Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Malaysia and the United States today signed a 10-year military logistics agreement pledging to cooperate by providing military logistical support, supplies, and services to each other on a voluntary basis with each party making ‘its best efforts, consistent with national policies and priorities’.
According to a media brief released by the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur during the ceremony in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysia-United States Acquisition And Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) ‘will also support coordination of bilateral and multilateral emergency relief operations’ such as last year’s tsunami and earthquake incident.
Moreover, the agreement is also ‘the foundation for other agreements, such as a memorandum of understanding on refueling cooperation’. The agreement was signed by the Secretary-General of Malaysia’s Defence Ministry Subhan Jasmon and US Embassador to Malaysia Christopher J LaFleur. Witnessing the signing were Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Najib Tun Razak and US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick.
Also present was former US Embassador to Malaysia Marie T Huhtala who is now deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
According to a Malaysian Defence Ministry official at the ceremony, the 10-year agreement was first inked in 1994 and the current one is a ‘renewal’. Asked whether there are upgrades or changes of the provisions, the official declined to comment.
Close links Contrary to the popular impression given by the 22-year rule (1981-2003) of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia and the United States have been close in security and defence linkages.
Since 1960s, Malaysia has been a recipient of US’s military aids under the International Military Education and Training (IMET) programme. In 1984, Malaysia and US also signed a Bilateral Training and Consultation (BITAC) agreement which established a series of working groups involving exercises, intelligence sharing, logistical support, and general security issues.
However, when it was reported that the US planned to assign its Special Operations Forces to patrol the Straits of Malacca, which is said to be under security threats from pirates and potential terrorists, Malaysia, together with Indonesia publicly rejected the purported proposal. The US Pacific Command later clarified that its then Commander-in-Chief’sremarksat a congressional hearing were not reported accurately by the media. The source...
