11th Airborne Division honored
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.
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.!
***** ***** *****
Some of my friends and readers who visit often might remember this cover of Yanks magazine with William Carlisle , of the 11th A/B on the cover. Koji of http://p47koji.wordpress.com notified me that he found a William and Norma Carlisle in Chalmers, IN.
I sent a note to inquire about the photo. I received this reply from his widow:
“Hello! So nice of you to write, Bob would have been pleased. The picture on the cover of the Yank magazine is William Robert Carlisle, my husband. I’m sure he could have told you stories of the 11th Airborne. I’m Mrs. Norma Carlisle, Bob’s wife. I’m sorry to tell you that Bob passed away on Dec. 12 – 1997. I miss him! Hope you and yours are enjoying the Golden Years! God Bless, Norma
I was so disappointed to discover that we had lost yet another trooper’s tales of the era and a little taken back to see that he passed on what would have been my father’s 83rd birthday.
With many thanks to Josh, we now have a link to the war memorial that honors the 11th Airborne using Mr. Carlisle’s photo as a model.
http://www.warmemorialhq.org/cpg/thumbnails.php?album=520
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Stanley Abraham – Greenwood, NY; US Army, WWII, 299th Combat Engineers
Bobby ‘Pete’ Beckett – Logan, WV; US Army, WWII, Medic
Martha Groton – Washington D.C.; US Navy WAVE, WWII
Gordon Huff – CAN; RC Navy, WWII
William Jones – Tucker, GA; US Navy, WWII
James Myers – Rouseville, PA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, Co. A/188/11th Airborne Division
Virgil Oyler – Barberton, OH; US Navy, WWII, aviation
Merle Smith – Clark County, WA; US Navy, Pearl Harbor, Electrician’s Mate 3rd Cl., USS Oklahoma, KIA
Randall Troop – Manchester, MA; US Navy, WWII, USS Colorado, radar
James Watson – Roanoke, VA; US Navy, WWII, ETO
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Posted on June 20, 2019, in WWII and tagged 1940's, Airborne, Army, History, Military, Military History, Pacific War, Tributes, veterans, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 115 Comments.
I’m slowly catching up again, GP!
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You always do – quite impressive!
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GP: If you’d be interested in reviewing any of my WWII books, please let me know. None are strictly about the Pacific, but they each have stories of men who fought in the Pacific.
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Thank you. As you know, I don’t often do book reviews on this site and sometimes Amazon blocks my reviews because I don’t spend enough money with them, but I’ll see what I can do. Any hints?
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The thing that caught my attention was 360 cents a day. No wonder Yanks had money when on leave! Our blokes only got 5 bob (50 cents these days) a day! I remember Dad saying that when they sailed off to the Middle East the left press had headlines “5 Bob a Day Murderers!” Actually, Dad reckoned it was 4 bob a day initially. Great post as usual GP.
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Thanks for letting me know. That newspaper was pretty heartless, wasn’t it? Do you happen to know the conversion rate of a Bob to U.S. cents back then?
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Reblogged this on John Cowgill's Literature Site.
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Thank you, John!
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You are very welcome.
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Do you think people would sign up and be as patriotic as this man in their masses now?
Nationalism is being discouraged and Brexit blamed on it. My cousin is just leaving the RAF after 10 years because he wants to start a family and he’s done with long stints overseas.
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Well, he gave 10 years of his life, no one can blame him for leaving now!
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PS. Please tell your cousin I wish him the very best!
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Will do, he got a job in civi street to start straight away but I’m sure he’ll miss the camaraderie, fun and laughter even in stressful times with his team.
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He will often look back on those years, I know, but now a new chapter in his life begins!
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I also come on here for “parachutist”. He’s my parachute man. ♥️.
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Good to know!
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Victory for the USA! ♥️
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You said it!!
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nice one mate.. great poem.
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Thank you for reading it, William.
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Hello; I was going through some of my posts on Profiles, and discovered a misdirected link about Guy Gabaldon which I corrected. This is the PBS video:
https://www.pbs.org/video/latino-americans-guy-gabaldon/
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Guy Gabaldon’s story is an outstanding one – thank you for contributing it!!
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You’re most welcome; I was stunned by his story, and it should never have taken this long to recount.
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I found the lyrics of that song heartbreaking, GP. So glad you chose to share it.
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I thank you for stopping by, Anna.
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Really appreciated Private York’s sobering and moving poem, GP, giving the whole picture from someone who knows well the horrors of war. Also liked the exchange you had with the widow of William Carlisle. Wonderful post and much appreciated.
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Thank you so much, Jet. I greatly appreciate you saying so.
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Another nice tribute. Understanding WWII keeps us in check. Cheers!
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Thank you. And your site keeps us smiling!
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Ahhh you are just too kind or trying to get a free cup of coffee. LOL!! Which is it GP? Just kidding. Thank you for the kind words. Have an awesome week!
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Ah-ha!! You have forgotten it is I who sent you the “endless coffee pot”
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Whoops! An AOC mishap! And, certainly a pot for the military crew. I will share!
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ENJOY!
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Will do!!☕☕
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This made me tear up. The letter from his widow was so kind and heartfelt. Thank you, GP.
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I had such mixed feelings when I received the note. I was very grateful that she did answer though.
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And think of the many readers that read her letter and shared the same gratitude.
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Yes – thank you.
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🙂
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As a poet of sorts gp, I always appreciate the poetic mind, and more so with military words that are written to rhyme, their words like this poem are the true mindset of the Warrior
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Thank you for giving me a soldier’s opinion, Ian. I knew I certainly liked it and noticed how much he sounded like Smitty!!
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A wonderful piece of detective work with a poignant ending. I was touched with the line in the poem about them being forgotten by the people at home. I doubt that was true, but it speaks to the isolation they were feeling.
