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."
A sharp gunner and writer By Adrian David - October 12, 2021 @ 3:40pm
Thursday, October 14, 2021
RMAF flight-sergeant (Rtd) Peter Floriano Nunis (seated) with wife Marie
Antoniette Rodrigues, son Darren Jason and daughters Joanne (standing,
right) and Jean Marie at their home in Bandar Baru Sri Manjung,
Sitiawan, Perak. -Pic courtesy of family of Peter Nunis
New Straits Times KUALA LUMPUR: He kept a sharp eye on enemy gunfire, deep in the jungles of Malaya at the height of the communist insurgency.
And many a time, he and his aircrew put their lives on line as they
escorted other aircraft dropping supplies, mobilizing troops or rescuing
injured comrades.
But former Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) air-quartermaster and
retired flight-sergeant Peter Floriano Nunis did not flinch and inch,
despite being shot upon by communist terrorists.
Nunis had served as an Alouette III helicopter gunner during his
prime, including during the Confrontation with Indonesia (when
Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaya to form Malaysia in 1963).
After retirement, Nunis was equally sharp with his pen, serving the
New Straits Times as a stringer (freelance journalist) for a good many
years, covering military affairs and social news from 1991 to 2013.
A young RMAF sergeant Peter Floriano Nunis (right), then an
air-quartermaster, seen here with the Alouette III helicopter pilot Capt
Che Yahya Idris in the 1970s. -Pic courtesy of family of Peter Nunis
Sadly, the gritty Nunis succumbed to a heart attack and died at about
noon at the Sitiawan Hospital in Perak on Monday. He was 79. His son Darren Jason, 47, said his father's wake was being held today
(Tuesday) at their residence in Bandar Baru Sri Manjung, Sitiawan.
Nunis' funeral is tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Pundut crematorium in Sitiawan.
