On orders from President Obama, the United States military launched the first raid on ISIS by Tomahawk missiles launched from destroyers in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. The wire story carrying the details of the raid said the destroyers launched planes, the story obviously written by a twenty-something who knew nothing of destroyers or much of anything else. The USS Borie, DD 215, a World War 1 Clemson class four piper, rammed and sank U-405 during WW2 after engaging the U-Boat in a fire fight. She herself sank due to damage caused by the ramming. A friend and neighbor served on the Borie, and he would be pleased to know the DDs are still part of the action even though a DD is incapable of launching airplanes and it was only an Obama pinprick raid.

If George Bush was a big bully
Who hit hard and fast and quick
Then Obama’s war is fully
Nothing but a small pinprick
If we can believe the story
That destroyers launched some planes
Then the old four piper Borie
Resurrected her remains
And fitted with a flight deck
Launched air strikes round the clock
As part of Obie’s light peck
On some pesky ISIS flock
Of course there is no war on
So DDs launching planes
Allows Hussein to score on
The polls who’re showing gains
By enemies at home here
To whom he takes a stick
And lathered to a foam, dear
Delivers a pinprick