Call for the Ammo Humpers (a Poem for the Unsung Heroes of War)

In every war, there are what you call Ammo Humpers, those young men who carry the ammo, bullets and those heavy shells, artillery shells, to the front lines, be it by hand, or machine, or whatever, but up to and beyond the Vietnam War, in all previous wars there were Ammo Humpers who humped the ammo, the shells needed to the fighting men, to use for artillery, the unknown, and often the unsung heroes of the day, the unknown labor behind the fighting men who were on the front lines also, the Ammo Humpers were right behind them every minute of every battle ever fought.


Call for the Ammo Humpers

Under fire they run, deliver, if need
fight, hump ammo to the frontlines
save life’s—deliver ammo to the
shooter. They are known a the knights
of the war, although these unsung heroes:
bring the artillery shells to the tanks,
the bullets to the gunner, its all pure
powered gold, with fuses and primers,
that explode; a well trained soldier is
worthless without good a Ammo Humpers
near to close by: engagements can last
a minute or perhaps hours, days—
surrounded, entrenched, overlooking
tanks, and trucks and invisible foes,
while dodging grenades, and fighting
men in foxholes, in and around the
perimeters, and the Ammo Humpers
run from twilight to daybreak, push
on, and on, and on, until their youthful
eardrums become dumb; yet the gunfire,
the explosives go on, and on, and on;
the young unsung heroes the
Ammo Humpers behind mortar fire,
and chaos, under full force attacks,
ground assaults—go on, and on,
even though the air is thick with smoke,
even though it chokes, and chokes
and chokes, he goes on, and on;
dodging machine gun fire, infantry
phones, that are calling in for more
Ammo Humpers to run, run, run the
ammo in, for them to kill, kill the foe.
Then they pull back regroup, tell the
Ammo Humpers the ones left (for one
dies out of very two), tell the Ammo
Humpers the second attack is coming,
Soon. By dawn it will be over, and the
outcome fair, the enemy dead, men
wounded … the sky no longer blue,
and this is just one battle of countless
— now everyone listens to hear if new
incoming is coming, and how close
will it be, eyes in the sky, observing…
laugh quietly if you can, before you
protest, try to get some sleep, and
you start to think ‘Why would anyone
want this sorry war, to go on, and on
and on, now the moisture evaporates
all around you, the glare of the sun comes,
now were veterans (you whisper) rest,
dig in, light a cigarette, it doesn’t matter
they know we’re here. They’re coming,
and the Ammo Humpers are ready,
I see them from here, let them come,
I hope before darkness, “Watch out,
shrapnel…watch overhead! Where’s
the Ammo Humper Charlie?’ —
‘He’s dead!’)…

No: 2406 ((6-21-2008) (A tribute to the Ammo Humpers, of all those past wars: Civil War, Spanish American, WWI, WWI, Korea, Iraq, and those going on at this moment, especially in Afghanistan, and Iraqi)