James F. Fanlon

• Machinist Mate Second Class
• Served: 1942 – 1945
• World War II – on Destroyer USS Shields
• Machinist Mate

Deceased March 15, 2003. Cremated.

A poem written by James Fanlon on the last day of World War II:

THE WAR IS OVER
The War is Over!
Haven’t you heard
The War is Over!
Put your leg back on Matey.
The War is Over!
And you, Mate, put your arm back on,
The War is Over!
You, lying with your face buried in the sand,
Get Up!
The War is Over!
All you buddies, lying in hospital beds,
They’ve called it off,
Get up!
The War is Over!
You, gibbering out of your mind,
act normal again,
The War is Over!
Open your eyes and see again, Mate
The War is Over!
All you lads lying quietly in your graves,
Get up now!
They say it’s all over
The bombs and shells no longer fall,
It’s all so quiet and peaceful,
The War is Over!
The radio blares it,
The people shout it in the streets,
The War is Over!
It’s all so easy, That’s all it takes,
The War is Over!
“The War is Over – Hell.”