From BLOOD CHITS
Mark Yakich
This poem is from a series titled “Blood Chits,” from the poetry collection The Dangerous Book of Poetry for Planes (Eyewear, 2017).
A “blood chit” is a small card carried by military pilots and crew. The card asks foreign civilians for assistance, and the U.S. government promises to compensate anyone who helps an American service member to survive, evade, resist, or escape hostile territory and to
return to friendly control.
Source: Publication 3-50.3 (classified appendix G) Blood Chit Program, U.S. Dept. of Defense