From Ivan L. Fail

Hi Frank:

I am truly honored. Thank you for giving me this tremendous opportunity to express my profound respect and deep appreciation for those who have sacrificed so much for our Freedom, our country, our God, our families and the

freedom of the citizens of other countries who want and deserve the same freedoms that you and I too often "take for granted". Consequently I can't begin to tell you what your posting of of this "Tribute" and the others on your web site means to me. It gives me a sense of "giving back" to those who gave me so much! And you have handed that privilege to me "on a Silver Platter". You are engaged in a great, noble and poignant mission and I "salute you for it". It says a lot about you.

Several years ago I composed "The War Lord's Trial On Judgment Day". I will be sending it to you. Again rest assured that I don't expect you to post every poem that I send you on your site although I am very honored when you do. I just think you may "identify" with it.

I would love to come out to Lompoc, meet you and your family and look around the area as well "just for old time's sake".

Incidentally several years ago after reading a "letter to the Editor" from a WWII Combat Nurse who pointed out that the combat nurses got little if any recognition for their sacrifice and heroism I composed a poem titled "The Combat Nurse" which I will also send you.

I sent it to Kansas City to Josephine Clark the former Combat Nurse who wrote that letter to the editor. She "put it in circulation" and I later got a letter from another WWII Combat Nurse by the name of June Wandrey who also authored the book "The Bed Pan Commando" which I obtained an autographed copy of. I also got a phone call from the Viet Nam war Combat Nurse who authored the book "A Piece Of My Heart" and who appeared on national television. At the moment I forget her name.

After retiring from the Federal Prison System in 1988 I started driving over the road for CFI out of Joplin, Missouri. On a run out of Taylor, Michigan to some point west I passed through the area where June Wandrey and her husband lived around Battle Creek as I recall. I visited them, swapped stories and had dinner with them. That was around 1993 or 94 or thereabouts. About a year or so ago I happened to pick up a copy of WWII Magazine which included a notice of June's death and a story of her service.

I don't know if I told you or not but my school teacher in grades three through most of the sixth grade had two sons in WWII. One was in the Coast Guard and a crewman on converted luxury liner ferrying troops through Wolf Pack U-Boat infected frigid waters to Europe and bringing combat casualties and guys and gals who had finished their tours --, and enemy POW's back to the states.

Her other son Wendell was in the Marine Corps and made the Guadalcanal, Guam and Iwo Jima invasions. He was there from "D-Day" through the 36th day. He told me about seeing the B-29 fly over on only one engine but didn't know what happened to it. I landed there on a training exercise on the 11th anniversary of his landing there and was able to report to him that the plane had made a safe landing -, because I had read the story in a book. My poem "Against All The Odds-Mission Complete" is about that aircraft.

My youngest brother John aka Jack followed me into the Marine Corps in 1966. He was at El Toro Marine Air Base in California awaiting a flight to Viet Nam on Easter Sunday 1967. On Thursday, just three days before Easter I learned that his best boyhood and teenhood buddy Army PFC Charles Greer had been killed in action in Viet Nam. That evening I called John and informed him --, and composed the first poem I ever wrote titled "Your War" and sent it to  my Congressman Missouri 7th District Congressman Durward G Hall who

asked permission to enter it in the Congressional Record.

He said that if he had  had it in his possession a day or so earlier he would have read it on the House Floor to Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. I answered him that if he would see that Mr. MacNamara got a copy of the poem that he could enter it in the Congressional Record. Which he did in May of 1967 as I recall.

I arranged for John to be assigned as Military escort to meet Charles -, what was left of him -,  at Oakland for the trip to Neodesha, Kansas and burial there. My wife, two daughters met them in Tulsa  and while John stood at attention  and saluting, the funeral director and I uncrated the casket. We both knew "what the story was" when the two of us lifted it  into the hearse.

There wasn't much left of Charles as John confirmed when he got in the car with us. After the services for Charles, John departed for Viet Nam and was assigned to HMM-262, The Ugly Angels flying Medi Vac and ground support missions.  He came home a "different man", his wife divorced him and he has had a lot of health problems. Several years ago a man who operates a flying service just east of Tulsa Oklahoma found a "salvage helicopter" and restored it to flying  condition after finding that it had been in Viet Nam and in The Ugly Angels when John was there. This man hosted a reunion for the guys and provided rides for them on the "Bird". I composed a poem in their honor titled The Long Black Wall And The Ugly Angels Of HMM-362. I will send you a copy. I will also send a copy of "The Cross Of Viet Nam".

Thanks again Frank and I will be sending you more for your own "edification" or posting on your site which ever you choose.



Ivan

LONG BEFORE THE GUNS AND TANKS.

Long before the guns, the tanks,

or the bombs and missiles extract their toll,

the despots in a nation’s ranks --,

must erode ethics in “Society’s Soul”.

Divide and conquer has always been the path

that Tyranny persistently “trods”,

the very first step Tyranny must take-,

is undermine faith and reliance on God.

God is the Parent Source of Integrity,

when God’s outlawed integrity dies,

tis then the Code of Corruption is born,

tyrannical greed, predation and lies.

“In the name of the law” -,

the Ultimate Law, is thus outlawed and rendered “moot”,

by a legal brief, a law degree, a Black Robe

and a “frivolous suit”.

Tis then that politics, law and free enterprise -,

instantly morphs into a Beast,

tis then the powerless, disorganized masses become

the prey and “fare for it’s feast”.

Void of the Bridle of Moral Restraint”,

Society begins its march to decay.

Thus Society declares “War on itself” -,

as Society’s Predators are competing to prey.

Pitting the masses against themselves -,

then churning that conflict with litigation,

Society’s predators “pocket’s the spoils” --,

while enslaving the masses --, in the Market Place,

in the Courts -, and in the Congress of the nation.

When societal peace, prosperity and unity -,

is consistently sabotaged by “greed triggered war”,

there will be no peace, prosperity and unity-,

so Tyranny struts in ---, through the “Back Door”!

                                                       Ivan L Fail

                                                       Sparta, MO © 2010

                                                        ilf@centurytel.net