If you were to go to the D.C. capital,

You just might see the Vietnam memorial.

There are thousands of names on that wall,

Names of those who were killed in the midst of battle.

But there is one soldier’s name you will not find,

Come closer and I will tell you why.

Sam was a soldier, smart, fast, and handsome was he,

He was shipped off to war in nineteen sixty-three.

He was given a regiment, a number, and a partner,

He survived for years because he was a quick learner.

But one day near the end of the war,

Something happened that shook his world to the core.

He was making rounds with his partner Jim,

Who, if not for Sam, would’ve lost a limb.

Sam sensed danger and dragged Jim to the ground,

To stop him from stepping on a trip wire that he wouldn’t have found.

At first Jim was angry with Sam for causing such strife,

But that was before he realized Sam had saved his life.

The alarm was called and a battle pursued,

Luckily it was the enemy’s turn to lose.

From that day on, between Sam and Jim there was new respect,

Saving someone’s life can have that effect.

For the rest of the war they stuck together,

Even when it seemed to go on forever.

The time to go home finally came,

And Sam and Jim each left for their own planes,

Knowing they’d see the other when down from the air.

However, when Jim arrived home Sam was not there.

Jim looked and looked, then asked around.

How was it that his friend had not arrived safe and sound?

When he found someone who answered him, the man had something to correct,

Not only had Sam not arrived, he had never left!

Just like all the other four-footed fighters,

Sam had been deemed “disposable” by superior officers.

Jim would soon find out that Sam was not alone,

Of the thousands of stationed canines, only two hundred came home.

His name isn’t on a memorial or plaque,

Although he served bravely and never came back.

For his deeds he earned not a medal or an honor,

Even though without him many would’ve been goners.

The details of his fate we cannot know,

He could’ve been euthanized or left on his own.

Now you know the tale of the soldier called Sam,

Who was left behind in a war-torn Vietnam.

No one will know what became of him,

For as hard as he tried, his friend Jim,

Could not bring him home as he sought.

So to many, Sam’s story is now forgot.