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."
When
Argentina invaded the islands I was an instructor flying Hawker Hunters
at the RAF’s Tactical Weapons Unit at RAF Brawdy on the Pembrokeshire
coast. Having myself been an operational Harrier pilot in the 1970s I
was listed among the former Harrier men who would be ‘refreshed’ to
ensure a supply of replacement pilots in the event of a prolonged
campaign. The Argentinian forces surrendered and hostilities ceased
before I was needed.
As for the people: look around any town today and you’ll see a
largely scruffy bunch, minds numbed by social media and popular
entertainment, seemingly demoralised, ill-disciplined and work-shy. Many
are overweight and would not pass a basic military fitness test. Ask
them a few simple questions about the geography and history of our
islands and most would not know the answers. Some because they don’t
care, others because they were not taught in the first place. They have
no feeling for the land and the stories it can tell.
If I spoke openly about a belief in real conservative values I would
attract vilification and hatred from many of them, perhaps even the
majority. Why would I fight for them?
No. I would NOT fight for King and Country.
Yet there exists still another country. One of family, friendship,
kith and kin. The country of ‘somewheres’ rather than ‘anywheres’. One
of the ‘we’ referred to by Sir Roger Scruton which newcomers are welcome
to join if they are willing to fit in. One rooted in the landscapes of
these islands for well over a thousand years. One whose people fought
and died to create a nation of patriotic free men and women under the
Common Law. That one is worth fighting for.