Some things are true forever
 

A friend of mine sent this out today and I thought, being that I had to deal with a bunch of goat sucking civilians today in the local market place that it seemed like it might be a good time to reflect upon history and how it never really changes but is constantly revisited.

TOMMY

I went into a public 'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats 'ere."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I,

O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away;"
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play.
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play.
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me.
They sent me to the gallery or round the music 'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! They'll shove me in the stalls!

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside;"
But it's "Special train for Atkins " when the troopship's on the tide.
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide.
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the troopship's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap.
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.

Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an` "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll.
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes," when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you.
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints.

While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind;"
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir" when there's trouble in the wind.
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind.
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir" when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools an' fires, an' all;
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face.
The widow's uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)


Jack Moroney: Civilians to the left of me, civilians to the right of me gawking and eye shifting into the waste land of liberals I wandered.......

Yeah, it really doesn't change. At least not in my lifetime.

As usual, a ton of of thoughts just ripped through my mind, but it's decades of stuff. Soooooo, I'll shorten all of it.

When the proverbial scheisse hits the fan and all the kiss ass diplomats (the I'm a legend in my own mind type "goat sucking civilians") with some power tossed into the mix. Realize they have to rely on the Warrior. They have to release the Neanderthal from his cage. Keeps thier lavish world intact, plus they get to take all the credit. Hell, something like 40% of the population in this Country are the same.

I feel fortunate, I grew up when I did. For at least 20 some odd years of my life... MOST of this Country was Patriotic.

Well, that's my take on the Poem.......

Howdy Gents,

As a soldier currently in AFG for the second time I can´t help but feel the same way. Although I came into the military a few years after you, I have been treated to the same tune. I live in TX so a lot of people are openly very supportive of the troops. Its the GD liberal Berkley/Hollywood types that offend me sometimes.

Right now as the elections LNO in my province I have to deal with the UN bozos. The touch feely types who can´t stand the military, but the minute their compound is attacked and overrun they cry. And who did they turn to the "big, bad, mean" green machine. Uncle Sugar´s warriors. We took them in at our FOB in May when things got a little nutty around here. Now it is SEP and they forgot all about that.......sorry wankers!

There will always be us and them.

Sheeple.

As there have always been.

TR

Jack:

Thanks for posting that.

Kipling understood!

Terry

I am protecting some of the sheeple right now. One of them said to me the other day,"I hate guns" and my reply to her was that,"I only hate bad guys with guns". She replied with some more nonsense to which I said,"When they come, I think you might start to agree with me." She got a confused look on her face and said "WHEN they come?" I just smiled and walked off.

More Kipling
 

When you're lying wounded on Afghanistan's plains,
An' the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll up yer rifle an' blow out yer brains,
An' go to yer God like a soldier.

Kipling, "The Young British Soldier"

I've never got around to reading the entire poem. But this excerpt, was an opening for one of the chapters in "Green-Eyed Boys". Which is about Brit Paras in the Falklands.... The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Col, it would seem you share more commonality with Mr. Kipling then you may realize..... ;)


"Kipling's short stories and verses gained success in the late 1880s in England, to which he returned in 1889, and was hailed as a literary heir to Charles Dickens. Between the years 1889 and 1892, Kipling lived in London and published Life's Handicap (1891), a collection of Indian stories and Barrack-Room Ballads, a collection of poems that included "Gunga Din". 1892 Kipling married Caroline Starr Balestier, with whom he collaborated on a novel, The Naulakha(1892). The young couple moved to the United States. Kipling was dissatisfied with the life in Vermont, and after the death of his daughter, he took his family back to England and settled in Burwash, Sussex. Kipling's marriage was not in all respects happy. During these restless years Kipling produced Many Inventions (1893), The Jungle Book (1894), The Second Jungle Book (1895), The Seven Seas (1896) and Captains Courageous(1897)"

http://www.online-literature.com/kipling/

Kipling invented or at least brought us Kim's Games, along with all his great writing. He was a good guy for an Englishman.

May have more in common with good ole Gunga Din if the price of heating oil keeps on rising as I'll probably be "squating on the coals offering drinks to poor damned souls" when the winter really hits :D

Kipling... A must for a professional soldier
 

I agree, Kipling really understood the life of a grunt. It should be required reading. Even though it has been a century since most of his pieces were published, it is relevant to today's troop.

I remember reading "The Man Who Would Be King" from "Soldiers Three" while shipboard and thinking a lot about how much is still the same in the military.

Jack:

PM out to you last night, don't know whether you received it or not.

Stay safe.

Terry

You do realize that Mr Kipling was never in the military, he did try to enlist but if I recall it was poor eyesight that kept him out. He did however lose a son during WWI which I’m sure influenced some of his thinking/writing.

TS

Yeah Team Sergeant, I knew he was never in the military but he did travel enough as a reporter in different war zones to hang on their level.

As to losing his son during the Great War, if you read any of his post WWI pieces, they don't really promote the "God, King, Empire" philosophy anymore as most of his earlier work does. I think the loss hit him pretty hard.

Semper Fi

Was just reading some older threads, and wanted to especially give this one a bump.;)

Very, very moving posts, IMVHO.

Holly