| WORLD WAR AND NOW | | | | I'd already said thanks so many times, For" |
| | | | God" was the reason I was alive. |
| SACRIFICE,TRANSFORMATION,AND UNRESTRICTED | | | | |
| WARFARE | | | | Off in the dark, I herd two men's voices, |
| | | | Laughing and talking in a language not mine. |
| The Japanese hadn't lost a war since 1598 | | | | Inch by inch I crept to their campsite, |
| Each man carried 400 rounds of ammunition | | | | Where on what they were eating, I would soon |
| (twice as many as an American infantryman) | | | | dine. |
| With five days rations and fearless | | | | |
| determination. | | | | I stabbed them both and took their fish, rice |
| | | | and wine; Then ran my way back to the raft |
| The men in the badly wrapped brown uniforms | | | | by the beach. Soon I was floating in the |
| Since their early childhood had been taught | | | | ocean again And far enough out where |
| That to die for the emperor and one's country | | | | bullets couldn't reach. |
| Was the greatest of all glories to be | | | | |
| sought. | | | | The next day I was picked up by a seaplane, |
| | | | Whose crew spotted my sail from the air. |
| Moreover, the hardware backing them was | | | | Once inside and safe, I cried like a child, |
| awesome As sharpshooters they were accurate | | | | For the dead whom would forever be there. |
| up to a thousand yards and more. Their ships | | | | |
| were faster, their guns bigger, Their | | | | It was hard to believe heaven let me live; |
| torpedoes better, And their plains matchless | | | | A farm boy from Kansas, in high school last |
| in quality, aerobatics and score. | | | | year. My girlfriend is blond and she hates |
| | | | it I 'm gone. Though I'm a veteran of |
| Only by sacrifice, transformation, and | | | | battle, death, and fear. |
| unrestricted warfare Was America able to | | | | |
| overcome and prevail. Again America must | | | | OKINAWA |
| stand firm to survive As we face a new | | | | |
| monster from Hell. | | | | Okinawa was to be our last stop Before we |
| | | | invaded Japan. The largest landing of the |
| WAR | | | | Pacific war, As our soldiers ran across the |
| | | | sand. |
| As war is fought it takes charge, And | | | | |
| events spin out of control. The madness of | | | | At first our marines were scarcely opposed |
| men can alter the soil Which nourishes the | | | | But on the fifth day hell they found. A |
| roots of their soul. | | | | solid wall of human resistance Firing their |
| | | | weapons from caves in the ground. |
| Many things will forever change, Far more | | | | |
| then wished to be. As the wrath of war | | | | Air power and big guns had little affect On |
| starts to destroy, Those things we fight to | | | | their cliff forts carved deep in the |
| keep free. | | | | limestone. It took man against man to root |
| | | | them out As flying bullets pierced flesh |
| War is the greatest plague of man, | | | | and bone. |
| Religion, state, and sanity. Any scourge is | | | | |
| more preferred, Than the one which disables | | | | Kamikaze pilots crashed their planes |
| humanity. | | | | Knocking out transports and war ships. As |
| | | | the Imperial air force struck our fleet, |
| When war breaks out, boundaries change And | | | | Cries of fear and hate spewed from lips. |
| all who die are a token, Of the rage that | | | | |
| must run it's course, Before words of peace | | | | One hundred, ten thousand Japanese By the |
| are spoken. | | | | end of the battle were killed. Over twelve |
| | | | thousand Americans died, Before, just our |
| TROOP SHIP | | | | flag flew over the field. |
| | | | |
| Our ship had sailed before the dawn | | | | BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC |
| Surrounded by the thickest of fog, Still | | | | |
| ignorant of our destination Or what was | | | | After the fall of France in 1940, The |
| written in the captain's log. | | | | Germans soon began their own blockade, With |
| | | | most their efforts in the Atlantic, Hoping |
| It didn't take long for me to see Our | | | | to cut Britain's flow of war trade. |
| cruise was not for fun; An experience of a | | | | |
| lifetime With nowhere for us to run. | | | | With fast surface raiders like the Bismarck, |
| | | | Merchant ships caught at sea, had little |
| Twenty knots per hour we cruised As the | | | | chance. The German's small navy sank ship |
| white caps passed us by; Ten thousand young | | | | after ship, Till the British Navy destroyed |
| Americans Off to Europe to die. | | | | war's romance. |
| | | | |
| A sailor told us not to worry; Someday we'd | | | | Shipping losses from German U-boats |
| get our mail. Uncle Sam would make sure | | | | increased, And the battle of the Atlantic |
| No matter how far we sail. | | | | seemed lost. But soon America would enter |
| | | | the war, To defeat freedom's enemies at all |
| Thirty feet deep I tried to sleep Beneath | | | | cost. |
| our ship's waterline, Just the place for | | | | |
| claustrophobia To enter into my mind. | | | | Multitudes would die and their families cry, |
| | | | Before World War II would be fought to its |
| My favorite vest was my May West Which I | | | | end. What a waste of mankind, which had |
| wore all the time Just in case of German | | | | lost its mind, Though now, our enemy is our |
| U-boats Or an underwater mine. | | | | friend. |
