link. Or cut and paste it to your Brouser address box.:
http://books.google.com/books?id=U9m_tZNXZRAC&pg=
PA110&dq=Danny+Riels+Mississippi&hl=en&sa=X&ei=
HlXuTqLuHIyJtwfBtdiwCg&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAA#v=
onepage&q=Danny%20Riels%20Mississippi&f=false .
Referenced Book: Landing Zones (Southern Veterans Remember Vietnam) by James R. Wilson
Published: 1990, Duke University Press
Page 110, George D. Riels, Marine rifleman, 1967-68, who hailed from the Sunrise Community, Forrest County, Mississippi.
Song Description
A song which spells out the acts of a hero in a war action.
| Song Length |
3:36 |
Genre |
Country - General, Folk - Country |
| Tempo |
Medium (111 - 130) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Serene, Poignant |
Subject |
Hero, Patriotic |
| Similar Artists |
Toby Keith, Alan Jackson |
Language |
English |
| Era |
1970 - 1979 |
| |
Lyrics
Tell Him Thanks!
The whistle blows, the fans all rise,
to watch the ball sail through the skies.
But here I sit, no way to stand. Lost my legs in a foreign land.
Not long ago, I was dressed to play. Was a fair ballplayer, so some folks say.
When my country called, I did not hide, for I had been reared with a hard, fierce pride.
Was a rainy day, we were on patrol,stumblin' through the fields, unaware of the hole.
When up they rose, began to fire.
Dropped five good men in that stinkin' mire.
Just want your thanks, no pity want I.
For I like to think I kept the flag up high.
Next time you see a buddy like me,tell him thanks, and ease his agony.
My Sergeant was hit; was bleedin' bad. Lyin' in the open; his clothes blood-clad.
Decided to help drag him from an incline.
Made a mistake, tripped an awful mine.
Just want your thanks, no pity want I.
For I like to think I kept the flag up high.
Next time you see a buddy like me,tell him thanks, and ease his agony.
Yes, next time you see a buddy like me,tell him thanks, and ease his agony.
Copyright, 1973
Eugene G. Gatwood
Captain, USAF