It is the soldier, not the reporter, that has given us freedom of the press
It is the soldier, not the poet, that has given us freedom of speech
It is the soldier, not the campus organiser, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate
It is the soldier, not the lawyer who has given us the right to fair trial
It is the soldier,
who salutes the flag,
who serves beneath the flag and
whose coffin is draped by the flag
that allows the protestor to burn the flag.
Father Denis E O'Brien, USMC
Posted on: September 01, 2007, 11:20:15 PM
THE INFANTEER
He is born to the earth; on the day he enlists
He is sentenced to life on the soil,
To march on it, crawl on it, dig in it, sprawl on it,
Sleep on it after his toil.
Be it sand, rock or ice, gravel, mud or red loam
He will fight on it bravely, will die,
And the crude little cross telling men of his loss
Will cry mutely to some foreign sky.
He's the tired-looking man in the untidy garb,
Weather-beaten, footsore with fatigue,
But his spirit is strong as he marches along
With his burdens for league upon league
He attacks in the face of a murderous fire
Crawling forward, attacking through mud.
When he breaks through the lines, over wire and mines
On the point of his bayonet is blood.
Should you meet him, untidy, begrimed and fatigued,
Don't indulge in unwarranted mirth,
For the brave Infanteer deserves more than your sneer,
He is truly the salt of the earth.
"A GUNNER" NX70702
The nationality is irelevant, the trails and spirit are international , those special people, GRUNTS
Posted on: September 01, 2007, 11:41:01 PM
What manner of men are these who wear the Red Beret?
They are firstly all volunteers, and are toughened by hard physical training. As a result, they have that infectious optimism and that offensive eagerness which come from physical well being.
They have jumped and, doing so, have conquered fear.
Their duties lie in the van of battle: They are proud of their honour, have never failed in any task.
They have the highest standards in all things, whether it be skill battle or smartness in execution of all peacetime duties.
They have shown themselves to be as tenacious and determined in the defence as they are courageous in attack.
They are in fact, men apart.
Every man an emperor.
Posted on: September 01, 2007, 11:47:20 PM
In war, the Infantry give class and finesse to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl.
