Lee Ann's History class

Dared to take another look,

At American history

Not found in a book.

For, on Tuesday assembled

In one big room at GCCC,

Were gathered many soldiers

Whose actions kept America free!

Present were brave aged men.

From survivors of Bataan

To prisoners who were held

Captive by the Island of Japan.

There was a man who endured

D-Day at Normandy's beach,

And the Battle of the Bulge;

What history he could teach!

Who was this brave soldier?

Why, his name is Richard Zinn.

I'd like to sit and talk with him

About the battles he was in.

Among those present was

an Eighth Air Force man,

Whose age is eighty three,

Flew the B-17 into Germany's land.

Flew thirty-five missions

In the B-17 known as Winnie C.

He could talk for hours

About his bombing runs in Germany.

I talked with a POW man and

learned he was not far away

From Hiroshima when the Enola Gay

Loosed her dreadful load that day!

From 31,600 feet at 8:15 a.m..

And seven seconds past,

We loosed the dreaded load,

And that was her last.

Down, down the "thin man" fell,

Till and when the uranium split.

There was a flash from Hell,

And a scorching from the pit!

This young airman of WWII

Has stood in the bomb bay

Of that great and noble ship,

The one we call The Enola Gay.

Gone are the days when we were young,

Our faces show the strain,

But our memories of the past

Live the war all over again.

How I'd love to sit and talk

With all the warriors who yet can walk,

And perhaps shed some tears,

As we share our lives of former years.

Each man here today would stand to say,

"What we did back then, we'd do again,

To keep this great land in Freedom's court,

Where waves the flag and liberty so remains."