I found this poem among Harold's things, in the box that his wife, my Aunt Dorothy, had given to me in 1999. The author is anonymous.
This is the story of an LST,
With the fightingest crew in any Navy.
That started out in Illinois
With a few old men and a lot of young boys.
So listen closely while I delve
Into the glory and battles of the Invincible 612.
We started out with spirits high, and carefree
Little did we know what our future would be.
We made our shakedown like all the rest
And came back thinking we were the best.
We lit all the “dives” in New Orleans
Those few old men, and the boys in their teens.
Then came the time we got underway
And started looking forward to that big day.
When we would fight and win like the rest
And prove to the Japs just who was best.
Thru the Canal and to the West Coast,
Where we dropped a few hints but didn’t boast.
Of the time when we would meet the test
And prove to the world we were better than the rest.
With hearts brave and souls carefree
We happily learned our next stop would be
The Hawaiian Isles, with a harbor called Pearl,
Where the crew could grab them a hula girl.
We drank beer at the Royal, swam at Waikiki
Enjoyed the shade of a coconut tree.
As all things must end, sometime, someday,
We cast off our lines and got underway.
Our play was finished, there was work to be done
Battles to fight, and war to be won.
In ourselves we had confidence, in our ship we had pride
Our own worried minds, we all tried to hide.
We rolled and we pitched, day after day
As we plowed along, on our dangerous way.
Passing enemy-held islands, very plainly seen
Looming up in the distance, a bright green.
At a South Sea isle we stopped for the rest
Our last friendly port before the big test.
October twentieth, was the big day
When our training and teamwork began to pay.
The dawn was cool and the sun was bright
When a Zero came over, looking for a fight.
With the sky filled with tracer and red hot lead
Out of there he flew and at home he said.
“So solly please, that is no honorable place to be,
My tail is all burnt by that shooting LST.”
When we hit the beach, the fun really began
The Japs really caught hell, then turned and ran.
Their planes came in, to sink us, we guess
When the shooting had stopped, the sea was a mess.
Wreckage was floating like chips of wood
And dead Jap pilots, who never understood.
How the 612’s shooting could be so right
How an LST could show so much fight.
Yes: It was not ours to question why
We came to the Philippines to do or to die.
We are here still, doing our best
Tired and weary, in due need for a rest.
We’re looking forward to that great day
When we weigh anchor and get underway.
To God’s country we call it the “States”
Where there’s plenty of beer, and plenty of dates.
But till that day comes, plenty of fighting we’ll do
The fighting and invincible Six One Two.