|
A Sailor's Induction
By: Bob
McDonald
USS Murray (DD-576)
Sit
down my friend as I go back in time, to unravel a yarn about battles and war and
a boy fresh off the farm.
Sailors and foe, wind and rain, fog and blackness, lights of blindness,
thundering storms. Metal all shattered and torn.
Unless you've been to sea my friend on an old tin can, with orders to shoot and
to kill; then your life is void of excitement and fear; charging forward, full
speed ahead, don't look back, the target is a mystery unseen.
The
man at the wheel must have nerves of steel, as we plow through fog, dew and
rain. My God, you think, this is bad this is insane. But you see I've got this
gun, the hammer is back, a prayer on my lips, I'm blind as a bat, and we've got
the bear on the run.
And
then as a knife cut a hole in the night, someone turned on this huge spot light,
an illumination far brighter then the sun. My God I thought, the enemy will
shoot out this brilliant exposer, but no, we had the bear treed; a few rounds to
the mast, rake the decks with a blast and her sailors dive over the side. A big
ball of fire and smoke as she burned and the vessel went down by the stern.
We
left her there to perish in despair, a light that would soon go out; but I've
oft times wondered; yes many times pondered about the men we left in the fog
Strange things you encounter and never forget, like chasing a bear in the night,
or a man going down with his ship. But duty comes first, and it's off with a
burst; of speed; back to the fleet, to report; MISSION COMPLETE.
So I say my friend; I say,
if you ever go to sea on a can and you are a boy fresh off the farm; when you
come ashore with a swaggering stride and a grin from ear to ear, seabag in hand,
somehow you'll know you cheated DAVY JONES out of one more man.
|
