7th Rangers: Chinese Warships Shadow Canadian, U.S., Japanese Warships in East China Sea, the Philippines Resupply Second Thomas Shoal By: Dzirhan Mahadzir
Fighting Seventh
The Fighting Rangers On War, Politics and Burning Issues
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."
Chinese Warships Shadow Canadian, U.S., Japanese Warships in East China Sea, the Philippines Resupply Second Thomas Shoal By: Dzirhan Mahadzir
Sunday, September 10, 2023
USNI News : A Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer
shadowed U.S., Japanese and Canadian warships as they conducted a
trilateral exercise in the East China Sea on Wednesday according to an report by
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Meanwhile, on Friday, the
Philippines successfully carried out a resupply mission to its outpost
at Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed Spratly Islands, despite opposing
actions by China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia ships.
CBC footage shows a PLAN Type 052D Luyang III-class destroyer sailing
near the allied ships along with sailing parallel with the ships as
they conducted a photo exercise and making a radio call identifying
itself as Chinese warship 161—the hull number for PLAN destroyer CNS Hohhot (161). The CBC media team is embarked on Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Ottawa
(FFH-341) which is on deployment to the Indo-Pacific region. The
Chinese frigate did not carry out any untoward action and gave way when
U.S Navy destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) radioed the PLAN ship that it was going to make a turn according to the CBC report.
PLAN ships operating in the Indo-Pacific routinely shadow Western and
Japanese ships operating in the region, particularly in areas where
China claims sovereignty such as the South China Sea. In April, Capt.
Tony Chavez, then-commanding officer of USS Makin Island
(LHD-8), told USNI News during an interview that the Makin Island
Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) had been shadowed on occasions by PLAN
ships during its deployment.
Though interactions were professional,
“While we are in the South China Sea, we did see, that China, at the
nine-dash line, will challenge you with a shadow, they’ll put a DDG or a
frigate, who will shadow the force at about 5 to 8 nautical miles or
so, but everything we have conducted with China has been routine and
professional. They ask us a couple of questions, we answer them and,
after that, they shadow us through the South China Sea as we transition
through there,” Chavez said.
He elaborated that China’s questions were
the ARG ships’ hull numbers, how many personnel on board and direction
the ARG was heading, among others, and that some of the questions were
answered while others were not. “After that, they’ll maintain their
shadow, and we transition and continue operations as normal, they do not
stop any of our operations and we continue to transition and operate as
we see fit.”
