Nostalgia

A quasi farm boy, just like me,
joined the Navy and was to see;
First plane ride, from Island Whidbey,
down the coast, the trip for me.
Then to my home, USS Marsh 699, DE.
Shipped out from San Diego, now at sea,
Pearl Harbor, Midway Island, my litany.
Home Port Guam; Island surveillance to be,
the Marshall Islands, Eniwetok, Truk and Bikini.
Heading South, across the Equator, was my duty,
the ritual of initiation, now a "Shellback" you see
and we crossed the line by Kapingamarangi.
Back to Guam, the R & R for me.
North was our heading, going back to sea,
stopping at the Islands, Jima; Haha and Chichi.
Then to the Island of the Rising Sun, for me,
into the shipyards at Yokosuka, our destiny.
Repairs completed, headed South, visiting Island Ulithia.
Going ashore, with Natives in loin cloths a sight to see.
Getting underway, once again, our next journey,
back to San Diego, where I like to be.