For the last six years I have been working on a project that has been a passion of mine. I wanted to write a song about the experiences of my Grandfather, Tom McMahon. For months and weeks I struggled to fit all of his incredible story into one song. I eventually realized how impossible it would be to do the story justice. So for the next couple of years, I wrote multiple songs about him. In all, I have written 18 songs about his life. Eventually, I will record them all and share them. Here are a few that I have recorded. Please enjoy.
Song One: National Hero
This is the first song in the history of my grandfather, Tom.
Not long after Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese, a lot of people joined the service. Being 16, Tom was still a bit too young to enlist. He watched many of his older friends and people in his neighborhood from New York City gladly join the war effort. He convinced his twin sister to forge his parents signature so that he could join the war. So at 16, full of national pride and visions of heroism, he joined the army and soon left for the European theater.
Song Two: B-17
In this part of his story, Tom was placed in the army and trained to be a tail gunner in a B-17. He flew a few missions over France and on this particular mission, where they were receiving large amounts of flak aimed at the hundreds of bombers in the air. The plane next to him was hit and it crashed into his plane and ripped it in half. My Grandfather was able to parachute down and he survived.
Song Three: Jeannine
After Tom parachuted to the ground, he was rescued by the French Underground. He worked with them and lived with them. Meanwhile, he fell in love with a woman named Jeannine. She was the daughter of one of the Underground soldiers.
Song Seven: You’re Gonna Be Okay
This is the part of the story where Tom was rescued from a POW camp after being held captive for 3 1/2 years. He is sent to a hospital to recover. Also, in this song is the first mention of my Grandmother, Winifred.
Song Eight: Home
After months in the hospital, Tom found himself set and ready to go home. The war was over, the axis had been defeated and the men returned home hero’s. At least that is how they were supposed to feel.
Video recordings done by Sightseer Productions.
Justin Grimaldo
