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To the Crew of '89 From the Crew of '44 by Otto Romanelli (Written the week after the plane crash that caused five fatalities) Two generations span our years
But we are here to share your tears. It was the same season in forty-four That the Kamikaze hit during the war. Your late shipmates now join the ranks Of other brave sailors to whom. Our nation owes much thanks. Let the blood that has stained these decks Accrue to the honor of our Lady Lex. So let us mourn but also be proud And carry on with heads unbowed. May your grief be brief and your memory long, May your hearts be tender and your spirits strong.
BROTHERHOOD by Otto Romanelli (Prepared for the USS Lexington, Reunion, Lexington KY 19 September, 1998) Those that go down to the sea in ships Share the dangers of Nature's fury And the bombs and torpedoes of enemy fire. These risks form bonds stronger than those of blood And create the extended family of brotherhood Our youthful abandon spurred commitment to flag, and nation, Unconcerned of danger to life and limb. Those of our brothers who paid the ultimate price Have earned our devotion to their memory And cemented the bonds of our surviving brotherhood. I salute you brothers, one and all.
(A plank owner of CV-16, Lieutenant Romanelli rose to become Division Officer of Gunnery #8 and to the most responsible position on the carrier Officer of the Deck under way in combat waters.) A word about Romanelli in addition to what I have on the next page that should be printed at the bottom of the poems. Otto is a native of New York City, and except for his navy years, spent his entire career in Manhattan. He lived at that time on Long Island as did my other roommate, Dick Adelson. Otto and his wife Dorothy recently moved to Denver to be closer to their children.
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