Howard Gustafson

FORT ORD POETRY and SONG Howard Gustafson

This collection of poetry and song chronicles the story of Fort Ord-not only during World War II, but also in the years before and after, right up to the reestablishment of the "City" of Fort Ord as part of Marina, California. With anecdotes and humor, the collection is based on the chronological outline of the Fort Ord Panorama, a weekly newspaper. The contrast between pre-war poetry and the patriotic poetry of World War II is striking, and the post-war poetry consists of themes of drunk driving and the Vietnam era of drugs, alcoholism, racial strife, and public discontent. The book concludes with the reduction of forces after Vietnam and minor wars like Grenada and the Persian Gulf. Fort Ord closed in September 1994, but its long and storied history is captured forever in Fort Ord Poetry and Song.