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."
The trackers and scouts employed by the British in Borneo and mainland Malaysia were of several distinct tribal groups and varied widely in appearance. Some like this warrior of the Penan tribe from the Fifth Division in Eastern Sarawak wore mostly native clothing, often simply a loincloth. He has been given a pair of khaki drill shorts, a single barrel 12 bore Remington action shotgun to replace his 8 feet blowpipe( although with the latter he could probably hit a coin at 30 feet) and and lod rifle charger bandolier to carry its cartridges. Unlike e.g the Iban, Sea Dayak and Kayan, the Penan do not seem to practice extensive tattoing but do stretch their earlobes and wear multiple bangles on their arms and legs. The elaborately woven black and white fibre hat, trimmed with hornbill feathers, is typical of this tribe.
They trade decorated mats with other tribes for items they cannot fashion themselves, such as this Sea Dayak "mandau", headhunter's sword secured by a woven belt. During the Confrontation some local scouts are alleged to have taken Indonesian heads, as they had done during the Malayan Emergency, officially though this practice had long ceased. Click on image to enlarge.