Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James
Manned by hard fighting men both of honor and fame?
She flew the Stars and Stripes of the land of the free
But tonight she’s in her grave on the bottom of the sea
I am reading a book Annapolis Goes to War by Craig Symonds. He is a professor of History at Annapolis, and I came upon him thru my Teaching Company lecture series. He is a fabulous lecturer. And his presentation extends to the printed page. This is my second book that he has penned, and when I read each sentence I hear his voice… the way he would intone a phrase {SIDE BAR: the greatest compliment I get from my writing is when someone says, “I hear your voice. I hear you telling the story}.
This book follows the trail of specific members of the Class of 1940 as they travel the steps from plebe on entry to Annapolis, thru to graduation, thru to assignment and into maelstrom of war when some would lose their lives.
My reading today brought me to the incident when the American Destroyer Reuben James (DD- 245) was sunk by a German U-Boat in October 1941 in advance of our declaration of war. Reuben James. And it brought me to a memory of Paul.
I have less memory of you, Lynn, when I was 7. But at that age, as Paul would begin at Union, I was shifted from Mommie Soph’s bedroom to Paul’s. And I was in contact with parts of Paul’s interests that littered our room, and closet. Free weights. A fencing mask and foil (or was it an epée?) and bongo drums.
And then there was a day when Paul returned from Union and he had a guitar. Or maybe he already had one and I never knew it. But there he was sitting on his bed and strumming a Kingston Trio tune, and softly singing…
Tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
What were their names, tell me, what were their names?
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James
To my siblings, Lynn, you have the superior singing voice. Nor can I attest to the guitar skill of my big brother. Nor can I recall the emotion that he felt as he strummed and quietly put words with the melody.
I have no intention of reading special meaning into why he picked up the tune. Maybe because it was a simple cord change? Or maybe it did have meaning? On reflection, for me, it was simple: Paul was home for Union. And I was happy for that.