Tuesday, October 16, 2007

He died keeping my promise.

We who have seen war, will never stop seeing it. In the silence of the night, we will always hear the screams. So this is our story, for we were soldiers once, and young.

Good morning, Sergeant Major.
How do you know what kind of goddamn day it is?

Beautiful morning, Sergeant!
What are you a fucking weatherman now?

Any one of you sons of bitches call me grandpa, I'll kill ya.

American soldiers in battle don't fight for what some president says on T.V., they don't fight for mom, apple pie, the American flag... they fight for one another.

I can't promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I swear, before you and before Almighty God, that when we go into battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together. So help me, God.
I wonder what was going through Custer's mind when he realized that he'd led his men into a slaughter?
Sir, Custer was a pussy. You ain't.

You want to know how Custer felt? Why don't you ask him?

I'll never forgive myself.
For what, sir?
That my men... that my men died and I didn't.

In Saigon, Hal Moore's superiors congratulated him for killing over 1,800 enemy soldiers. Then ordered him to lead the Seventh Cavalry back into the valley of death. He led them and fought beside them for 235 more days. Some had families waiting. For others, their only family would be the men they bled beside. There were no bands, no flags, no Honor Guards to welcome them home. They went to war because their country ordered them to. But in the end, they fought not for their country or their flag, the fought for each other.

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