80th Fighter Squadron

Squadron Songs
From the Juvat Boys' Choir

"Twin Tailed Lightning"

(Sung to the tune of Running Bear)

Here is our Squadron Song--sing along,
and relive those glory days of WWII!!!

(If you don't hear the Juvat Boys' Choir singing after clicking the
Title or "Squadron Song" link above,
download your free Media Player for all systems
by clicking the button below--then enjoy!)

                                                     In the jungles of New Guinea, the Headhunters carved their name,
                                                     They were brave and they were fearless, downing Zeros was their game.
                                                     From the beaches of Port Moresby, it was three miles to their drome,
'                                                    T'was a dirt strip carved in a hillside, this is the place they called their home.

                                                    Chorus
                                                    Twin Tailed Lightning, was their warplane,
                                                    As they roamed Pacific skies,
                                                    Searching out the sons of Nippon,
                                                    Sending them to their demise.

                                                    They were known not as a number, but as a name denoting fear,
                                                    A tiny native was their logo, making history for all to hear.
                                                    With names like Homer, Norb Ruff and Murphy, Cragg and Robbins and Kirby too,
                                                    They swept the sky clean of the Jap menace,
                                                    And came back victors when they flew.

Chorus

                                                    They flew out from their airdrome in their Lightnings climbing high,
                                                    Looking up to find some Zeros, gonna blow them from the sky.
                                                    All the odds were against them, all they had were their planes,
                                                    And some friends down in the jungle, who made sure they'd fly again.

Chorus

                                                    Making aces was their standard, two-hundred kills even more,
                                                    With fifty cal and twenty mike-mike, they always ran up their meatball score.
                                                    About the odds they never worried, from tree top level they'd cut 'em down,
                                                    And when they landed from their melees, they would drink and "mess" around.

Chorus (twice)

Juvats!

"Twin Tailed Lightning" was written by Lt Col Robert L. "Robbie" Robbins to honor his father, Lt Gen Jay T. Robbins, the leading Ace of the 8th Fighter Group of WWII and 80th Fighter Squadron Commander from 27 Dec 1943 - 4 Oct 1944. It was written in the Fall of 1982 while Robbie was in the 80th FS at Kunsan, Korea. It is now our Squadron Song--sung by the Juvat Boys' Choir at every singing engagement.

"High Noon Over Alicante"
(Original oil painting by Roy Grinnell)

Click on Thumbnail for more detail

High noon, 14 November 1944. Eleven P-38s of the 80th Fighter Squadron "Headhunters" weaved back and forth above two groups of B-24s droning north at 16,000 feet toward the Japanese-held Alicante Airdrome, located on Negros Island in the Philippines. Maj Jay T. Robbins, leading Blue Flight, sighted one Zeke and three Oscars 8,000 feet below at 10:00 o'clock and dove to the attack.

Suddenly aware of the three Lightnings screaming down upon them, the four Japanese fighters split into two elements of two, one element breaking right and the other left. Then, in Robbins' own words, "I followed the two that broke to the right...I made a shallow dive and went underneath and to the outside of the enemy leader's gradual right turn. Giving my plane the throttle, I drove up to within 150 feet before opening fire...My first burst knocked pieces out of his rudder and left wing, and my second burst hit the canopy which blew off, barely missing my plane. Black smoke and bursts of flame came from the left side of the plane...both the pilot and plane fell to the ground several miles northeast of Alicante drome."

This victory, Maj Robbins' 22nd, proved to be his final victory of the war. Completing his combat tour two weeks later, he returned to the United States.

(Research courtesy of James Lansdale)

This message was sent in to us on 27 May 2001 by the current 80th FS commander, Lt Col Russ "Waldo" Walden. We post it here on Memorial Day, 28 May:

"Here is a song the Juvat Boys' Choir (JBC) wrote in April in honor of Jay T. Robbins. I think if you listen to the song by Charlie Robison and then look at the verses, this song is destined to be a classic."

Enjoy,
Waldo

To hear this song while you follow along with the words below,
click this link:

"DEATH RAINS DOWN"

(If you don't hear the Juvat Boys' Choir singing after clicking
"DEATH RAINS DOWN"
above, download your free Media Player for all systems
by clicking the button below--then enjoy!)

