Recalling the Death of John Potter

They stood in rows at attention
Cracker Jacks and dixie cups adorned
Somber faces set heavy with grief
For a shipmate fallen and mourned

We steamed that briny domain
Of the wind-swept northern Atlantic
On that frigid Norwegian morning
Mem'ries fresh of the chaos and panic

Yet how peaceful and sullen the moment
We stood and we stared out to sea
Recalling the life of John Potter
Now passed into eternity

With the whispering fabric of Colors
Floating gracefully there in the sun
Her threads all aglow like a garden
In full bloom when the springtime has come

The lonesome lament of the bugler
Fell in dark, heavy tones from the bell
The playing of Taps one final goodbye
A solemn, impassioned farewell

Then the chaplain, the captain, and other good men
One by one honored John with a word
And with all gathered near some shedding a tear
Sweeter blessings had I never heard

With honor and pride my shipmate had died
No greater thing can a man give
Than to pay such a price of great sacrifice
Lose himself that another should live

Pulled from the deck of Seattle
Gone down to the depths of the sea
In the blink of an eye from her fantail
The soul of this man was set free

He stepped on the lines they were cleaning
Landing hard with a jerk and a twist
With one end ensnaring his ankle
The other that mighty abyss

"30 knots" came the call from the helmsman
"All ahead, southward bound at full speed"
Nothing more would the Fates require for the kill
Nothing more would this tragedy need

"Man overboard!" I can still hear the cry
Then the clatter of ladders and rails
The sound of feet running in frenzied surprise
As the quarterdeck laid to the bells

The ship came about with a sharp turn to port
Her starboard list sudden and hard
She creaked and she popped from the strain on her hull
As she fought to recover her guard

Per the captain's command he'd commit every hand
Putting 1200 eyes into motion
And with what light remained on this evening so stained
We'd search every square inch of that ocean

As the sun disappeared sinking into the sea
Darkness fell on our hopes with a thud
Though John wore a vest we had little success
Finding only his hat stained with blood

Now I'm writing this 20 years later
The events of those days like as new
I'm recalling the death of John Potter
And a day in the life of a crew

copyright 2009 Randall McGuire

www.randallmcguire.net

I remember PO Potter. I was in his div during the Med/IO cruise when he went down. He and i did not get along, as I was an ass.

I was on the weather deck, doing some form of cleaning, and I recall he was af, cleaning the lines. From what I understand, a line came undone from the bit, and he stepped on the line in an attempt to stop it from going out the eye. Unfortunately that was his mistake, as it wrapped around his leg and pulled him out. The service was there at sea, as we never found him.

I also remember losing a helo crewman on the same cruise. I was on watch on the bridge during an unrep, when the CH-46 had electrical trouble, and went down in the Red Sea.. All crew made it out, except for one unfortunate soul.