Only last June
He got his diploma
In just a short while
Trainin' in Oklahoma

Learnin' to shoot
To salute, shine a boot
Takin' orders, fixin' mortars
Guardin' our boarders

He was only a boy
But had a man's job to do
Willing to die
For me, for you

Set sail for Vietnam
To help out our nation
Tryin' to put down
The Red infiltration

Fightin' in trenches
Out in drenches and stenches
Shootin' headlong
At a throng of Viet Cong

He was only a boy
But had a man's job to do
Willing to die
Not just for me, but for you

He thought about his folks
He sure missed his girl
As bullets and shells
Around him started to swirl

One ripped through his shirt
Blood spurt, man it hurt
He spun around, fell face down
Head to the ground

He was only a boy
But had a man's job to do
Willing to die
For me, for you

Ah, so his parents got a medal
So his girl got his ring
But to his country he left
One very special thing

He helped people stay free
From the misery of tyranny
Yeah he died without fright
In a fight that he knew was right

He was only a boy
But had a man's job to do
Willing to die
Not just for me, but for you