Posted on 05/24/2025 10:45:54 AM PDT by DallasBiff
Timothy P Irvin, of Flash Cadillac and Timothy P and Rural Route 3, performing his song After The War with Jim Salestrom. Tim performed this song at the Viet Nam War Memorial in Washington DC live on CNN. Many dignitaries were present in the audience including President Clinton and Colen Powell
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
I am a late boomer, never had to worry about the draft, God Bless the veterans who did serve and died in Vietnam on this Memorial day weekend.
My name is Billy Johnson, Indiana’s my state
I turned twenty-one back in ‘68
Drafted into the Army, sent to Fort Leonard Wood
When I left my hometown, I prayed it wasn’t for good
His name was Hector Gonzales from San Jose’
We got stuck with KP the very first day
After peelin’ potatoes for hours on end
Hector and I were the closest of friends
When they put us on a troop jet and flew us to Nam
Some guy stood up in the back and read the 23rd Psalm
We talked about walkin’ through that valley of death
I said, “Hector, I’m scared.” He said, “Just take a deep breath”
When we got off the plane and our assignments came in
I got sent to Pleiku, he got sent to Long Binh
He hugged me goodbye, and turned around at the door
He said, “Don’t forget to look me up, after the war.”
About three months later, he wrote me a letter
Sayin’ some days are rough, some days are better.
And a kid named Gallardo we knew from basic training
Was missing in action up north
By the way, I meant what I said before
Don’t forget to look me up after the war
I was out on patrol in the spring of ‘69
Stepped on a trip wire, took some schrapnel from a mine
Spent the rest of my tour in a hospital bed
With a pin in my leg and a plate in my head
On the plane ride home I thought of all I’d been through
I’d lived nine lives and I was just 22
I thought about Hector and what I’d promised before
And I planned to look him up right after the war
Twenty-one years later in Washington, DC
I was there on vacation with my family
I went out to the park to see that Wall
And face up to a past I didn’t want to recall
First I looked for that guy that Hector wrote me about
But he wasn’t on the list...I guess he lucked out
Then my eye caught a name at the top of the page
Corporal Hector Gonzales, twenty-one years of age
My throat got tight, my mouth went dry
I looked up at that Wall and I started to cry
And the memories hit me like incoming fire
From a time when we were so young
And Hector waved good-bye from the door
And said, “Don’t forget to look me up after the war.”
I lay awake some nights, I can still hear the guns
I can still hear the screams, I can still taste the blood
And I can still see Hector waving good-bye from the door
Sayin’ “Don’t forget to look me up after the war.”
Clinton’s despicable letter to the draft board.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/clinton/etc/draftletter.html
I’ve known Tim for 47 years, great showman (hysterical comedy man) but very serious here with this beautiful song. We were in ‘Every Which Way But Loose’ together, his band backed Sondra Locke, mine backed Charlie Rich (another crazy character!).
Flash Cadillac played their final concert not long ago, the era of an era.
This video is in the growing Rumble catalog to watch and share for those of you that want
To avoid using Trump hating Woke Google products
Timothy P Irvin Performing “After The War” Live on CNN
https://rumble.com/v6ttj0z-timothy-p-irvin-performing-after-the-war-live-on-cnn.html
The great Dallas radio talk show host Mark Davis was in DC in 1993 for this event and recorded the song. He plays it every Friday before Memorial Day on his show. I get Mark’s podcast and always stop what I’m doing to listen carefully.
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