MY DOPPELGANGER IS DEAD

Milton Ehrlich,
Brigadier General:
General JB to the brass,
Jew Boy is down.

A flag flutters,
taps pierces the air,
a twenty-one gun salute.

He never fled from a fire-fight,
and was always ready
to save his fellow man.

His wife clings to his Medal of Honor,
Distinguished Service Cross,
Purple Heart.

Our paths must have crossed when I beat
a hasty retreat, Chinese bullets snapping at my feet
at the surprise assault at the Yalu River.

I ran for my life from the phalanx of “burp” guns
in the dying light of day on 1 November, 1950
blaring bugles deafened my ears.

The General who gave the order
to retreat had my name:
Private First Class
Milton Ehrlich