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."
90-year-old massacre survivor recollects the brutality he endured during the Japanese occupation By Gary Lit Ying Loong - April 30, 2023
Monday, May 01, 2023
Chang Loy pointing to the location where the executions took place on that fateful day.
New Straits Times : "NO, No! Stop, I beg you!" The boy screamed at the Japanese soldier who was in the midst of tossing his 6-month-old baby brother up in the air and piercing him with the long, sharp bayonet of his rifle.
As he heard the sickening squishing sound of the weapon penetrating the baby, he howled at the sight of blood and intestines bursting out of the tiny body. A whimper later and the baby was dead.
Chang Loy was just 6 years old then. Before he could finish his appeal to the soldier, he felt a sharp pain on his back as another Japanese soldier proceeded to stab him with his bayonet.
Before the next blow could arrive, Chang passed out from the pain and shock.
The Japanese proceeded to kill the rest of his family and all the villagers living in the kongsi of his rubber estate. No one was spared that fateful day. The whole place was covered with human bodies and blood — the stench was unbearable. The bodies were left to rot under the hot sun.
The bayonet wound in front missed his heart by a centimetre.
After the Japanese had killed all the villagers, they covered the bodies with leaves and branches in an attempt to hide the atrocities they committed.
Miraculously, after a few hours, Chang somehow managed to regain consciousness. He'd survived the bayonet assault. It was only much later that he realised he'd endured four thrusts that caused five wounds — four on his back and one in front.
Epitaph in Malacca War memorial park explaining the gruesome death of
civilians buried alive in a well and babies killed by Japanese bayonets.
One of the thrusts was so deep that it pierced through his body, resulting in the wound in the front. Fortunately, it missed his heart by a mere centimetre.
His body racked with pain, Chang attempted to close his eyes and rest to compose himself. He could still hear the faint moans and cries of some of the surviving villagers before eventually growing fainter as they succumbed to death.
After the rest, Chang summoned his strength to look for his family. Fortunately, he found his other 4-year-old brother, who also survived multiple bayonet thrusts by the Japanese soldiers. It was indeed a miracle for both the brothers to survive the heinous massacre in their village.
With tears streaming down their swollen cheeks and blood-stained shirts, they searched for their family members.
And then they saw her. Their beloved mother lying motionless, her body covered in blood.
They rushed to her side, hugging and shaking her body, hoping to bring her back to life. In between sobs, they called: "Amah, Amah... please wake up, Amah!" Despite the cries, their mother remained motionless. She wasn't coming back to them anymore.
