(Written after the Battle of Salerno - September 9, 1943)
By: Rev. Zerden Billie ( Z.B. ) (Passed on 10-Mar- 1984)
By: Rev. Zerden Billie ( Z.B. )
From all over the country came
the sailors to the camp
At Camp Bradford in Virginia in the month of March so damp.
Several hundred sailors so anxious then to know,
The kind of duty on them the Navy would bestow.
With eager ears they listened for news each night and morn,
Until there came an answer, and the Ole Fourth Beach was born.
Yes, the Ole Fourth Beach Battalion with its men so brave and true,
Rolled up their bags and hammocks for a trip across the blue.
They boarded ship one April day and kissed the States goodbye,
And crossed the Atlantic to fight, to live or die.
They quartered with the Army; they carried an Army pack.
They slept in holes and ditches and in the Army's sack.
These boys are not sailors, because they cannot be;
For sailor boys are only boys who travel on the sea.
And yet they joined the Navy and their training it was tough.
They'd rather been upon a ship in waves so very rough.
But duty it had called them to fight for liberty,
And so again they boarded ship and sailed for Sicily.
They landed on the beaches, the Germans they did run;
And after all the shooting, the boys had lots of fun.
Again a few months later came a call to sail once more;
Go sail into Salerno Bay and land upon its shore.
The Jerries they were` ready and they showed a lot of fight.
Their tanks, they started shooting and laid shells both left and right.
Their planes thought they would bomb us and scare us all quite well.
We only worked the harder and said, "Ah Jerry, go to hell!"
The Ole Fourth Beach Battalion did not fight up in the air;
And neither has it heroes, but 'tis known that it was there.
It did its job as best it could, as everyone does know,
And that's the thing it will always do where ever it may go.
Oh yes, these boys, these sailor boys, who fight upon the land,
Are proud to fight, are proud to be a help to Uncle Sam.
They love their country's freedom, they love both peace and right.
They are a bunch of sailor boys, who work with all their might.
And when the war is over and the Victory is won,
And peace rings out across the hills, and all their work is done;
They'll settle down and live in peace as years are rolling by;
Oh yes, they know, Oh yes, we know, The Ole Fourth will never die!
Z.B. Duncan
Mate 1/c
Zerden Billie Duncan, known by his friends and family as "ZB" enlisted in the Navy in August 1942 because he was proud to serve his beloved United States, but didn't want to be a foot soldier in the Army. Little did he know that after training at Camp Bradford near Norfolk, Virginia, he'd end up on three invasions - wearing Army uniforms and gear!
ZB shipped out to New York and boarded a ship for North Africa. There he trained some more with the guys that he'd serve with in
the US Naval Fourth Beach Battalion, a new experimental unit that went in with
the first waves of Army infantry onto the beaches of Sicily, Salerno and
Southern France. Casualties were high.
Z.B. Duncan en route to chow Photo by Donald Palmer (Tent City - Salerno Italy)
Salerno was the worst. When they were getting ready to hit
the water to charge ashore, the first 4 men off of the boat were mowed down by
German fire. ZB fell down and others fell on top of him. Then the
boat backed out and went in at another place. While under fire, ZB saw a comrade
fall after being hit
on the battlefield and went to minister to him. The
man asked ZB, " I'm not going to go home, am I? I'm not going to go
home." Then he died in ZB's arms.
When the rest of the Fourth Beach Battalion packed up and went back to Arzew to
prepare for the So. France invasion, ZB and a small crew stayed on the beach for
another 30 days supporting the Army. The Beach Battalion guys came
back to Salerno to build tent city. While there, he took a trip up to
Naples to see how much damage the Germans had caused
to that city.
ZB's wife had a baby girl while he was away at war. He
didn't get to meet his daughter until he returned from Europe in October 1944.
He did get to visit Rome, which was a highlight in his journey to Italy.
After service in Europe, ZB went to Oceanside, CA where he trained for the Pacific invasions. He was stationed in Siapan.
In 1952, ZB Duncan became, the Reverend ZB Duncan, an ordained
minister. He used his experiences in the Fourth Beach Battalion to assist
him in his ministries, including two radio sermons.
Donald Palmer (L) and Z.B. Duncan (R) after work at Tent City Salerno Italy
Double click on radio icons to read two inspirational messages!
RADIO
SERMON:
RADIO SERMON:
Birth of Our
Nation
Prayer
(With the Homecoming
Story)
(With the Invasion Story)
Rev. Z.B.
Duncan
Rev. Z.B. Duncan