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."
The 16-year-old Chandani has a burning desire: She wants to follow in her fatherās footsteps and become a mahout. A Mahout takes care of elephants.
Chandaniās father Sunamabanda is one of the most experienced mahouts in Sri Lanka and chief-mahout in the Pinnawala elephant orphanage. He does not have a son to which he could pass on the family knowledge from many generations.
Against the other mahoutsā will, he decides to give his daughter a chance.
He gives her responsibility for the young elephant Kandula. By working with this young elephant every day, Chandani must demonstrate that she is serious about her wish to become a mahout and that she is willing to learn the complicated tasks a mahout must know. But because Chandani is the first girl in a male profession, everyone doubts her abilities and the other mahouts strongly oppose her plans.
Outside her family, the wildlife ranger Mohammed becomes the only one to support her. He takes her into the jungle, shows her the world of elephants in the wilderness. On one of these trips, Mohammed and Chandani save a little elephant baby from its certain death.
Strengthened by this experience and her mentorās support, she makes tremendous progress in the work with āherā little elephant Kandula and develops a real emotional attachment to this animal.
So she succeeds in persuading her father of her talent. As the first woman in Sri Lankaās history, Chandani gains the permission to take part in the ceremonial and traditional elephant Perahera. She and the festively decorated Kandula participate in this religious elephant procession with pride, along with those who always doubted that she would ever become a mahout.
However, shortly thereafter, there is another test for Chandani. Kandula is now old enough to be released into the wild. Chandani is very sad, but she has learnt that the wilderness is the world into which her ālittleā friend really belongs.
With tears in her eyes, she lets him go. But Chandani - the first female mahout in Sri Lankaās history - knows that there are many new tasks and adventures waiting for her.