The seeds of “Always a Deadeye” were actually sown in the year 2000. This was when my son Paul and I took a tour back to the old battlegrounds of Okinawa. As we shared our combat stories, a warm realization swept over me: these men were my new buddies, and we were all Deadeyes. After returning home, and a little later on, I put these feelings of camaraderie and sacrifice into this poem. I fussed over the words and meter and when it was finished I passed it on to other members of the tour. Jim Causey read it at the following 96th Division Reunion. I was of course delighted with the acceptance.