| | | | |
| Thirty-three days we were at sea, We | | | | PARTING |
| crossed the equator twice. Many years have | | | | |
| passed since then, Those years of | | | | The truest words, which portray my love, I |
| sacrifice. | | | | speak to you from within my heart. May we |
| | | | always recall how we feel, Though through |
| BRAVERY | | | | conflict we're forced to part. |
| | | | |
| Many brave souls lived before now, Unwept | | | | No one can say how long they will last, For |
| and unknown by their face. Lost somewhere | | | | life is not everlasting. Yet most hope to |
| in the distant night, 'Till a poet | | | | be blessed by love, By he who does our |
| chronicles their grace. | | | | casting. |
| | | | |
| True bravery is shown by performing, | | | | As the fear of battle bites my flesh, My |
| Without witness, what one might be Capable | | | | thoughts of home help keep me sane. There's |
| of before the world, Without any or all to | | | | no guarantee that I'll survive But either |
| see. | | | | way, I'll serve without shame. |
| | | | |
| How great the brave who rest in peace, All | | | | Should the cold hands of death reach for me, |
| blessings from heaven to earth. They gave | | | | I pray my soul will awake from sleep. To |
| our country but their best, Those destined | | | | the voice of God assuring me, That my |
| to be brave from birth. | | | | spirit, he's chosen to keep. |
| | | | |
| PEARL HARBOR | | | | So try to remember while I'm gone, That the |
| | | | person I need most is you. I'll fight like |
| Sunday, December the seventh, In the year | | | | hell to stay alive To return home to the |
| of 1941, While most of Hawaii still slept, | | | | love I knew. |
| Came the planes of the Rising Sun. | | | | |
| | | | P.O.W. |
| Waves of bombers and fighters flew, From | | | | |
| the decks of the Japanese ships. While our | | | | When you become a P.O.W. You find you've |
| planes were still on the ground, "Banzai" | | | | lost your liberty and more, The guy with |
| was spoken from their lips. | | | | the gun tells you what to do, As you yearn |
| | | | for freedoms you had before. |
| The winds of war had been blowing Across | | | | |
| the oceans of our earth, Though not till | | | | Your will to serve helps keep you alive, |
| Pearl had been bombed, Did we realize what | | | | Though sometimes you wish you were dead. |
| freedom's worth. | | | | Tortures far beyond any normal mind, And |
| | | | there's no safety, even your bed. |
| Wars are fought and won on two fronts, At | | | | |
| home and on the battle line. Both are | | | | Bullets, barbwire, searchlights and sharp |
| equally important, When war consumes our | | | | teeth, Keep you in a place you don't wish |
| heart and mind. | | | | to be. The food is quite awful and |
| | | | sometimes it moves, And you've no choice of |
| The attack brought us World War II, With | | | | what you hear or see. |
| death, pain and separation. All who had | | | | |
| served were well aware Of their sacrifice | | | | The lucky are released and return home, |
| for nation. | | | | Though in their dreams their fate is unsure. |
| | | | War may be hell, but confinement is worse, |
| CONFLICT | | | | Cause afterwards you're never as you were. |
| | | | |
| The harder the conflict we sometimes face | | | | GENERAL QUARTERS |
| The far more glorious is the victory. | | | | |
| Tyranny like hell is tough to defeat, When | | | | General quarters, general quarters, All |
| it raises its head throughout history. | | | | hands man your battle station! Sunday |
| | | | morning, December the 7th, As war |
| War never leaves a country as it was, When | | | | confronted our nation. |
| neutrality is a word disregarded. As the | | | | |
| murderous hands of man himself Are to blame | | | | We soon found out it wasn't a drill But |
| for all who have departed. | | | | instead it was war for real. As you watch |
| | | | the death of friends and shipmates, It's |
| D DAY - THE WALL | | | | more anger than fear you feel. |
| | | | |
| Over two hundred rangers scaled "The Wall" | | | | Japanese warplanes came flying in low, As I |
| A stone cliff over one hundred feet tall. | | | | took aim with my gun sight. From the deck |
| Some of them made it all the way to the top, | | | | of a ship anchored at Pearl Damaged, though |
| While others fell and perished from their | | | | crew still eager to fight. |
| drop. | | | | |
| | | | I saw the face of a pilot, who crashed, |
| Those who climbed over, had answered God's | | | | Surrounded by black smoke and fire. Some of |
| call; For men to stop evil once and for | | | | my bullets must have found their mark. For |
| all. They fought the Germans and destroyed | | | | his death was but my desire! |
| their guns, To save the lives of our | | | | |
| fathers and sons. | | | | Two thousand, three hundred and twenty-three |
| | | | killed, In a battle less than two hours. |
| So many years have passed since then, When | | | | With the heart of our Pacific fleet gone, |
| our world's future was saved by brave men. | | | | Japan had flexed their naval powers. |
| We cannot forget the hell they went through, | | | | |
| Before the skies, again turned blue. | | | | The bombing and strafing of ships and troops |
| | | | Caused our congress to declare full war. |
