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A poem and response from the USS Chosin 11/11/2005 12:01:08 PM
This Veteran's Day, I would like to share a poem I wrote for the crew of a ship... This Veteran's Day I would like to share a poem I wrote for the crew of a ship "USS Bonhomme Richard" that I had the priveledge of touring in 2003 when I was still in Australia. Long after I emailed it to the officer I
received an answer back which almost bought tears to my eyes, as I thought he had discounted my poem due to the fact, he had so much to attend to that was more important.
Now I learn they have put a link to my poem from their Official website and I often get comments from new personnel and their families. It brings home
how close to one and other we can be when we just communicate our feelings.
Once again, I am a proud Resident Alien of the USA and when my time period is up (30 months) I will become a Naturalized US Citizen, as my Grandparents were. They married in Mission Dolores in San Francisco then went to
Australia. Thanks for taking the time to read.
We Have Not Yet Begun..........
Some experiences render words
inadequate to describe them
Like standing on the flight deck
of the USS Bonhomme Richard
Witnessing at sunset
the lowering of the colors
feeling the reverence and respect
shown as the flag flutters to rest
The solemn escort of the flag
that demonstrates devotion
to high ideals and freedom
Here on a ship with a name, deeply
steeped in history I am told the
motto, "I have not yet begun to fight"
Proud words that rang out long ago
from John Paul Jones
And so tradition carries on
in the awesome technology deployed
in a continuing fight against tyranny
During this tour I have learned
a whole new language
Important messages like
"Don't give up the ship"
and the resolve of these words shone
from the eyes of every crew member,
both male and female
There was a strong feeling of
team-ship and yet I felt as
I stood at the side of a certain Lieutenant
Colonel on that flight deck ,
I was in the presence of an American hero
And so I will long remember this
visit to the USS Bonhomme Richard
The little booklet I was given states
many facts and snippets of information
but the smiles and conversation
the crew were so willing to give
will live in my heart forever
I will be thinking of them
"Launching into the abyss"
attending to the commands like
"Darken ship" and I will bless them always
for their roles in the defending of
our Freedoms
"We have not yet begun....
to thank you for your fight
Dear men and women
of the USS Bonhomme Richard
I read the poems you wrote to the US Naval ships, and I must say you paid us a great tribute. You mentioned several things, like colors- a ceremony we perform every evening at sunset- and daily slogans, that are easy to take for granted. We returned this morning from an 8 month Westpac. My ship, the USS CHOSIN (CG-65) has been in the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and Gulf of Oman since a few days after the first missiles flew toward Baghdad. It was a long deployment, but each one of my shipmates put every effort into our mission. We pulled into port today to a cheering crowd of families and friends- my wife was waiting on the pier for me laughing and crying at the
same time- in a freshly painted ship that looked like it had only pulled around the block on a joy ride, much less fired Tomahawks, SM2's, 5 inch 50 cals, MK 43's, 25mm's (to name a few), performed hundreds of MIO (Maritime
Interdiction Operations) boardings, tracked targets on RADAR (both friend and foe), seen countless sand storms, waves that crashed over the forecastle, 2 typhoons, 130+ degree weather, whales, dolphins, sea snakes, billions of jellyfish, even more billions of cadillacs full of Orange Muscle cleaner for the swabs, and even more billions and billions of buckets of haze grey paint. When I held my wife for the first time in 8 months all the hard times we had just been through were suddenly erased, replaced with
stories about the SAR missions I went on, helo missions, UNREPS, VERTREPS, the way the water looked such an extreme and indescribable blue at the equator, the pink and orange sky sunsets, scatter lit skies full of stars that made me small, the strong bonds I'd made with friends along the way, and how her love helped me through it all. In the end, it is the guys I served with that make this job worth it. We help each other through, we motivate each other when there is stupid-hard work to do, and today I was
able to introduce those friends, my shipmates, to the most important person in my life- my wife, who had an equally difficult time passing the minutes by until I made it back to her safely.
I loved your poems. The timing was perfect for me, just as all is being renewed. Thank you for paying such a high tribute to my shipmates, my friends, and the job we do.
(Shared with permission of Sue Delaney, Kookamonga Square Poets...thanks, Sue, and all US Navy Officers and crew)