"DEATH RAINS DOWN"
(Tune: "My Hometown" by Charlie Robison)
by Spades, Stinger, Fuge (passed out), and Taz

*** IN MEMORY OF LT GEN JAY T. ROBBINS ***

                                                        Well it, started way back in '42, at a place called Mitchell Field
                                                        We were headin' off to fight a war didn't know what it would yield
                                                        We were green and were new to the game but we were ready for a fight
                                                        We knew some of us weren't comin' back we... said that's all right

                                                        CHORUS:
                                                        We flew out of Moresby, strafin' Zeros on the way
                                                        We flew at Hollandia, killing Nippons in the fray
                                                        We are the Headhunters, with a history strong and proud
                                                        We'll see you around, when death... rains down

                                                        There, was a man named "Porky" Cragg, led a squadron to its fame
                                                        We had friends who brought us back to the fight and they... gave us our name
                                                        They were saviors in the jungle their name... denoting fear
                                                        The Nippons are gonna get their ass kicked cause the Headhunters are here

                                                        CHORUS:
                                                        We flew over Wewak, strafin' Zeros on the way
                                                        We flew in the Lightning, killing Nippons in the fray
                                                        We are the Headhunters, with a history strong and proud
                                                        We'll see you around, when death... rains down

                                                        Well, "Porky" Cragg... flew his last flight in a sad... twist of fate
                                                        Jay T. Robbins was next in line, he was our saving grace
                                                        He taught the Headhunters how to fight, 22 kills of his own
                                                        And even now he looks down upon us, we are... his second home

                                                        CHORUS:
                                                        We flew out of Nadzab, strafin' Zeros on the way
                                                        We flew in the Lightning, killing Nippons in the fray
                                                        We are the Headhunters, with a history strong and proud
                                                        We'll see you around, when death... rains down

                                                        CHORUS:
                                                        His name was "Cock" Robbins, 22 kills on the way
                                                        He flew in the Lightning, killing Nippons in the fray
                                                        He is a Headhunter, with a history strong and proud
                                                        We'll see him around, when death... rains down
                                                        We'll see him around, in a lonesome cloud

Many thanks to the following Squadron members who gave this song to us:

Capt Michael "Spades" Waite
Capt James "Taz" Merchant
1Lt David "Fuge" Epperson
1lt Andy "Stinger" Scott

This e-mail came in on 1 April 2002 from Capt "Whip" Gray, Leader of the Juvat Boys' Choir (JBC) at that time:

Sir, Whip here writing from the Kun. The past couple months have been full of long days. Nevertheless, being true Juvats, the harder we work the harder we play. The JBC has had some strong performances lately, including one this past weekend. On Saturday we did the debut performance for a new song that I think will become a new Juvat classic. It is called "Yankee Air Pirate in Me" and it was written by one of our punks [young lieutenants], Lt Matt "Goat" Allen. It is an original...melody came to him one day during an exercise on RTB, so he turned on his tape, then started writing the song that night. Goat sang the song for JBC during his tryout on Thursday, 28 Mar and JBC did the debut performance for the Juvats on Saturday, 30 Mar at a Hail and Farewell. We would love to have the song on the Headhunter Website. I'm glad you liked the song and hope the rest of the Headhunters enjoy it as well. [signed] Darren "Whip" Gray; JBC LEAD

To hear this song while you follow along with the words below,
click this link:

"YANKEE AIR PIRATE IN ME"

(If you don't hear the Juvat Boys' Choir singing after clicking
"YANKEE AIR PIRATE IN ME"
above, download your free Media Player for all systems
by clicking the button below--then enjoy!)

"YANKEE AIR PIRATE IN ME"
Original words & music written by 1Lt Matt "Goat" Allen
March 2002

                                                                         Seven Airacobras on a fighter sweep,
                                                                         The Flight Lead soon fell out,
                                                                          Lt Brown took the remaining six,
                                                                          As the Punks drove that fight no doubt.
                                                                         The 80ths first mission was soon complete,
                                                                         They landed their planes in the hills,
                                                                         So get ready and raise that Whisky glass,
                                                                         As the punks got all six kills!

                                                                         CHORUS
                                                                         And they sang "Sammy Small" "Fireman's Song"
                                                                         "Twin Tailed Lightning" "Kun Songs by the Sea",
                                                                         With their glasses raised a "Fighter's Toast",
                                                                         To the "Yankee Air Pirate in Me"!

                                                                         In came Captain Porky Cragg,
                                                                         A leader who got in the fight,
                                                                        "I'll be damned if those Friends or Tooeys,
                                                                        Take the Lightning before my eyes".
                                                                        The next morning he climbed into "Porky One",
                                                                        To "talk" to the powers that be,
                                                                        And two weeks later those Headhunters Left,
                                                                        To fly their brand new Lockheeds,

                                                                        CHORUS

                                                                        16 Hunters, 1944, 38's climb in the night,
                                                                        That night attack on those Japanese Ships,
                                                                        Was the scariest most would fly,
                                                                        Rolling in to make his very last pass,
                                                                        O. J. Harris took the first hit,
                                                                        And all was lost if not for the natives,
                                                                        Who saved him from the Jap Menace.

                                                                        CHORUS

                                                                        A Million stories, some never told,
                                                                        Only written in a song,
                                                                        But one day soon we'll hear them there,
                                                                        In that Headhunters' Heaven above....

                                                                        CHORUS X 2

Our thanks to 1Lt Matt "Goat" Allen, Headhunter Class of 2002, Punk Extraordinaire, for this new Squadron song, which is destined to become a Headhunter classic.

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