CLAUDE WILLIAM "BILL" LATTIN
NOW THIS SAILOR WAS IN RADIO
THEY SEND AND RECEIVED ALL THE MESSAGES 
THAT TOLD US WHERE TO GO
THEY KNEW HOW TO UNCODE THE MESSAGES THAT CAME IN
AND CODE UP ALL MESSAGES THAT THE 
CAPTAIN SENT NO MATTER WHEN

THERE WAS ALLWAYS SOME ONE IN THE RADIO SHACK
THEY WERE THE FIRST ONE TO KNOW WHAT ORDERS CAME BACK
BUT THEY WOULD NEVER TELL A SOUL
THE CAPTAIN WAS THE ONE TO TELL US WHAT WAS OUR GOAL

NOW WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO BILL THAT NIGHT
WHEN WE WERE SUNK BY THE JAP'S IN THE FIGHT 
BUT I WILL BET WHAT EVER HE DID
HIS FAMILY CAN BE MIGHTY PROUD OF THAT KID

HE LIKE EIGHT HUNDRED MORE
GAVE HIS LIFE FOR THE RIGHTS ALL AMERICANS ADORE
AND TO HIS FAMILY THAT SOME WE NOW KNOW
YOU CAN BE PROUD OF THAT BROTHER THAT YOU LOST LONG AGO

I AS ONE OF THE THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT
DON'T KNOW WHY I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE 
NOT SUFFER THE SAME FATE
BUT ALL OF THOSE THAT WERE LOST ON THAT NIGHT
 DID A LOT OF FIGHTING BEFORE THEY 
PERISHED IN THE FIGHT

SO TO ALL OF THE FAMILIES OF OUR
 MEN THAT PERISHED THAT NIGHT
YOU CAN BE PROUD OF THE MEN YOU SENT TO FIGHT
WE WERE OUT NUMBERED AND WE KNEW WE COULD NOT WIN
BUT OUR COUNTRY NEEDED TIME AND 
TO GIVE IT SOME LIVES HAD TO END
 
AMERICA THANKS YOU FOR YOUR PRECIOUS GIFT
WITH OUT IT OUR WAY OF LIFE 
WOULD BE WITH OUT A LIFT
THERE IS SOME THAT HAVE TO ANSWER THE CALL
AND WHEN NEEDED SOME AMERICANS 
HAVE ALL WAYS GIVEN ALL


CLEMENT D. (BUTCH) BURROUGHS

HERE IS TO A GENTLEMAN DOCTOR THAT I BARLEY KNEW
FOR HE WAS AN OFFICER DOCTOR AND I WAS A SEAMAN TWO
NOW REALLY THAT DON'T MATTER BECAUSE
 WE WERE ON THE SAME SHIP
NOW HE JOINS THE OTHERS THAT 
HAVE MADE THEIR LAST TRIP


IMAGINE BEING A DOCTOR WITH 
A HUNDRED WOUNDED MEN
I WONDER HOW THEY KNEW WHERE 
TO START OR HOW TO BEGIN 
BUT WE KNEW THAT OUR MEDICAL STAFF 
WAS SECOND TO NONE
AND ALL OF THEM STARTED AND 
TOOK CARE OF EVERY ONE


SO JEAN THIS IS A LITTLE POEM TO
 GIVE PRAISE TO YOUR MAN
WE HOPE THE HAPPINESS AND JOYS YOU SHARED
 UNDER THE WEDDING BAND
WILL COMFORT AND KEEP YOU AND GIVE YOU STRENGTH 
TO AIM FOR THE LIGHT AHEAD
AND MAKE FOR YOU A GOOD LIFE 
ONCE THE SORROWS YOU HAVE SHED


SO MAY THE LOVE YOU SHARED GIVE YOU COMFORT EVERY DAY
AND MAY THE THOUGHTS OF HIM HELP YOU FIND THE WAY
AND IF THERE IS ANYTHING ANY OF HIS SHIPMATES CAN DO
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CALL AND WE WILL BE THERE FOR YOU