U.S. Airborne Day, 16 August
“Airborne All the Way”
Author unknown
These men with silver wings
Troopers from the sky above
In whom devotion springs
What spirit so unites them?
In brotherhood they say
Their answer loud and clear.
“Airborne All the Way.”
These are the men of danger
As in open door they stand
With static line above them
And ripcord in their hand.
While earthbound they are falling
A silent prayer they say
“Lord be with us forever,
Airborne All the Way.”
One day they’ll make their final jump
Saint Mike will tap them out
The good Lord will be waiting
He knows what they’re about
And answering in unison
He’ll hear the troopers say
“We’re glad to be aboard, Sir,
Airborne All the Way!”
Pvt. Everett “Smitty” Smith, Camp MacKall, NC
11th Airborne Division, 1943 Yearbook
For another outstanding poem in honor of the U.S. Army Airborne – Please visit, Lee at ……
Click on images to enlarge.
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Army Air Corps Humor – 
Glider-Infantry Poster
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Farewell Salutes –
Earl Aardappel – Harrison, NE; US Army Air Corps, WWII, CBI (The Hump), 11th Combat Cargo Sq/14th AF
Harold Bell – Las Vegas, NV; US Army Air Corps, WWII, bombardier/navigator
Dick Dennigan – St. Paul, MN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Flight officer
David Groner – Bronx, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII, CBI, C-46 Crew Chief, Bronze Star
Bertha Hespe – Fairview, NJ; US Army Women’s Air Corps (WAC), WWII, aircraft mechanic
Keith Kendall – LeMars, IA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, physical training instructor
Gerald Levin – Baltimore, MD; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO
Harold Peterson – Newton, MA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, radioman
James Short – Isabel, KS; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, B-17 pilot
George Walling – Chicago, IL; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, B-17 radar
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Posted on August 16, 2016, in Current News, SMITTY, Uncategorized, WWII and tagged 1940's, Airborne, Army, family history, History, Pacific, Pacific War, Tributes, veterans, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 57 Comments.
Pacific Paratrooper 
Reblogged this on quirkywritingcorner.
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Thank you for helping to give these men the credit they so richly deserve!!
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GP: I have posted a link to this page on my site as well. Lee Austin
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Thank you.
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Made me think of “Ballad of the Green Beret” by Barry Sadler.
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Other people have had the same impression, Anna. Links to hear and see him sing are here in the comments.
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I always appreciate a great Military tribute poem gp, and yours is a great tribute to the Airborne, it actually reminded me of that song, The Ballad of The Green Beret, I’m sure you have heard it.
Cheers.
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Oh yes, I remember – I used to have Sgt. Sadler’s album – made me tear up every time. I wish I knew who wrote this poem so I could thank them!!
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Oh, now you went and did it!! {but thanks, Ian!!]
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I thought of my father-in-law jumping out of a plan over Burma into the jungle, with it pitch black outside and a storm raging. –Curt
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They were an amazing bunch – weren’t they?!!!
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Yes they were, GP.
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Reblogged this on KCJones.
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Thank you for helping me to honor these men, Penny.
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I enjoyed the “troops humor” recruiting ad for glider troops. .
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The troops do have a sense of humor, don’t they?!! Thanks for dropping in, Sheryl.
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Such an inspirational poem. Beautiful. 🙂
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I wish I could give credit to who ever wrote it. Thank you for coming by.
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To this day I still say things like “are we good to hook?” And “ATTENTION TO DETAIL…with a silent ‘airborne!'” at the end. Was probably the most fun school I attended.
My three fractured ribs still ache when we have dramatic changes in weather… Which is why I needed some Advil before bed last night 😜
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very nice poem
thank you for sharing
love it
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Thank you for reading it. There are so many others too, but this was short and to the point.
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oh very welcome dear
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Is this a poem or lyrics of a song? If it’s not a song, it would be great if someone can make a musical out of this poem! 🙂
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As far as I know it’s a poem. No one seems to know who the author is either.
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Wonderful!
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Thank you.
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You are welcome!
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like these lines – feel the danger, the passion the love for service
These are the men of danger
As in open door they stand
With static line above them
And ripcord in their hand.