| D-DAY | | | | Where many a man laid down his life |
| | | | Fighting for flag, country and more. |
| D-Day raised the curtain on the conflict | | | | |
| That fore shadowed the end of Hitler's dream. | | | | KENNEDY= THE WAR YEARS PT-109 |
| The largest joint combat landing ever, | | | | |
| Though the blood from both sides flowed like | | | | After the attack on Pearl Harbor He applied |
| a stream. | | | | for sea duty in the war. Where Lieutenant |
| | | | John F. Kennedy Became known for his |
| When their boats hit the sand, their ramps | | | | bravery and more. |
| went down, And all within paid a visit to | | | | |
| hell. They jumped out to do good for their | | | | In the dark hours before dawn On August 2, |
| country, And to kill the enemy without | | | | of 43. Kennedy commanded a torpedo boat |
| fail. | | | | Through the blackness of night at sea. |
| | | | |
| They fought the Germans, tides, winds and the | | | | PT - 109, was on Solomon's patrol With a |
| waves, In conditions not easily foreseen. | | | | 12-man crew in a plywood craft. A Japanese |
| By night the battle was in our favor, With | | | | destroyer plowed through the night Ramming |
| bravery, valor, death, and men who scream. | | | | and cutting Kennedy's boat in half. |
| | | | |
| The corpses littered the beach for five | | | | Two of the crew just disappeared A third |
| miles, Though heroism had carried the day, | | | | was badly burned. Kennedy himself was |
| With literally thousands dead or wounded, | | | | thrown to the deck, Where in pain his |
| Those who were left were determined to stay. | | | | leadership he earned. |
| | | | |
| They faced great odds and chose not to | | | | Some of his men had never learned to swim |
| protest, And won the war that put evil to | | | | As he gathered them on the bobbing bow. The |
| shame. Most came home, married and raised | | | | hours passed tell it seemed it would sink |
| their babies, But those who could not we | | | | So they made for an island and here's how. |
| recall with pain. | | | | |
| | | | He ordered those who could to swim The |
| MI DWAY | | | | others were to hang on to a beam. Kennedy |
| | | | grabbed the injured sailor And off they |
| It was June the 4th 1942, As I was floating | | | | tread through the ocean stream. |
| in the ocean alone; The ship I had sailed | | | | |
| on, sank to the bottom And I thought I | | | | With his teeth clenched on the burnt man's |
| would never again, see home. | | | | vest straps Skipper Kennedy swam 3 miles. |
| | | | 5 hours later they all made it Despite |
| The Japanese fleet had steamed in from the | | | | their hardships, sharks, and trials. |
| east With the intentions of capturing | | | | |
| Midway. Though they were stopped by | | | | The next problem was how to summon up help |
| American war ships, Whose guns, bombs and | | | | Without arousing the enemy all around. |
| torpedoes planes saved the day. | | | | After several attempts swimming to other |
| | | | islands Eventually two natives in a canoe |
| All night long, I watched the fireworks of | | | | were found. |
| war And on the second day we turned up the | | | | |
| heat. As big bombers from Hawaii dropped | | | | Kennedy scratch a note on a coconut To be |
| their loads, On Japanese ships who soon | | | | delivered to a base 38 miles away. The |
| chose to retreat. | | | | message made it and they were saved And |
| | | | their courage still lives us today. |
| An imperial pilot came floating close by, | | | | |
| Who had been chewed on by the beasts of the | | | | MY FAVORITE POET |
| sea. I couldn't help but feel passion for | | | | |
| this is man Who had answered his call just | | | | My favorite poet is God above Who gives |
| like me. | | | | Earth its rhythm and rhyme. Not pied pipers |
| | | | of misguided souls Who promote distrust, |
| When it was over, I was plucked from the | | | | hatred and crime. |
| deep, By men in a lifeboat just after the | | | | |
| dawn. For two days I had watched the battle | | | | Poetry is nature serenading in song The |
| for, Midway; Now it's quiet and the enemy | | | | peaceful roar of the oceans waves. The wind |
| has gone. | | | | through the trees and over the hills And the |
| | | | flowers in the fields by the graves. |
| SURVIVAL | | | | |
| | | | The sound of rain as it waters the thirsty |
| I drifted all night and was loosing my hope | | | | The songs of children at play in the park. |
| Before by the moon's light I saw dry land. | | | | The far off rumble of trains or thunder As |
| I floated over and through its reefs to the | | | | they pass through the night in the dark. |
| beach, Where I quickly smoothed out my | | | | |
| tracks in the sand. | | | | The joy of our babies first words and steps |
| | | | The passion of life with its heroes and |
| All I had was my dagger and a canteen And | | | | clowns. The on going struggle to survive our |
| it was May 4th of 43. Just me alone on an | | | | sins As we proliferate in hamlets and towns. |
| enemy island, Wasn't a safe place for a | | | | |
| sailor to be. | | | | My favorite poet is our father of love Who |
| | | | was first to know us before birth. His |
| I felt I could kill in less than a heartbeat | | | | poetry prolongs every thing we love As his |
| If that's what it took for me to survive. | | | | deliverance gives life its worth. |