When we were wet

Behind the ears,

And not very wise,

Which is no surprise.

Many of us

When growing up,

Growled like a big dog,

But acted like a pup.

In those days

Prior to forty-one,

We were carefree

Playing in the sun.

After December of 41

Things began to change,

Not just our voices,

But an M.O.S. within our range!

We began to

Notice all the curves,

On planes around us,

Which triggered our nerves.

To be quite honest,

We did notice other things,

And had future dreams

Of sweethearts and wedding rings!

But Uncle had a way

Of changing all that;

Put big shoes on our feet,

And on our heads, a funny hat.

Sent us off for "Basic",

Gave us tests of every kind;

Conditioned all our muscles

And illuminated our mind!

Sat some down in an AT-6,

Or trained Navs to make a fix

On some far-distant shore,

Wet behind the ears no more!

Some got to fly the 29

With harbors in Japan to mine;

Yet others flew on to Tokyo,

With fire bombs to loose below!

No longer wet

Behind the ears,

And now wise we are

Beyond our years!

Copyright © C. Douglas Caffey
All Rights Reserved