“Victory For the USA” 11th A/B poem
Yank magazine Sept. 1945 (notice the helmet stenciling)
On the cover of the 14 September 1945 issue of Yank magazine,(Vol. 4 No. 13) is S/Sgt. William Carlisle of Chalmers, Indiana
This poem was written by: Pvt. Bronnell York, Battery D, 457th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, 11th A/B; even if you are not a poetry enthusiast, it is worth reading.
“Victory For the U.S.A.”
We’re the boys of the 457,
Earning our major pay,
Fighting Japs and jungle life,
For three sixty cents a day.
Back home we’re soon forgotten,
By girls and friends we knew,
Here in the South Seas Islands,
Ten thousand miles from you.
All night the rains keep falling,
It’s more than we can stand,
“NO” folks, we’re not convicts,
We’re defenders of our land.
We’re the boys of many,
Holding the upper hand,
Hitting the silk and hoping,
We’re living when we land.
We’re having it pretty tough now,
You can believe what I say,
Some day we hope to live again,
Back home in the USA.
Victory’s in the making,
Our future will be serene,
We’ve got the Navy backing us,
Along with the fighting Marines.
HQ staff of the 457 PFAB
We’re in this all together,
Fellas like you and me,
We’ll be a united people,
And our Country will be free.
There’s no two ways about it,
We’ll either do or die,
For our Country with dictation,
Is not for you or I.
When the war is over,
And we have finished what they began,
We’ll raise Old Glory high above,
The Empire of Japan.
So, to all you 4F jokers,
Who thinks there’s something you missed,
Don’t let the draft board get you,
And for God’s sake don’t enlist.
It might be a long time yet,
Then it might be any day,
When smiling faces see the Golden Gate,
And sail in Frisco Bay.
When this conflict’s over,
The boys can proudly say,
We had to fight for what was ours,
Victory for the U.S.A.!
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I located this poem in my old files from at least 15-20 ago, so I’m afraid I can not state the resource. I was also unable to locate information or a photo just yet. If anyone knows something about Bronnell York or William Carlisle, please inform all of us in the comments. Thank you.
A page from the 11th A/B 1943 Yearbook
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Current: From – Archaeology magazine
Discovery in Hawaii
Posted on April 23, 2013, in Uncategorized, WWII and tagged 11th airborne, family history, History, Military, Military History, nostalgia, Pacific War, Philippines, veterans, war letters, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 64 Comments.
Pacific Paratrooper 
I love your blog! I love studying WWII and respect so much the men and women who gave their service for us. Great reading!
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I’m so glad you like it. Being made as a tribute to my father, Smitty, and the service of the 11th Airborne Division, it means a lot to me.
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Hi gpcox,
I ran across your site while doing some research on a statue at Fort Benning. Long story short, Norma Carlisle is still alive (as of last year) and lives in Chalmers, IN.
William Carlisle’s image on the Yank magazine was the likeness that inspired William F. Porteous’ statue at Sacrifice Field….see links below and you’ll quickly see the resemblance. I didn’t speak directly to Norma, but have spoken to her granddaughter. If you need more information about the statue or contact information for the granddaughter, let me know.
Here are the links to the statue which stands at Sacrifice Field, Fort Benning, GA.
http://www.warmemorialhq.org/cpg/thumbnails.php?album=520
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/56306307
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Thank you very much for the links, I appreciate it very much. MustangKoji first told me about Norma’s address and I was thrilled to get a reply from her. Thanks again for your help.
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gpcox,
Thanks for liking my blog. I had an uncle killed during WW2. I never knew him. My father was in the airforce and was shot down over the English Channel. He died of a heart attack @ age 52. Thanks for your site.
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I’m so sorry for both your losses, they fought hard and won for us.
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missing image
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I’m going to try and edit, but it will take awhile.
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Nice to meet you, gpcox! I did a section on my fathers WWII service in http://ourcallhutchisonhistory.wordpress.com/2013/03/17/wwii-memories-of-kay-d-call/ He was with the occupying forces in Okinawa as a member of a B24 search and rescue team. I think your blog is a great way to honor your father.
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Read the post and very happy that you posted a link. Another story to be remembered forever. Thank you.
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They say a heart is 21 grams. I believe there are some with 21.5
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I’m in total agreement there!!
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I nominated you for an award http://soadhachami.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/nominated-for-the-super-sweet-blogger-award-dragon-loyalty-award/
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I greatly appreciate you reading my posts and commenting, but I’m afraid I will have to back off of the award. I know you mean well, but they are actually chain letters and since this site is in tribute to my father, I don’t feel it is appropriate. I sincerely hope this does not offend you in any way, it is not meant to be.
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it doesn’t offend me 🙂 I hope I haven’t offended you. I like your blog!
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Not in any way. I am honored each time someone nominates me – it’s just that this site is not about me. So glad you’re not upset.
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Wow! You are a REAL hero! THANK YOU for serving. If you read the rest of my blog you’ll see that I am a USN Retired Senior Chief. I love anything about the military. Here is a GREAT WWII website that I stumbled upon a few days ago. http://www.mission4today.com/. I just did a Google search on “Korean War Websites” and got 14.4 million sites. Take a look at this website http://www.koreanwar60.com/. I think it would be of great interest to you. Hope to have an ongoing dialogue about our experiences.
