ITEMS LEFT AT THE WALL

Printed poem dedicated to U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal (LCpl) Robert Lee Shaffer. The poem is entitled, "THE LESSON", is authored by, "Jim Packer", and is dated, "December 19, 1985". In content, Mr. Packer compares the errors of Vietnam with the contemporaneous American involvement in the conflict in El Salvador, and concludes his work with the lines, "Don't use our troops. Let's use that dupe. / We aim the guns but he must shoot. / So it happened again with a flick of the hand. / Can this be the lesson of Viet Nam?" A handwritten inscription upon the poem addressed, "To Robert Lee Shaffer / 36E 86" reads, "Bobby - / They will never learn - / Your last Christmas - on the DMC - we put in that minefield at A-3 under artillery fire. / Those were the good times. / Feb 2 was the end for us all. / Forget Nam? / Never / Jim". The artifact was left at Panel 36E of The Wall by U.S. Marine Corps and Vietnam veteran Jim Packer in October 1986.

PRINTED POEM DEDICATED TO U.S. MARINE CORPS LANCE CORPORAL (LCPL) ROBERT LEE SHAFFER. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A POEM PRINTED IN BLACK INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS UPON THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED SHEET OF WHITE, UNLINED, LETTER-SIZED PAPER. THE POEM IS ENTITLED, "THE LESSON", IS AUTHORED BY, "JIM PACKER", IS DATED, "DECEMBER 19, 1985", AND IS COMPRISED OF SIX (6) STANZAS AND TWENTY-FOUR (24) TOTAL LINES. IN CONTENT, THE FIRST (1ST) STANZA OF THE POEM OPENS WITH THE AUTHOR'S DISINTERESTED RECOLLECTION OF CHRISTMAS DAY 1967 ON THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE (DMZ) AS SIX (6) VIET CONG (VC), "[...] WAVE AT ME AS THEY STRUT ACROSS THE "Z" ". THE SECOND (2ND) STANZA OF THE POEM FINDS THE AUTHOR STILL ALIVE DURING CHRISTMAS 1985 AND ASKING THE QUESTION, "[...] WHAT DOES MY COUNTRY HAVE IN STORE FOR ME? / AND MY PROGENY?" THE THIRD (3RD) STANZA OF THE POEM REFERS TO THE CONTEMPORANEOUS WAR IN CENTRAL AMERICA (EL SALVADOR), AND SPEAKS OF THE MATERIAL COST OF THIS ENGAGEMENT AS WELL AS THE LACK OF REPORTING ON THE CONFLICT BY THE PRESS SINCE, "THE PUBLIC [IS] UNCOMFORTABLE IF WE SPOTLIGHT THIS SHOW." THE FOURTH (4TH) STANZA OF THE POEM DESCRIBES THE BOMBING AND HUMAN COSTS OF THE WAR IN EL SALVADOR ("50,000 DEAD"), WHILE SARDONICALLY ACKNOWLEDGING THAT, "NO BODY BAGS COMING HOME TO ME. / NO BODY BAGS FOR ME TO SEE." THE FIFTH (5TH) STANZA OF THE POEM CHARACTERIZES THE AMERICAN REACTION TO THE EL SALVADORIAN CONFLICT, PARTICULARLY IN THE LINES, "[...] STOMACHS TURNED. / WE CANNOT BEAR TO SEE THIS ANYMORE. / SO WE WON'T HAVE TO FEEL THIS ANYMORE." THE SIXTH (6TH) AND FINAL STANZA OF THE POEM OFFERS THE PLEA, "DON'T USE OUR TROOPS", WITH THE AUTHOR REACHING THE BITTER CONCLUSION, "SO IT HAPPENED AGAIN WITH A FLICK OF THE HAND. / CAN THIS BE THE LESSON OF VIET NAM?" AT THE LOWER, PROPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE AN INSCRIPTION HANDWRITTEN IN BLACK INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS IS ADDRESSED, "TO ROBERT LEE SHAFFER / 36E 86", IS SIGNED, "JIM [PACKER]", AND READS, "BOBBY- / THEY WILL NEVER LEARN - / YOUR LAST CHRISTMAS - ON THE DMC - WE PUT IN THAT MINEFIELD AT A-3 UNDER ARTILLERY FIRE. / THOSE WERE THE GOOD TIMES. / FEB 2 WAS THE END FOR US ALL. / FORGET NAM? / NEVER".

Text of the printed & handwritten inscriptions upon the obverse object surface is transcribed in full, as follows: [Obverse object surface, printed inscriptions] "THE LESSON / 1967. Christmas Day. Carols blare from the loudspeakers in the air. / Six VC wave at me as they strut across the "Z". / I somehow just don't care. / Christmas '85. Still alive. / So now what does my country have in store for me? / And my progeny? / El Salvador. This is our war. / $1.5 million each day to make it go. / Silence by the press. Father knows best. / The public uncomfortable if we spotlight this show. / Tons of bombs. Keeping the people calm. / Half the country forced to flee. / 50,000 dead. It ain't on my head. / No body bags coming home to me. / No body bags for me to see. / After action report. Lessons learned. / Folks identify with the boys next door. / Bloody hell. Stomachs turned. / We cannot bear to see this anymore. / So we won't have to feel this anymore. / Don't use our troops. Let's use that dupe. / We aim the guns but he must shoot. / So it happened again with a flick of the hand. / Can this be the lesson of Viet Nam? / Jim Packer / December 19, 1985" / [Obverse object surface, lower, proper right-hand corner, handwritten inscriptions] "To Robert Lee Shaffer / 36E 86 / Bobby - / They will never learn - / Your last Christmas - on the DMC - we put in that minefield at A-3 under artillery fire. / Those were the good times. / Feb 2 was the end for us all. / Forget Nam? / Never / Jim"

Item Weight: 4.6g
Item Length: 27.9cm
Item Width: 21.6cm