Adrian served in the Marine Corps from 1966 to 1972, which included a tour in Vietnam. While in Vietnam, there were always stories about action in the field. One story was of a patrol that went out from Chu Lai, the base where he was stationed, and never came back. When he returned from his tour, Adrian decided to write about this particular story. He opted to do so as a poem. The characters and the situation are fictional, but could take place in any area of combat and in any war.