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."
Gory and Macabre head-hunter Tales by the Dayaks of Borneo By James Ritchie
Friday, June 02, 2023
In my 42-year career as a reporter in Sarawak I have explored many unique avenues to share the many exciting stories and encounters. During holidays, the rich Sarawakians prefer to tour Europe or visit relatives in Australia, whereas the ordinary Sarawak urbanite head for Kuala Lumpur, or to the Genting highlands casino.
As for me, I found my niche in Brooke’s country of 30 indigenous tribes, once ruled and dominated by piratical “Sea Dayak” head hunters living in communities scattered throughout Sarawak’s 5,000km of rivers and remotest regions. As a “jungle wallah” my rumble in our own tropical forests started in 1981, when fascinated by the exploits of Malaysia’s brave Iban “head-hunters”, I headed upriver.
It was in upper Rajang, the nation’s longest 560km river, that I discovered my forte when I encountered a pandora’s box of stories of tales ranging from man-eating crocodiles and cultural cannibals!
In my first exploratory foray, I was fortunate to meet Kapit-born Dr James Jemut Masing, the first Iban with an Australian PhD in anthropology.
Through him I learnt about the celebrated custom and ritual of his Iban ancestors--HEAD HUNTING!.
Masing who wrote in his essay “Timang and its significance in Iban culture” (submitted for his Master of Arts degree at the Australian National University) said the human soul, from which all Iban life springs, resides in the head.
Explaining, the importance of obtaining heads, he said it had to do with their lifestyle as farmers and shifting cultivators.
