Van of Valor

(Verse 1)

Rotor blades thunder, dust devils rise

Huey skims low through the morning skies

M16 pressed tight to my chest

Green hell below, no time to rest

Drafted to Germany, baseball and beer

But my brothers were dying, I couldn’t stay here

Volunteered three times till they let me go

Where the jungle’s thick and the stakes are low

(Chorus)

In the hunter-killer sky

We drop where the eagles fly

Bullets snap, rockets flare

Blood and brotherhood in the air

When the wounded call my name

I’ll crawl back into the flame

For the men who fight beside

In the hunter-killer sky

(Verse 2)

An Loc Valley, sixty-seven

Rocky defile, a bastard heaven

Ambush erupted, two men trapped

Three went down, their courage mapped

I left my cover, crawled through hell

Bullets sparking where I fell

Pulled ’em back, one by one

Squad leader killed, but not undone

Took command, went in alone

Cleared those rocks, brought terror home

(Chorus)

In the hunter-killer sky

We drop where the eagles fly

Bullets snap, rockets flare

Blood and brotherhood in the air

When the wounded call my name

I’ll crawl back into the flame

For the men who fight beside

In the hunter-killer sky

(Bridge)

Duc Pho, May twenty-seven

Reinforced VC, a walk to heaven

Perimeter tight, ammo low

Water’s gone, nowhere to go

Huey comes in with our resupply

Takes a hit, starts falling from the sky

Downed crew trapped in burning wreck

Nobody’s fault if I don’t go back

(Guitar Solo)

(Screaming, bending notes like rotor blades)

(Verse 3)

But I ran anyway, through the fire

Enough rage to lift me higher

Pulled the pilot from the flame

Carried him out, called his name

Two Silver Stars for crawling through hell

Three Purple Hearts where the shrapnel fell

Could’ve gone home, could’ve stayed back

But the hunter-killer doesn’t crack

(Final Chorus)

In the hunter-killer sky

We drop where the eagles fly

Bullets snap, rockets flare

Blood and brotherhood in the air

When the wounded call my name

I’ll crawl back into the flame

For the men who fight beside

In the hunter-killer sky

(Outro)

Whites spot ’em low

Reds make ’em bleed

Blues go in where the angels fear to tread

McAlpine’s choice echoes still

Through An Loc Valley, through Duc Pho hill

Just another Tuesday in the sky

Hunter-killer… never say goodbye

(Fade with helicopter rotor effect)