|
Poems
It is the Soldier,
not the reporter who has given us freedom of press
It is the Soldier,
not the poet who has given us freedom of speech
It is the Soldier,
not the campus organizer who gives us freedom to demonstrate
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
who serves beneath the flag,
and whose coffin is draped by the flag,
who allows the protester to burn the flag.
Father Dennis Edward O'Brien
|
|
|
|
"It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
|
|
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE
I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze
A young soldier saluted it, and then
He stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many Pilots' planes shot down?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No Freedom is not free
I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That taps had meant "Amen"
When a flag had draped a coffin of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No Freedom isn't free!
copyright 1981
Kelly Strong
kellystrong@aol.com
Quotes from General George S. Patton
"Commanders will train the troops they lead into action. This is a principle, which must never be departed from, and nothing... is to be held to relieve commanders of their initial responsibility. The object of training is to create a "Corps of Elite."
It cannot be emphasized too often that all training, at all times and in all places, must aim at the cultivation of the offensive spirit in all ranks."
"...in prose it is the pen which makes the sword great in peace."
"Our calling is most ancient and like all other old things it has amassed through the ages certain customs and traditions which decorate and ennoble it, which render beautiful the otherwise prosaic occupation of being professional men-at-arms: killers."
"It would be cheaper to dress our men in overalls, but it would be a saving too truly bought, for without pride soldiers are useless."
"If you must fire do a good job--a few casualties become martyrs, a large number an object lesson."
|
Hooah (who-ah), adj. U.S. Army Slang. Referring to, or meaning anything except "no." Generally used when at a loss for words. Also:
1. good copy, solid copy, roger, good or great; message received, understood.
2. glad to meet you, welcome.
3. I do not know, but will check on it, I haven't the vaguest idea.
4. I am not listening.
5. that is enough of your drivel--sit down.
6. stop sniveling.
7. you've got to be kidding.
8. yes.
9. thank you.
10. go to the next [briefing] slide.
11. you have taken the correct action.
12. I don't know what that means, but am too embarrassed to ask for clarification.
13. that is really neat, I want one too.
14. amen.
|
General Patton's Principles for Life and Leadership
(from the book by the same name)
Command and Management
Any man, who thinks he is indispensable, ain't.
People must have authority to match responsibility.
Commanders must command.
Health
An active mind cannot exist in an inactive body.
Always make the mind command the body.
To gain strength, always go beyond exhaustion.
Pride and Confidence
Pride in self-starts with pride in appearance.
Do not be afraid to fail.
Never take counsel of your fears.
Decision Making
Grab'm by the nose and kick'm in the pants!
If everyone is thinking alike, no one is thinking.
In the long run, it is what we do not say that will destroy us.
Victory and Success
The way to win is to never lose!
Never fight a battle unless you will gain by winning.
Success is not getting on top; it's how you bounce on the bottom.
Life and Death
Death can be more exciting than life.
Live for something rather than die for nothing.
Fear kills more people than death.
|
