A Hero Named Ray
Mrs. Jackson I am writing
About your husband Ray.
How, in service to his country,
He saved us all today.
The crew only saw his color,
Another ***** cook.
No one ever really bothered
To take a deeper look.
They assumed he was a coward,
Their label for his race.
They believed, he and his people,
Needed to know their place.
But your husband kept on smiling,
His spirit never broke.
And if someone was feeling low,
Ray was quick with a joke.
But today, no one was laughing,
When we went on alert,
Twenty seven sailors were killed,
And many more were hurt.
A Japanese fighter squadron
Cut us off from the fleet.
Each time we tried to buy some time,
Our efforts met defeat.
Through the fire, and hail of bullets,
Ray ran out on the deck,
To the anti-aircraft turret,
Where he earned our respect.
He kept the zeros on the run,
And bought time for his crew,
He gave the fleet the needed time
To come to our rescue.
But a kamikaze pilot
Brought Ray’s life to a close.
Though not before he won the day,
And saved us from our foes.
He saved my life, my ship, and crew,
I am in awe of Ray.
It breaks my heart to tell you that
A hero died today.
Copyright © Mark Spencer | Year Posted 2011
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