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They were gone from home for so long (and no Skype, smart phones or email), communication sparse, I can certainly understand the Private’s feelings.
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Mooii gediçcht.Die strijders verdienen ons respect
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Yes, I agree. I wish more of the younger generation would try to learn that.
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That’s a great cover pic and I love the poem. It speaks volumes about how the valour of such great men can go so easily forgotten. Yet, we owe them so much!
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So true, Kevin! I think many felt the same about the cover that they went and made a statue of it.
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Excellent! 🙂
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That ‘drop-out’ cartoon … classic~!
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Glad you liked it!!
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Very strong and proud poem, GP; thank you for sharing it. The widow Carlisle must have been so touch that her late husband is remembered and honored!
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I hope I gave her a smile, but I really appreciated her response!
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I am sure it has warmed her heart, GP
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Thanks, Dolly.
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My honor and pleasure, GP
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‘smilin’
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Love this post! Poignant and very touching! That must be a surprise for Mrs. Carlisle to hear from you. Good for you to trace her down.
Love this particular line: We had to fight for what was ours, Victory for the U.S.A.!
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That’s right! No one wanted the war, but it felt good to win it!!
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Just I add something about today’s environment. . . Oh, nevermind.
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I meant shall I add . . .
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Sure.
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Sounds like you’re having “one of those days”, eh? I know those kinds of days all too often! 🙂
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Reblogged this on depolreablesunite.
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Thank you, Dave!
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From my heart, I offer this hand salute
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Thank you!
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You really know how to publish an emotional post, GP. How about a humorous one to celebrate summer? Keep up the good work. Our generation is lucky–our parents were the greatest generation. Not sure being the offspring of Boomers or X-ers is as much cause for celebration.
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I’ll try to locate a funny one – just because it was you that asked!
I don’t know how to respond to that last part of your comment though…….
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I’m sure you’d agree about being the children of the WWII veterans. The rest of it is debatable or ignorable. Glad to have a little pull with you, GP. 🙂
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Well, being a child of a WWII vet, I am a bit prejudiced about them. 🙂
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You and me both, friend.
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Wow what an awesome poem. I love this post! Very touching 🙂
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Thank you very much, Michelle!
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Reblogged this on Dave Loves History.
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Thank you, Dave!
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Touching poem! Did Private York make it back to see the Golden Gate Bridge?
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I have yet to locate his information, but being as this appears to have been written after the surrender, I would presume he did.
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A wonderful poem, and great honour. Could be a great song too. Thank you for sharing this unique piece, GP! Best wishes, Michael
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My pleasure, Michael! I hadn’t thought about a song, but that’s a thought, eh?!
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Yes, would be great to have music beside! 😉 Michael
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Maybe we’ll luck out and have someone who can read and compose music come by here.
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That would be great GP!
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I’ve never seen this poem, GP. RT–it’s a keeper.
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Thank you, I certainly enjoyed it. What do you think your son would say?
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What a wonderful surprise to Sgt Carlisle’s widow I imagine. There are no coincidences I believe. Great post, thank you.
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My only regret is looking for him too late to let Mr. Carlisle know how many people would thank him!
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What a moving poem- thanks so much for finding it and sharing.
It’s a shame that you weren’t able to talk to Mr. Carlisle, but I’m sure it meant a lot to his wife to hear from you.
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I was so very happy to hear from her, despite Mr. Carlisle’s passing. Can only wish I looked for him sooner.
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A touching post, GP. Norma has to be pleased knowing people care.
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I’m sure she must have been, at least I hope so!
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Her letter had a measure of happiness that you had written. That says a lot.
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I was thrilled she responded.
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Like you, I regret all the stories that have been lost. I was privileged to capture a few from a 93 year-old vet and tell them to his sons who had never heard them. Thank you again for sharing so many of those stories through your blog.
Total non sequitur: If I calculate it correctly, “three sixty cents a day” was as much as a private made in Vietnam despite inflation showing how quickly politicians forgot once the war was over the sacrifice soldiers make.
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Don’t get me started on my opinion of politicians!! We have so few of them that actually served.
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Such a touching letter from his widow.
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I was thrilled!!
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A poem that touches the heart and is filled with true pride for the USA!
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They were quite a unit, though disbanded as a division now, the 187th Regimental Combat Team has served in every conflict since WWII. The “Rakkasans” rock!!! (the Japanese nickname they gave the 187th – “Umbrella men”.
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These from-the-heart expressions of determination and pride always are touching. And it’s wonderful to see both the cover and the statue, and to know that Mrs. Carlisle was made aware that people still are paying attention. It has to make a difference to people like her.
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I certainly hope so, Linda!! I might have been too late to hear from William, I’m happy to have heard from his wife!
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“Hitting the silk and hoping,
We’re living when we land.”
All to often we forget how perilous their day-to-day situation really was.
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Yes, those parachutes and gliders weren’t the most reliable way to get back to Earth. Thanks for coming, Dan!
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A first hand experience straight from the trenches. I’m glad we can continue to honor him (and them) and that his wife knows people are paying their respect.
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That is a lovely comment, Colleen. Thank you.
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You’re welcome GP.
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Such a heartfelt poem from someone who ‘knew’. And a touching letter from Mrs Carlisle too.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thank you, Pete.
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Argh forgot the tissues!
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aw, you can share mine….
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🙂
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Being an admirer of Admiral Nimitz, I salute you for including that Nimitz quote!
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Sure thing!!
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We toured the Nimitz museum in Fredricksburg TX. Really nice/ inspiring.
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Lump in throat. Thank you for this poignant post.
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It is definitely my pleasure! I thank you for reading it.
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