THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, December 11, 1994              TAG: 9412090034
SECTION: COMMENTARY               PAGE: J4   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Editorial 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   43 lines

CHAPLAIN INSPIRED SAILORS, COMPOSER THEY WROTE THE SONGS OF WAR

Writing on our Military News page last Wednesday - the 53rd anniversary of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor - Robert H. Warren separated myth from fact as he told how one of World War II's great rallying cries came about.

Warren, a retired Navy chaplain who lives in Virginia Beach, attributed the line to another chaplain, Howell M. Forgy, who was aboard the heavy cruiser New Orleans when the surprise attack began the morning of Dec. 7, 1941.

The ship having lost its power, sailors had to move ammunition to the guns by hand. It was a grueling task and, wrote Warren, ``The heat and fatigue began to grind the men down. As a noncombatant, Forgy could not take part in the fighting, but he felt that if the men were encouraged, they could overcome their exhaustion. He walked along the line of sailors shouting, `Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.' ''

The phrase is familiar today as the title of one of the era's most memorable popular songs. ``Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition,'' written by Frank Loesser, is also of historical significance musically.

Loesser was a Hollywood lyricist in the late 1930s, collaborating with such composers as Hoagy Carmichael and Burton Lane on a string of hits. One day he mentioned to Lane a popular song ``The Best Things in Life Are Free'' and said he, Loesser, could write melodies like that. ``I'm sure you can,'' Lane replied.

But Loesser didn't begin doing both until he was in the Army during the war. ``Praise the Lord'' was his first effort.

Loesser of course went on to become a legendary lyricist-composer of Broadway shows, the classic ``Guys and Dolls'' among them.

Warren's recollections offer a fresh reminder of World War II's rich musical heritage, of songwriters who themselves reached heroic heights. Many of these tunes did more than entertain. Over almost four years of crisis and conflagration, they helped sustain American resolve at home as well as on the battlefield. And, to update a Frank Loesser line, we all stayed free. by CNB