A Soldier's goodbye

[Bill]

Since the dawn of time i have walked the battlefields of mankind.

Death, carnage and grief, these are the "gifts" of which I've been bequeathed.

For both harm inflicted and pain suffered, in every tongue my dying words I've uttered.

I die hard, though not afraid to go, for the other side of death I all to well know.

Thus if i speak as if i have an older soul, it is only because in ten thousand battles I did fall.

From ancient Sumeria to the Roman halls, I have died in every way possible, with mine eyes seen them all.

In the untouched forests of the of the Pacific Northwest, to the sandy beaches of Normandy I've faced my death.

Time immemorial has brought me here, in my latest incarnation, despite my fear.

To kill and to die that is my lot, for the angel of death does continuously plot.

But i am not bitter, resentful, nor apathetic, for it is the call of a soldier to fight and to die, this is nothing prophetic.

So when this body lies broken and battered, my blood flowing unto the grass with my flesh torn and tattered...

Do not cry or weep for my passing, for I will return to this earth to face the next enemy massing.

Until that time I say good bye to you my dear, in my heart you will live forever, and be eternally near.

I gave my life freely so that my comrades shouldn't have to.

My sole crushing regret, I shall never again see you.

Bill~

[Officer of Engineers]

In return, my dear good friend,
I have nothing but two words,
meaningless to all but heartfelt to deeds done.

Present Arms.

[T_igger_cs_30]

Fear naught

[bigross86]

חזק ואמץ

[phoggy]

I am closing my fifty two years of military service.

When I joined the Army before the turn of the century,
it was the fulfillement of my boyish hopes and dreams.

The world has turned over many times since I took the oath on the plain at West Point, and the hopes and dreams have long since vanished.

But I still remember the refrain of one of the most popular barrack ballads of that day which proclaimed most proudly that - OLD SOLDIERS NEVER DIE, THEY JUST FADE AWAY.

And like the old soldier of that ballad I now close my military career and just fade away, and old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him he light to see that duty.

Goodbye !

General Mac Arthur

[Blue]

Bill, that is quite a piece of work. well done sir. Forgive me if this is an obvious reference that I should know, but I didn't understand this line, "In the untouched forests of the of the Pacific Northwest"

Would you mind to enlighten me?

[Bill]

It was just a reference to the countless battles that had occurred there since the dawn of time. Battles that we will never know about, because the people that fought them are long since gone. Not all battles have names.

I doubt, at this stage in time, that there is a single square inch of land in the world that 2 men have not tried to kill each other over.

Thanks for the compliment my friend.

[fooman2008]

Audie Murphy was interviewed while filming his biography, when asked how he was the most recent recipient of not one but two medals of honor and how he survived be replied; "The difference between a live hero and dead fool is ten seconds of bad timing."

I am not sure where this quote comes from but I have known it for years; Heroism is where bravery, fear, opportunity, and luck all come together to be taken advantage of by an individual for the good of others.
Foo

[JAD_333]

Bill:

A powerful ballad. It may seem overly sentimental to people who have never walked in a warrior's shoes. I am not a warrior by trade, but every time one somewhere dies in combat, I see him in my mind's eye and try to imagine him the moment he realized his time had come. What did he think; what did he feel? It brings up feelings in me that, try as I might, I've never been able to describe. The ballad captures some of it. Thanks.

[zraver]

Bill, that is quite a piece of work. well done sir. Forgive me if this is an obvious reference that I should know, but I didn't understand this line, "In the untouched forests of the of the Pacific Northwest"

Would you mind to enlighten me?

US Army's longest combat pursuit operation???? Chasing the Nez Perce around in the nez perce war- 1400 miles from June 14th to oct 5th 1877.

[zraver]

Speaking of goodbyes, have you guys seen the story of the dog who said good bye to life to be with his handler? Officially the MOD says it was a stress related seizure that caused the death of Theo a bomb sniffing springer spaniel. However- it may well have been a broken heart over losing L.Cpl Tasker a couple of hours earlier.

The body of Takser and the ashes of Theo were repatriated together on a RAF C-130. The ashes will be given to Takser's family, and I am guessing buried with him.

[bigross86]

Bodies of soldier killed in Afghanistan and his dog brought home

A dozen dogs sat respectfully with their masters as the hearse carrying an Army dog handler killed in Afghanistan drove passed them yesterday.

Lance Corporal Liam Tasker, 26, from the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, was shot on March 1 while on patrol with his Springer spaniel, Theo.

Theo died just hours after his master when he suffered a seizure, with LCpl Tasker's family believing the dog died from a broken heart.

LCpl Tasker, who was based at North Luffenham, in Rutland, was repatriated at RAF Lyneham, in Wiltshire yesterday, with Theo's ashes returned to British soil in the same aircraft as his handler.

As has become custom, hundreds of people, including members of the Royal British Legion, joined the soldier's family, from Scotland, in lining the main road through Wootton Bassett in tribute.

As a single bell tolled to mark the arrival of the cortege into the Wiltshire town, several dogs could be heard barking.

LCpl Tasker's father Ian said he believed Theo had died from a broken heart.

"My honest opinion on this is, when Liam went down, Theo didn't have the comfort from Liam to calm him down,'' he said.

"I truly believe when Theo went back to the kennel, that would have a big, big impact because Liam wasn't there to comfort him.''

Record-breaking Theo had been praised by the Ministry of Defence for making 14 finds of hidden bombs and weapons caches in just five months.

LCpl Tasker joined the Army in 2001 and first served as a vehicle mechanic in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

He transferred to the Royal Army Veterinary Corps in 2007.

Last year, he was posted to 104 Military Working Dog Squadron at the St George's Barracks, in North Luffenham.

Lieutenant Colonel David Thorpe, the commanding officer of the 1st Military Working Dog Regiment, said LCpl Tasker's "genuinely loved" the dogs he worked with.

He said: "He was always able to get the best out of them.

"He wanted to go to Afghanistan. He wanted to ply his trade in the harshest of environments, to be outside of his comfort zone and he wanted to be successful."