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I appreciate your sending the links and I will visit them shortly, but first I must clarify that Smitty is my father. Although I am a member of the 11th Airborne Assn., I did not serve in WWII or Korea. I thank you for your service in the U.S. Navy and hope to hear you share your stories of that period in your life here as I will be returning to your site. Thank you for calling my father a hero, it means a lot.
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Loved this. Thanks for having such a patriotic site. : )
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I’ve been like this all my life – so it was only natural. Thanks.
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im not an american, being an indian diplomat retired now, but i loved the way your poem ‘victory for the usa’ flowed and the content – no i wont enlist ever not a fighting man at all – graet poem nevertheless – my son is now a us citizen, feel secure with him there but i hope he never has to enlist – but so far away, breaks my heart tho i do visit him each year in your wonderful land – warm regards
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I am happy you stopped in for a visit. I’ve been to your site and am impressed; best of luck with it. I can not imagine why your son would have to serve, the military service is now on a volunteer basis and only those who wish to help defend the country enlist. (hopefully)
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tthanks
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This poem was very touching–it conveyed so many of the emotions your other articles indicate. This is a very special blog as you are creating a place where history lives on. It was really cool to see the cover of YANK magazine.
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Thanks so much for your comment. I was lucky to locate the Yank – and now thanks to Mustang Koji, I believe I might have located the man. Going to write Indiana and find out.
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My mom grew up in Brookston, IN, which is about 4 miles away from Chalmers. I wonder if she could provide any insight on William Carlisle’s family.
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That would be great, you never know what little tidbit of info will add to the story.
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I am surprised to see that the 11th A/B had a Yearbook. Is that, or was that, common in the armed services?
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As far as I know, they all had it.
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I like this poem! It sounds so much like poems and sayings that I heard when I was in the service. There are so many people who have the gift of making music out of mayhem.
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Smitty, my dad, mentions just that in one of his letters. I believe it was ‘Koffee Klotch.’
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Reblogged this on G.I.V. (Gulf Illness Veterans).
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Thank you, Dave. You honor both Pvt. York and my blog about my dad and the Pacific.
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Yes, do Korea next…please!
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I seem to get the feeling you might have a story or two tucked away?
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Not really, My dad was in the service about the time of the Korean conflict…didn’t have much to say other than doing some surveying in occupied Japan. Mostly, it’s like many others,…I don’t know anything about it.
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I would say that makes all the difference. He was in the Technical forces and they were busy rebuilding Japan. He had his hands full where he was.
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gpcox, there is a William R. Carlisle listed for Chalmers, IN; it also lists 89 years of age and a wife named Norma. However, I am uncertain if Mr. Chalmers is still alive.
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ps His ASN is 35090954
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I’m copying this info down. I’ll let you know what happens.
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Also, my friend Keith had an uncle who was 11th Airborne; please see his link to the same poem: http://www.flickr.com/photos/peacelovescoobie/5702105940/
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Great!!
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PS. Could you ask Keith to visit here? I’d love to hear about his uncle.
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I sent him an email!
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Fantastic, I didn’t locate one for him. And now, we wait with halted breath
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Thanks so much, Koji – I’ll look into that.
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I’m going to look into that, thanks Koji.
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Interesting poem. I am curious about Korea, too. Somehow we were involved in it as well.
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As I explained in the previous post, it was the U.S. mishandling of Korea after Japan’s surrender that led us right into it. Maybe I was not clear on that.
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I like the fact that the poem mentions thoughts that could have been held by almost everyone, while sticking to the main theme. I enjoyed it.
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I’m glad you did. I seem to be getting more of a response than I first thought.
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Have you seen the post over at sachemspeaks? Bring a box of tissues.
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Another great post–a big swig of patriotism seasoned with a little gallows humor.
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That’s why I liked it too, besides it being written by someone in the 11th A/B. My dad Smitty always looked for the humorous side.
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THANKS ! ALWAYS FASCINATING!
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I’m so glad you liked it.
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Thanks for sharing this part of history. I really enjoyed this blog.
Enjoyed?
I know there will be a whole lot more.
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I’m torn between going on into Korea or heading back to the very beginning and all the battles that have been missed.
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Go to Korea… Then go back in time.
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Then, I best get my uncle’s papers together. (career Marine)
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Korea is a little known conflict.
I for one know little about it. I met a sailor on the Internet through my addiction with genealogy. Paul Montpetit was on HMCS Iroquois, a destroyer.
He had a few stories and many pictures. He was in harm’s way just once when the ship was shelled by North Koreans.
On 2 October 1952 Iroquois was hit by a shell, the only time during the war a Canadian ship was hit by enemy fire.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Iroquois_(G89)
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HMCS Iroquois G89/217 was a Tribal-class destroyer that was built in the United Kingdom and served in the Royal Canadian Navy. She was the first ship to bear this name.
Iroquois served off Korea during the Korean War, commanded by William Landymore. On 2 October 1952, the ship was hit by enemy shore batteries, killing 3 and wounding 10. These were the only RCN casualties in the war.
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Thanks.
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It was not considered a war, but a UN action, for so long that many learned very little about it. Thank you for the Iroquois link.
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