While earthbound they are falling
A silent prayer they say
“Lord be with us forever,
Airborne All the Way.”
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I’m glad you liked it, these men deserve the recognition for all they gave.
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I apologise for the length of this—(tune ‘John Brown’s Body’)
He was just a rookie trooper and he surely shook with fright,
He checked all his equipment and made sure his pack was tight;
He had to sit and listen to those awful engines roar,
“You ain’t gonna jump no more!”
(CHORUS: Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,
He ain’t gonna jump no more!
“Is everybody happy?” cried the Sergeant looking up,
Our Hero feebly answered “Yes,” and then they stood him up;
He jumped into the icy blast, his static line unhooked,
He ain’t gonna jump no more.
(CHORUS)
He counted long, he counted loud, he waited for the shock,
He felt the wind, he felt the cold, he felt the awful drop,
The silk from his reserves spilled out, and wrapped around his legs,
He ain’t gonna jump no more.
(CHORUS)
The risers swung around his neck, connectors cracked his dome,
Suspension lines were tied in knots around his skinny bones;
The canopy became his shroud; he hurtled to the ground.
He ain’t gonna jump no more.
(CHORUS)
The days he’d lived and loved and laughed kept running through his mind,
He thought about the girl back home, the one he’d left behind;
He thought about the medic corps, and wondered what they’d find,
He ain’t gonna jump no more.
(CHORUS)
The ambulance was on the spot, the jeeps were running wild,
The medics jumped and screamed with glee, they rolled their sleeves and smiled,
For it had been a week or more since last a ‘Chute had failed,
He ain’t gonna jump no more.
(CHORUS)
He hit the ground, the sound was “SPLAT”, his blood went spurting high;
His comrades, they were heard to say “A hell of a way to die!”
He lay there, rolling ’round in the welter of his gore,
He ain’t gonna jump no more.
(CHORUS)
(slowly, solemnly; about half the speed of the other verses)
There was blood upon the risers, there were brains upon the chute,
Intestines were a-dangling from his paratroopers suit,
He was a mess, they picked him up, and poured him from his boots,
He ain’t gonna jump no more.
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,
He ain’t gonna jump no more!
—just sorta thunk you’d like it (brings back a few memories, hmm?).
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Who wrote this? A song about a streamer?
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I remember Brits singing it … but there was a reference in there to “the Sergeant was the last to jump, the first to reach the ground…” that’s missing in the above.
Effectively that and some of the chorus was all I could remember, so I googled it and somewhere pulled in the lyrics above.
(In the Brit forces they referred to ‘candling’ or ‘Roman candles’ for someone getting the quick way down)(they had only one chute and no reserve in those days—not much point in having two anyway, there wasn’t a great deal of time at combat jump heights).
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Thanks for the history of it.
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Found it—
—his performance may seem a little unpolished, but the guy was a soldier, dammit, not a hippie.
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Thanks – I appreciate this.
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That recruitment poster — I love it! And the hints of cynicism in the cartoons. (Did you miss a trick here? But there’s still time to pop in a reference to Barry Sadler’s haunting ‘Green Beret’ song … (from memory, ‘Ballad of the Green Beret’?)(Dammit … I’ll have to go search).
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Oh, I remember Sgt. Sadler’s song – all the words too – I used to have his album. I’ll have to put it on the list for a future date. Thanks for the reminder.
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It took a lot of guts to do these men’s jobs!
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They were not only going to war, but in a field quite new to Americans. Thank you for reading, John.
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Loved the poem and pictures. Can only imagine when you are on the edge of the plane and looking down. Probably couldn’t make the jump. Courage for those that do! Airborne All the Way!”.
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Love your comments! I’m very happy you enjoyed the post.
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I sure did!
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Congratulations to the Screaming Eagles and the other Airborne units. They continue the valuable legacy left by those who went before.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thank you, Pete. I never feel as though I do enough.
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But you always do, GP!
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I appreciate that!!
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‘Currahee’ GP. Great post.
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Thank you very much, Rich!!
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Very nice, nostalgic pictures!
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Thank you. I see your posters are as wonderful as ever!!
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Thank you for honoring these men.
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Thank you very much for helping me to keep these men in the minds of the public.
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You sharing these posts is very much appreciated!
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