1HE QUARTERMASTER CORBS
Not with gay martial air, not with trumpets loud blare.
That our pulses may quicken and throb;
Not with gaudy array, do we day after day
Buckle into our difficult job;
And we feel not the need of spectacular deed
Nor does our ambition incline
To Honor andFame; but our resolute aim
Is "Service for the i»ine*”
Wefve furnished the doughboy with his daily supplies
From Washington* s time until now.
We issue him shoes of a generous size
And we get his tobacco and chow;
And we see that he*s neat, from the soles of his feet,
To the top of his militant head*
For his comfort we strive while the soldier’s alive
And we bury him after he’s dead*
And we furnish the barracks in tohich he sleeps,
Secure from the cold and the storra;
And we furnish the fuel in generous heaps
To keep him contented and warm;
And we furnish his bath and his water and lights
*ind everything else that he needs
Including the paper on which he writes
Of our failures and darik misdeeds*
the faucets that leak and the hinges that creak.
And the auto that ou$ht to go faster,
And the scheming contractor, each one is a factor,
To worry the poor Quartermaster.
Does he lay down and quit? Or perhaps throw a fit?
Does he get all discoursed and blue?
Do* he's busy explaining some jobs still remaining,
That he hasn t been able to do.
We expect at the most an occasional roast,
But we cheerfully shoulder the blame;
Every day do our best — trust to luck for the rest,
For it’s all just a part of the game.
Ve don t feel aggrieved and we never get peeved,
We1re used to surviving the shock#
No soldier was ever content with his lot
unless he had someone to knock.
•’/here there’s work to be uone, afloat or ashore,
And there* s nobody el°e to do it#
Ihen it*s up to the versatile Q* TI. Corps
To pull off their coats& and go to it#
a ' Each one does his part, down from General hart
To the humble methodic ail clerk;
And our ultimate story is not one of glory, but
But only of effort and work. -By John i<icGroarty.
(Note: Die last verse was published in last week’s issue#)