1958 two big things in this young Airman's life.
Lost two friends, near death, and Yankees win
I was stationed at Great Lakes Naval base
That unusual because I was in the Air Force
50 Airman selected for special training
I went through army basic Air Force basic
Naval Corpsman are Marine Medics
Just out of basic a third basic training
Basic training was with Marine training
They wanted a few good men to try and break
I survived the death march Marine Tech Sargent
I raised my hat, they were using live amunition
Trying to see that Air Force candidates did not
survive training in the Hospital wards was next
But there was also a Asian flu epidemic
70,000 deaths, many at Great Lakes Naval Hospital
One ward was referred to as the final resting place
The Yankees played my beloved White Sox
Two games winner in the world series
First game my hero Jimmy Rivera stole home
Whitesox 2-1, win second game crosstown World series
Leading perfect game 4-0 two outs last inning Ed Lopat tired
A walk, an error and Yogi Berra, 4-3
Bases loaded and they were unloaded
Able in person to see Mickey Mantle hit a home run
The Yankees next day won the playoffs
It would be Yankees--Milwaukee in the series
At the USO club a girl took a liking to me
In a Navy town Air Force uniforms impresses the girls
That's me on my welcome site alive and well
Dad had tickets to the World series
She was told to bring along some military personal
My friends and I had box seat ticket to the games
Reporting back at the hospital a thermometer was put in my mouth
My two Navy friends were admitted as patients
I awoke a Corpsman was taking my pulse
"Well--welcome back to the real world!"
I had no idea what he was talking about
I thought it was the day of the first series game
As a Nurse approached, "You owe this lady your life."
You see I was one of the few if only to make it out
of the Ward known as the final resting place
"I have to get dressed, I have World Series tickets."
Was informed I had been in a coma during the series
The Yankees won the world series in seven games.
Never able to see the girl who had given me the tickets again
*The rest of the story: My two friends did not make it
out of the final resting place. Not many did!
I lay in fever and coma for days. The Angel, a nurse,
after her usual shift slept by my bedside. She would
not let me die. Fever went over a hundred and four,
She put me in ice in the sitz bath tub until it broke
She could not do that for every patient. She was my
Angel. If I have regrets I was 19. Embarrassed she might
have had a crush on me and she was between mine and my
mother's age, albeit attractive,had seen me nude! I was
Shy kid really, shipped out the next day brought her flowers.
At that age it was baseball and young girls, and I was
embarrassed she might have thought more of me than saving
my life. I threw away her address and name. We do things
in our youth we regret. I have always wished I could find
this lovely Angel. Do something more for her.
