Veterans Day - "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition"

I found this quote on the Yale University Press web site yesterday while processing a book order. I shared it with some friends and received the following history lesson behind it. I thought I would continue to share it with you all as the troops on campus are celebrating Veterans Day today.

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"the rest ofthe story", as given on http://my.execpc.com/~dschaaf/praise.html

"Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition"; was written by FrankLoesser. According to the song a chaplain ("sky pilot") was with some fightingmen who were being attacked by an enemy. (Generally given at the time to be theJapanese at Pearl Harbor.) He was asked to say a prayer for the men who wereengaged in the firing at the on-coming Japanese planes. The chaplain; the songwent on to infer, put down his bible, manned one of the ship's gun turrets andbegin firing back, saying, "Praise The Lord and pass the ammunition".

Now; however, there are now facts available setting the story straight.

According to the writer, Jack S. McDowall, through the years the lyrics of thesong have generally credited "a chaplain" manning the gun turrets of a ship,while under attack. "This was not true". says, McDowell.

For some time, long after the attack at Pearl Harbor, stories and reportscontinued to pop-up about the incident, involving a chaplain who was to haveuttered the now famous words, "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition."

These stories eventualy made their way through the servicemen back to thepress. The press, as McDowell noted, . . . led some writers erroneously toidentify other chaplains as authors of the phrase.

Nonetheless, the real Chaplain, Howell Forgy, aboard the U.S.S. New Orleans;during the Japanese attack, was that Chaplain. He was a Lieutenant (j.g.) onthat Sunday morning in December, 1941.

Another Lieutenant who had been in charge of an ammunition line on the USS NewOrleans during the attack remembered.

"I heard a voice behind me saying, Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition. Iturned and saw Chaplain Forgy walking toward me along the line of men. He waspatting the men on the back and making that remark to cheer them and keep themgoing. I know it helped me a lot, too", he said.

Another Lieutenant j.g. said, the men aboard the USS New Orleans wouldthereafter kid Chaplain Forgy about the role he played whenever they heard thesong that had been written. They also encouraged him to set the record straightas to who actually said what. According to that same Lieutenant the Chaplainwould decline saying he felt "the episode should remain a legend rather than beassociated with any particular person."

Author McDowell said that press reporters were eventually permitted tointerview men of the U.S.S. New Orleans involved in the "ammunition" story.Chaplain Forgy's superior officers set up a meeting with some of the press and;at last, the the real story of the wonderful song and the wonderful man who hadinspired it was finally confirmed.

The preceeding information was provided by Henry Wristen, President of theU.S.S New Orleans (CA-32) Reunion Association."Pearl Harbor: Remembered" Web site thanks him.

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The Song

Down went the gunner, a bullet was his fate
Down went the gunner, then the gunners mate
Up jumped the sky pilot, gave the boys a look
And manned the gun himself as he laid aside The Book, shouting
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition and we'll all stay free!

Praise the Lord and swing into position!
Can't afford to sit around and wishin'
Praise the Lord we're all between perdition
and the deep blue sea!

Yes the sky pilot said it
You've got to give him credit
for a son - of - gun - of - a - gunner was he,
Shouting;
Praise the Lord we're on a mighty mission!
All aboard, we're not a - goin' fishin;
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition and we'll all stay free!