 |
| Source |
Reader Timbotoo remarked that Wednesday's post with the photo of the two Marines on Peleliu reminded them of a poem by Siegfried Sassoon. This one ...
Suicide In The Trenches
Siegfried Sassoon
I knew a simple soldier boy
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark.
In winter trenches, cowed and glum,
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,
He put a bullet through his brain.
No one spoke of him again.
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.
That last line shook me to the core of my being. A most apt description of war if there ever was one. No matter what else you might think, it is the "hell where youth and laughter go."
To die.
As to the "smug-faced crowds," I think you all know how I feel about them.
In a dark mood today, this too shall pass.
I have read of, but never seen a SMLE action weather cover, as in the photo. We are rapidly approaching 11/11.
ReplyDeleteWe are.
DeleteLife's hard truths are often "dark." Powerful one, Sarge.
ReplyDeleteThey are indeed. There is a lot going on in the world which is very dark.
DeleteHave a good weekend Sarge....
ReplyDeleteEvery day is Saturday for me!
DeleteExcellent, Sarge! I feel very fortunate now that I was never involved in combat. Closest I came was my first air defense mission at Osan Korea. I was fairly tense when we replaced the other flight and took over the mission, Nothing happened for a couple days, so I started to relax. Sitting there one morning when the klaxon went off. Run to the jet jump in
ReplyDelete, strap in. Start the engines. By now I’m shaking like a leaf. Controller hasn’t, given us any info yet.
Lead takes off and starts a vertical climb. I light the burners and say a quick prayer. “ Dear Lord, I have no wish that I engage an enemy today, but if that is the case, please don’t let me screw it up”.
Climbed to Altitude and pointed north. About this time we received notice that this was a practice scramble
and we were to execute a max g 180 and head south.
Sweetest radio call I ever heard.
So I got a very small taste of what war might be like. I can’t imagine what it was really like,
Excellent post, Sarge, keep up the good work!
juvat
I thank the Lord that I never saw combat.
DeleteGreat to hear Juvat back in action after his recent skirmish. Bet he'll have quite the adventures for us on Monday. THe kind where we are happy to be spectators rather than participants.
DeleteJB
Not quite, he's got surgery today.
DeleteOn my prayer list, thanks for the heads up.
Delete👍
Deletemany more prayers (and good luck).
Deletethe worst pain (almost) I suffered in my recent was/is the bedsore on the tissue over the saccrum (top of the butt crack for those not in the know) Tell 'em to be gentle applying the unguent - often
Ouch!
DeleteSurgery went without a hitch. I’ll be released in the morninh. Boron is completely right on the role of the bed and it’s torture ability,
Deletejuvat
Awesome news, brother! Listen to the docs and nurses, take your meds, do the rehab.
DeleteBest news I've had today.
When is the Misses home? You need distractions of the positive sort friend.
ReplyDeleteVeteran suicide isn't a popular discussion, but it happens more than reported.
Some sunshine and happy people around (no booze) is my Rx friend.
Dude, don't you ever have bad days?
DeleteYes, I do. And friends that care for me kick me in the ass and tell me to go serve lunch at the homeless shelter again.
DeleteReminds me just how lucky I of some of my soldier friends am so very blessed.
Otherwise over the decades I might have been a statistic.
Michael
That's good, I'm a writer, emotions and moods drive what I write. I'm neither suicidal nor depressed, never have been. Don't read into my writing stuff that ain't there. 'Nuff said.
DeleteSarge, I remember this poem.
ReplyDeleteMore people would benefit from remembering it too.
Especially those idiots who bay for war.
DeleteWhen I was back at school in the early 70's we studied the war poets, not only Sassoon but Wilfred Owen and some of the minor ones as well such as Ivor Gurney. Never underestimate the effect WW1 exercised on the British psyche. Being born in 56 I knew a lot of people who'd been involved in WW1. One thing they had in common was that they never spoke about it.
ReplyDeleteAs for the weather, at this time of year it can be wearing, the nights draw in, there's limited daylight. My cure is that I ensure I exercise daily, I'm at that age when I can wake up with a hangover even when I haven't been drinking. If there's a sunny day take advantage of it and get outside.
Good wishes to you and your missus.
Retired
It was just a bad day, nothing more. But that poem was powerful. I cannot imagine what WWI did to the psyches of many Europeans.
DeleteYour post reminded me of when I was young, and read "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner". It was a sobering read.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine.
DeleteWar has many ways to kill. WWII my father was stationed at an airfield in India. He told a story of watching an outdoor movie one night when they were bombed. Panic, with everyone running. He stepped aside behind a building and let the mass of men pass. He said several men were trampled to death. Death is death, but that is a horrid way to go.
ReplyDeletePanic leads people to do odd things, but yeah, trampling is not something I'd choose to die from.
DeleteYah know Sarge, that line: You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye Who cheer when soldier lads march by, makes me think of those who will commit some of our finest to wars that we're not sufficiently committed to win. This comes after seeing how we let ISIS take over Iraq, and our debacle of a pullout in AFG. It's almost like the only thing we got out of it was 15K dead, and richer defense contractors.
ReplyDeleteAnd that is all we got out of it.
Delete