"Pledges"

JOE CLIFTON EAST was a proud man,
Raised by God-fearing folk in the rolling hills of the Ozarks,
Nicknamed "Pinky" for his red hair,
On golden mornings he hunted small game with his dog.
His energy channeled into earning his "A" at West Point, 1930

HONOR

JOE held his wife and daughter dear,
Helen, charming with hazel eyes and dark curls,
An Army bride adapting to QM furniture and a new baby,
Sue, sprouting like a weed, only half-grown
When her father saw them off in Manila Bay, P.I., May,1941.

DUTY

MAJOR EAST. Only WWII could have torn him from all he loved.
Miraculously he survived months of bombing,
Doggedly he survived three years in the camps,
Then, with "liberation" on every prisoner's lips
Joe was herded into a "hell" ship.
What terrible lessons did he learn in that demon hold?

COUNTRY

MAJOR JOE CLIFTON EAST, USCAC, Buried at Sea, Somewhere Off Formosa, JAN. 15, 1945.

Photo: Major Joe Clifton East. West Point Class of 1930. The same year Joe was Intercollegiate Saber Champion. The fencing matches were held in the main ballroom of the Hotel Astor, New York City.