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THE GREATEST GENERATION
by

JOHN M. ARRIBAS



Many Have Called Them the Greatest Generation
They Had Struggled and Survived, an Ugly Depression
It Was an Era of Hard Times and Simple Diversions
Like Bank Night, Singalongs  and Picnic Excursions
Band Concerts under the Gazebo, in the City Park
Unemployment at Twenty Five Percent: Dismal and Dark
Skilled Men Riding the Rails, Seeking Any Employment
Being with Friends and Family Was the Best of Enjoyment

Then Suddenly Jolted by an Unprovoked Attack
Every American Rallied, as One, to Counterattack
That Monday Morning Young Men Still in Their Teens
Enlisted in the Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Marines
They Had No Taste or Training in the Art (Disease) of War
Sunday at Pearl Harbor, Gave Them a Goal, Settle the Score

Young Men Were Prepared to Sacrifice Their Lives
In Order to Make Sure That, Our Freewill Survives
They Were Raw Recruits from Every Part of the Land
United in One Theme to Preserve Freedom, Make a Stand
Many First Generation Born Americans, Free of Serfdom
Whose Immigrant Parents Knew the Value of Freedom

An Attack That Roused Patriots from Every State
From Villages, Towns and Cities in the Forty Eight
They Banded Together to Defeat Diabolical Forces
They Died in Far off Places Before They Could Vote
Death Fields Named Tarawa, Anzio, Monte Cassino
Bastogne, Bataan, Omaha Beach, Okinawa and Iwo

A Diabolical and Fanatic Enemy in the Pacific
A Sinister and Sophisticated Foe in the Atlantic
Marauding Wolf Packs, Sinking Thousands of Tons
Fanatical Charges, Causing Bone Chilling Fears
Assaulting an Island Against Dug in Forces
Casualty Lists Told of the Mounting Losses 



Generation(2)

Some Were Young Men from the Lower East Side
Others from Florida, Idaho,  Texas and Oceanside
Stick  Ballers from the Bronx and Queens
They Came from Cornfields, Ranches, City Streets,
Mines, Factories, Dairies with One Goal to Complete
A Unified Force to Rid the World of Tyrannical Regimes

Many Were Killed in Places Not Knowing its Name
Called Midway, the Coral Sea,  Peleliu, Kwajalein
The Beheading of Pilots from Doolittle’s Raid
All Atrocities Committed Were Sure to Be Repaid
Corregidor and Bataan Were Reasons for Uniting
To Defeat the Tyrannies That They Were Are Fighting

On the Other Side of the World, Battles Ensued
At El Alamein, Benghazi, Palermo , St. Lo, Salerno
Ardennes, Caen, Utah Beach, Ramagen, Omaha
Just to Name a Few Where Fellow Americans Paid
For Freedom with Their Lives with Their Future
And Their Sanity All for the Sake of Freedom

Much Praise Can Be Heaped on the Fighting Men, but
It Was the Home Front That Held Everything Together
Men and Women Gave up Their Famed Careers to Join and
Entertain the Troops. Service Men Were Invited by
Strangers to Share a Meal. Victory Gardens Sprung up
So Vegetables Would Go to the War Effort. Service Men
Were Invited to Many Events. Civilians Came Home
From Work, Rested a Bit: and Went to a Defense Plant for
Four Hours or More. Children Knit Patches for
Use as Blankets. Everything Was Rationed Yet They
Managed to Share Autos, Gas and Essentials with Each
Other. Service Men a Long Way from Home Were Made
To Feel Welcome Where Ever They Were. Men to Old
To Serve Volunteered for Any Duty That Was Essential
To the War Effort. Women Did the Work of Men. The
Entire Nation Was Focused on One Thing “Victory”

When a Nation Comes Together in a Common Cause
The Strength of Purpose Erases Most Flaws
Despite Multiple Cultures, Origins and Nationality
They Became the Greatest in the Spirit of Unity
Yes in Deed. The Greatest Generation
























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