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."
Rentap - Destined for Immortality!! By James Alexander Ritchie Friday
Friday, August 18, 2023
Most Sarawakians have heard about Rentap - a Brooke-era revolutionary, but, honestly, what do we know about him?
Maybe glimpses of Sarawak’s cultural hero have been featured in films such as “Edge of the World” or Farewell to the King.
But do you know that Rentap—our native “Braveheart” who fought the White Rajahs—is a symbol of Sarawak!
Described by James Brooke’s biographer Spenser St John as the “most notorious and truculent of Dayak chiefs”, he has always been my hero.
As author of scores of articles and reports of Sarawak’s cultural heroes for the past 40 years, I have been fascinated with his story best portrayed in Charles Brooke’s two volumes in “Ten Years in Sarawak” (1866).
After 20 years of delay, I finally decided to trace Rentap’s journey and write his book.
After perusing through at least 30 books by academics Rutter, Payne, Pringle and Pybus and three classics—Sir Henry Keppel’s “Expedition to Borneo of HMS Dido”, Spenser St John’s Life in the Forests of the Far East” and a host of dozens of journals, bulletins and reports I was ready to take the plunge.
Rentap became notorious after the killing of Alan Lee at Fort Skrang, Simanggang on April 26, 1853.
Lee was one of James Brooke’s half dozen young English relatives who were sent to the rural outback as administrators in the early 1850s.
Alan Lee and four others, William Brereton, catechist-teachers Henry Steel and Charles Fox and Charles Johnson (Charles Brooke) were among the first to arrive.
Ultimately, all except Charles were killed by Brooke’s enemies.
Rentap was unhappy with the establishment of the Fort Skrang which was a hindrance to his people’s movement over “Menoa” (territory) as they could not shoot down to the sea and carry out raids as they had done in the past.
In 1852 another fort was established at Lingga and Alan Lee was put in charge of the station--a strategic outpost to protect the river from marauding Saribas Sea Dayaks.