Party Hymnal, 626th A.C. & W. Squadron (Air Control and Warning), Fire Island, Alaska (1952?).
Author: (Korean War)
Title: Party Hymnal, 626th A.C. & W. Squadron (Air Control and
Warning), Fire Island, Alaska (1952?)
Publication: Fire Island, Alaska: 626th AC&W Squadron, 1951?
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Near Fine
Description: Probably 1951. Bound in a stiff card binder with a steel bending clasp, title page on a pink sheet with amateurish illustration, 38 leaves, printed on mimeo on rectos only, featuring a variety of bawdy songs and ballads and referencing the Korean War. Purchased from the son of a Korean War veteran. Wikipedia: The station was opened in September 1951, and the 626th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was activated, and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and warning station. As a GCI station, the squadron's role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit's radar scopes. The song book we have cannot be found in any library, OCLC locates NO copies. Someone there in Alaska must have had some talent and set it to work producing this volume that provides a picture of army life in a remote American zone. Ballads and songs include 'Sammy Small' (Oh, my name is Sammy Small, fuck 'em all. My name is Sammy Small, fuck 'em all. Oh, my name is Sammy Small and I've only got one ball, but it's better than none at all. Fuck 'em all!), 'Sally in the Alley,' 'The Big Fucking Wheel,' 'How Much is that Jo-San in the Beanbag,' 'Fire Island is a Mighty Fine Place' and many other catchy tunes. The 'Fire Island Theme Song' begins, 'You can take the rocky beaches, you can take the withered grass, you can take this Fire Island, and shove it up your ass.'
