Photo of a book called Midwatch in Verse, New Year's Deck Log Poetry of the United States Navy, 1941-1946

Back when I was conceiving of what I might want to include in my midwatch entry, I stumbled upon this book. I made a "mental note" to go look for it later, and fortunately it was one that didn't evaporate.

It's not cheap, but the subject matter is likely of specialized interest. I've read two of the entries, and it's well written and researched. I'll do a more thorough review after I've read the entire book.

My father was something of a poet as a young man of 18 in the Pacific aboard an LCS, a "Mighty Midget," dodging kamikaze attacks and firing rockets ashore at Iwo Jima. Dad had dropped out of school in the 8th grade to go to work full time to support his widowed mother. That's what he told us; but now I'm wondering what the laws were regarding child labor back then? Anyway, at 17, he enlisted in the navy and the rest is history. These poems were written by commissioned officers, many of whom appear to be Naval Academy graduates. Dad got his GED in 1967, at the age of 40. He was very proud of it, attending "night school" classes to prepare for it.

Anyway, I'm more interested in history these days than the future. Looking forward to this.

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Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:54 Saturday, 30 March 2024