LCI (G) 450 Poems by William Summerly


	Life on an LCI could be terrifying one minute and boring the next. Not everything went according to plan when Mother Nature or the enemy had other ideas. Here are two poems by William Summerly, LCI (G) 450 about the tribulations and trials under fire that the crew faced -- and about one such snafu that actually led to 50 marines being rescued from pounding surf.


	Part I Part II Part III Poems from LCI 450 LCI 450: Iwo Jima SPECIAL DISPATCH TO NEW YORK TIMES : ' CUSSED ' LCI SAVES FIFTY FROM DROWNING


	OUR WELCOME by William Summerly, LCI (G) 450 Could I borrow the makings, sailor Perhaps you'll hear my tale I'm off the USS 4-5-0 And we just picked up our mail We haven't many people to speak to Our welcome's mighty thin All we get is cussing From the convoy that brought us in. We left the Marshall Islands about a month ago The LSTs had to tow us in So the convoy was mighty slow They could have been here two weeks ago With liberty every night So I have to be careful who I speak to Or there's liable to be a fight.The 4-5-0s a fighting ship But it's mostly among the crew The trouble started at Jacob's Pass That's where we lost our screw.But maybe I'm boring you sailor But I'm as lonesome as can be I should have been back at midnight And now it's almost three..So think of us in the taprooms Nobody wants us there We used to dangle at the end of their tail But now we get in their hair.


	SAGA OF THE 450 It was January 6, ë44 When last we saw the sun beating down on the California Shore We were headed for sea And on our way our first stop to be Wiliwili Bay. After ten days at sea We sighted land Our seasick sailors thought it was grand They dreamed of liberty, women and beer But the captain said, ìWe're not staying hereî ìThere's a war to be fought and we're on our wayî ìTo capture the Marshalls for the U.S.A.î " We took on water and headed out To lick the Japs in our first bout It was eleven days later we sighted shore They were the Jap held island that we had come for. On our first trip in, we did ok Our rockets and shells held the Japs at bay.Then the marines took over and went on in And cleaned out the Japs with plenty of vim Then we swung on out and our speed was fast There were treacherous reefs on Jacobs Pass The surf was high and the current strong And no markers to guide us when we came along The reef was under us the first we knew We tried our best. Even our tanks we blew. We wanted to get off and join the fray Our purpose: to lick the Japs and join the fray We didn't succeed The reef held us fast It was a mother's prayer being answered at last Perhaps her boy was one of the marines. Wrecked on the reef with no hope it seemedFifty-two living and one that died Were brought on board and fed and dried The 4-5-0 was stuck But you cannot say We didn't do our duty As we saw it that day. Now we're bound for Pearl Harbor At the end of the line And we only hope the weather stays fine. We want to get there and receive our mail To hear if the folks are hearty and hale If our loved ones miss us as we do them Now all we want is to get home again.