War - Ww2 - My Father As Part Of The Greatest Generation Poem by Paul Warren

My father told me of his days on the destroyer
Sailing the Pacific on the HMAS Arunta as a sailor
He manned the guns and learnt the craft
Of defending Australia before the mast

The Australian ships had no marine soldiers
So the gunners were shore parties on their shoulders
There were times that made him laugh
With drunken sailors in a shore leave draft

The gun he carried was a Thompson machine gun
Which suited him and firing it he said was some fun
But other times when fired upon caused him some fright
All in all he took the good with the bad knowing he was doing was right

The HMAS Arunta cruised with the American Seventh Fleet
At the end of World War 2 disarming the the IJN to deplete
So he did his duty for the Australian nation
For us all as part of the greatest generation

© Paul Warren Poetry