Arc Strike | Echoes of VNM | Late 50s to 70s VNM | VNM Rock & Folk

SOG teams ran the border trails into Laos and Cambodia. When they found the truck parks and the supply points they called the grid. Sometimes it meant Arc Light. B-52s on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. They pulled back. The bombs fell. Later they went in to count what was left. They sat on the ridge with the map and the set. The trail ran below them. The trucks hadn’t quit yet. They keyed the handset, gave the grid and the time, then pulled back a bit and waited in line. The first one came in like the sky had a hold. The second followed and finished the show. The trees disappeared and the trail went to dust. The radio man said that ought to do it. They walked back at dawn through the smoke and the rain, counted the craters, and didn’t complain. The trucks that were there weren’t there anymore. The point man just nodded and asked for the score. This is an Arc Light bar song in the same pocket as the others. Acoustic under a low pulse, a chorus that keeps the glory simple, and the plain fact that the B-52s are inbound. It sits with the rest of the set as one more name that still gets said when the lights are low—the trail went to dust, the trucks were gone, and they’ll call them again in the morning. Hashtags: Hash: #ArcLight #B52 #SOG #HoChiMinhTrail #Vietnam #QuartermainRiffs #MilitaryMusic #DickJonas #BarSong Lyrics Verse 1 SOG teams ran the border trails into Laos and Cambodia. When they found the truck parks and the supply points, they called the grid. Sometimes it meant Arc Light. B-52s on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. They pulled back, the bombs fell, and later they went in to count what was left. Verse 2 We sat on the ridge with the map and the set. The trail ran below us, the trucks hadn’t quit yet. I keyed the handset and gave them the grid and the time, then we pulled back a bit and we waited in line. Chorus Glory, glory to the arc strike, glory, glory to the arc strike, glory, glory to the arc strike, the B-52s are inbound. Verse 3 The first one came in like the sky had a hold. The second one followed and finished the show. The trees disappeared and the trail went to dust, and the radio man said, “Well, that ought to do it, I trust.” Chorus Glory, glory to the arc strike, glory, glory to the arc strike, glory, glory to the arc strike, the B-52s are inbound. Verse 4 We walked back at dawn through the smoke and the rain, counted the craters and didn’t complain. The trucks that were there weren’t there anymore, and the point man just nodded and asked for the score. Chorus Glory, glory to the arc strike, glory, glory to the arc strike, glory, glory to the arc strike, the B-52s are inbound. Outro Glory, glory to the arc strike, glory, glory to the arc strike, glory, glory to the arc strike, we’ll call them again in the morning.