Rudyard Kipling"
āWhen 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 soldierā
General Douglas MacArthur"
āWe are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.ā
āIt is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.ā āOld soldiers never die; they just fade away.
āThe soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.ā
āMay God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .ā āThe object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
āNobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
āIt 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."
At 6 a.m. on December 12, four days after Limbang was taken, Captain
Jeremy Moore of āLā company of the Royal Marines led a mission to recapture Limbang.
Deployed from the HMS Albion, the commandos arrived in two cargo
lighters--one of them carrying a Vickers machine gun.
To save the prisoners held by the rebels Moore sailed up the Limbang river, and then to assault the town directly.
This was surprise to the rebels who planned to execute their hostages.
As the sound of their engines alerted the rebels Sgt Salleh Sambas was warned of arrival of British reinforcements.
Manning gunner PC Bisop Kunjanās machine gun, two marines were killed in the initial burst. Three others were subsequently killed.
In reply, the commandos opened fire with the Vickers gun.
On reflection Bishop said: āLooking back I should have disabled the Bren Gun before we surrendered to the rebels.
āI never thought the same weapon would be used by Salleh to kill our saviours.ā
By 11 a.m. the commandos had re-captured Limbang killing 10 rebels and seizing the Bren Gun.
Salleh was injured but managed to escape but was captured weeks later.
