{"id":16391,"date":"2017-08-28T21:37:35","date_gmt":"2017-08-28T21:37:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/?p=16391"},"modified":"2017-08-28T21:37:35","modified_gmt":"2017-08-28T21:37:35","slug":"life-island-times-deep-blue-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/life-island-times-deep-blue-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"Life & Island Times: Deep Blue Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s Note:<\/strong> I have some shipmates I am eager to see at the Fleet Landing on the other side of the Styx. Well, not that eager. I am happy to take my time if I am granted it. My family had river sailors in the Civil War- Union, of course, part of Operation Anaconda- but the rest were all soldiers, from the Revolution forward. It was Uncle Dick, pathfinder pilot of The Mighty Eighth over Europe in The Big One that made my Dad decide to be a Navy pilot, since carrier landings were the only thing that could hold a candle to what Dick did. As for people like Marlow and me? We did what we could. See you at Fleet Landing, if not before.<\/p>\n

– Vic<\/p>\n

\"082817-1-LIT\"<\/p>\n

Author’s note:<\/strong> I am my family’s generational contribution to a long line of mariners. We stretch back to the 19th century’s Imperial Prussian Navy and beyond. Against the daily chaotic and perhaps neglectful backdrop of the bridge team members who pilot our ship of state, the recent loss of life in this former WESTPAC sailor’s domain caused me to reflect on conversations — real past ones and imagined future ones.<\/p>\n

– Marlow<\/p>\n

The last good word I heard my grandson say
\nThe last good word I heard my grandson say <\/p>\n

If I die, if I die in a war at sea
\nShip my body to my ma
\nIf my mother can’t take me, ship it to my pa
\nIf my papa’s gone, ship it to my girl
\nIf my girl refuses me, shove me into the sea
\nWhere fishes and sharks will fuss over me<\/p>\n

If they’re too far away from the sea, don\u2019t let them bury my poor soul
\nJust leave me out, let the worms eat me whole<\/p>\n

When you hear I’m comin’ home on a train
\nGo to the depot, be patient, I’ll have no pain
\nDon’t cry if on time it don\u2019t come
\nThere\u2019ll still some things to be done<\/p>\n

My grandpa told me, just before he died
\nThe Pacific Ocean, you know, it\u2019s deep and wide
\nHis son (my pa) fought the Japanese on that ocean’s other side
\nHe said I shouldn’t feel shame for cold fighting commies with quiet pride <\/p>\n

What life has done to me never got out of me
\nI fought the Germans in the Great War across the Atlantic sea
\nI\u2019ll see you later, after you cross life’s deep blue sea <\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2017 From My Isle Seat
\nwww.vicsocotra.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor’s Note: I have some shipmates I am eager to see at the Fleet Landing on the other side of the Styx. Well, not that eager. I am happy to take my time if I am granted it. My family had river sailors in the Civil War- Union, of course, part of Operation Anaconda- but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-island-times"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16391"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16394,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16391\/revisions\/16394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}