Navy

Port Wynema California
Hot that day
And no one there
A goodbye to say.

Combat greens
Soaked to the skin
Wondered my country
Would I see again.

Shouldered two sea bags
Gang plank did climb
Like thousands others
Left all behind.

Feet hit the deck
Nearly slipped down
U S S Jean La Feet
Filth did abound.

Men lined the rail
Heads hanging low
They were feeding the fish
Before we did go.

Sixteen hundred men
Mooring lines now aboard
Three decks below
Sea bags I stored.

Bunks stacked five high
Top one I grabbed
If someone became sick
Would not puke on old Dad.

Off California coast
That night it became rough
Slipping on deck
In much stinky stuff.

Men’s faces looked scary
Were a blue green
Were these men sailors
Or alien beings.

The stench was terrible
Knew where it came from
Two hundred pound men
Were calling their Mom.

Sailors sea legs
Grow very slow
Has now become deck
Instead of a flow.

A few days later
We pulled into Pearl
There lay our fleet
Like the end of the world.

Stayed on the deck
Couldn’t get on the dock
Was so hot
Sweat ran in our socks.

The other night
Back in the storm
Think in my heart
A new man was born.

Why this is so big
To big for me
Turned it over to Jesus
Will sleep and we’ll see.

Pulled out of Hawaii
Westward we turned
Deck was so hot
Thought shoes would burn.

Ocean ground swells
Flying fish
For a Coke
How we did wish.

Tin can escort
Dropping depth charges
Rattling our ship
Did it real hard.

Jap Sub trailing our convoy
Thirty seven days they tried
Felt like a target
Painted on our ship side.

W. J. Fisher whittled and carved
Pieces of white pine off of a crate
After a few days
Venus De Milo did liberate

A lone palm tree on Marcus Island
After the shelling stopped
Would have left some shade
If had not shot out the top.

Ulithi Island
Appeared on our beam
Typhoon before us
Had washed it all clean.

Patrol bombers Martin
Were destroyed and gone
As far as I am concerned
Could have left me at home.

Falalop to Guam
Was decided to go
Landing was made
We were part of the show.

Night before landing
Pressure sure builds
Laying off the reef
All was so still.

Not much joking
Yes there was fear
Most were wondering
Was life to end here.

Ardie point we landed
Airstrip was took
Landing our planes
Went like the book.

Slept on the ground
Woke up stone sober
Wharf rat on chest
Was looking me over.

Hand grenade booby trap
Missed by inches
Stepped on the thing
Would have blown out my senses

Wasa so overloaded
Pilots scratched their head
Wrong calculation
All would be dead.

Landing strip on Ulithi
Ran from sea to sea
Loaded us aboard
A young Dc 3.

Over the horizon
We sight an eighty acre rock
Before hitting drink
Hope we can stop.

Ten months of this
Work night and day
Ulithi atoll
Will not forget that stay.

Temperatures and rain
How it did beat
Salt water baths
And prickly heat.

We bombed the Japs
They bombed us
At this late date
Most are now dust.

Randolph carrier was hit
Jap suicide
Thirty young men
Number that died.

How they missed us
Will never know
Bomb hit this island
Whole thing would go.

Task force fifty eight
Heads out to sea
Writing in history
There you can see.

Peleliu Island bloody nose ridge
To this very day
Where a man fell
That’s where he lay.

The men and equipment
Lost on that place
They were prepared for us
Man what a waste.

Back to Saipan - B - twenty nine strip
Old P B Y ‘s - We tried to make tick.

War was now over  - Fighting all done
Six more months - Before we come home.

We had to fly rescue - Take care of the others
We were last home - Their safety we covered.

Now walking on ground - Where we had flown overhead
Think I’ll stop here- Enough has been said.

Grandpa Ernie
1941-1946

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