A Lifetime of Service

By Julie Riley

If you know Lyman Amsden, you know that he is a very proud Navy veteran, that he has been Broadus' mayor for over 25 years, that, as an electrician, he has wired many Broadus and Powder River County buildings, that he manages the CornerStore and that he is a proud father, grandfather and great grandfather. You may not know that Lyman Amsden also writes poetry. His poetry typically revolves around his memories of his time in the Navy.

Lyman was raised on his parent's homestead north of Broadus with his six brothers and one sister. The family moved to Broadus when his dad suffered a stroke. At one point, five Amsden men served in the military: Lyman, Art, Guy, Harrold and William. Lyman joined the Navy in 1945 and served at a ship repair base in the Philippines. In 1951, he re-enlisted and served on the USS Chowanoc ATF 100 in Adak, Alaska, and then on the USS Formoe DE 509, attaining the rank of Gunner's Mate Second Class as Mount Captain of the five-inch gun.

Lyman celebrated his 95th birthday on May 29th with family and friends. The following is one of the poems he wrote.

PASS THE WORD

Set the special sea detail, the ship is now underway.

Standing watch on the bridge or as lookout, with spray in your eyes.

At sea on a cold windy day or running training exercises in the bay.

White caps on the water, and a long trailing wake.

Up a ladder you may not go, when the ship takes a notion to roll and pitch.

White lightning in after steering, Raisin Jack down below.

The gas in the sleeping compartment, not all from the stack.

At a line-handling party, all the sailors seem to know "Up Behind" is not a cry from the radio shack.

The coxswain in the whale boat cracks not a smile.

You know the old man is a raring to go, scratches his stern on the bridge.

The command is not, "Ahead Slow."

Attention on the fantail! We're passing shrimp boats to starboard.

All brown baggers to the quarter deck, liberty starts in fifteen minutes...

You got the duty you know!