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Old 05-24-2009, 08:47 PM   #1
HavelockV
 
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Memorial Day 2009

On the eve of Memorial Day in the United States, I felt it would be appropriate to start a thread in commemoration of those who have sacrificed their lives in the hope of creating a better world. For a moment, let us set aside cynicism and politics and instead give thanks for these brave men and women.

REQUIEM FOR A SOLDIER - by Michael Kamen from the television series Band of Brothers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xMh_WOt5XU

You never lived to see
What you gave to me
One shining dream of hope and love
Life and liberty
With a host of brave unknown soldiers
For your company you will live forever
Here in our memory

In fields of sacrifice
Heroes paid the price
Young men who died for old men's wars
Gone to paradise
We are all one great band of brothers
And one day you'll see we can live together
When all the world is free

I wish you'd lived to see
All you gave to me
Your shining dream of hope and love
Life and liberty
We are all one great band of brothers
And one day you'll see - we can live together
When all the world is free
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Old 05-24-2009, 10:18 PM   #2
Corpsey
 
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Pretty poem but I feel the need to say this:

The world will never be free while Man controls it.

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant res began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.

Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.
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Old 05-25-2009, 02:50 AM   #3
isobel black
 
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Dulce et Decorum est FTW, definitely.

Although I wouldn't have bothered to mention more than the title, it was also the first thing I thought of.
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Old 05-25-2009, 10:47 AM   #4
HumanePain
 
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It is my hope that we remember those killed and maimed in war, so that we never forget that terrible suffering and loss is the price we pay for such savage conflict, and thus move us to literally choose our battles wisely, and ultimately, never.

In Vietnam, bloody and painful death would be waged to capture a hill, only to give it up to the other side soon after, devaluing further the senseless death required by politicians thousands of miles away.

If socialism can be brought to bear to wisely provide resources to everyone, we would remove the underlying economic engine for war, battles for oil and diamonds, for territory and water would become a thing of the past, and humanity could channel its resources and creativity into more beneficial and enriching efforts that would benefit generations to come. Even domestic urban murder and battles for gang control of turf would vanish if dealing drugs and extortion were no longer needed for survival because everyone would benefit from a "Great Society".

Let us never forget those who lost their lives for war.
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Old 05-25-2009, 07:26 PM   #5
Corpsey
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by isobel black
Dulce et Decorum est FTW, definitely.

Although I wouldn't have bothered to mention more than the title, it was also the first thing I thought of.
Quite so but just the title doesn't give it justice to those who haven't heard/read it before.

Humane, I don't intend to forget those who died but I hate the war machine. Because that's all it is and it is one hell of a profitable yet ruthless business.

That's why pure "equality" or whatever will never create peace. Its too damn profitable to fully give up; its horrendously hypocritial to the ideology of making "peace".

My father has worked in the Sainai, Vietnam, Cambodia, Mocambique and other destroyed parts of the world and the majority of all unexploded devices have come from the US and often such devices were used against US forces. Based on that I see war or "defending the lands" pointless and indiscriminate.
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Everyone has a ghost...a phantom behind us which slows and drags us down.. This ghost or spectral has a name..."Regret".

"I've never regretted anything..." - Light Yagami

Life is a shit sandwich. Unfortunately, it's always lunchtime. How much bread you have goes a long way toward determining how easy it is to swallow.
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