Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
The conquest of Malacca from the Malays Annals , not some glorified revised and spun Malaysian history text book
Sunday, November 04, 2012
The previous was extracted from the best and
most accurate of the contemporary Portuguese accounts of Malacca, and it
may be usefully be compared, therefore, with the following Malay
account of the same event in Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals) which was composed much about the same time. [Translated by C.C.Brown, JMBRAS, xxv, 2-3, 1952, 167-9.] Here
now is a story of Fongso d' Albuquerque. At the end of his term of
office as viceroy he proceeded to Pertugal and presenting himself before
the Raja of Pertugal asked for an armada. The Raja of Pertugal gave him
four carracks and five long galleys. He then returned from Pertugal and
fitted out a fleet at Goa, consisiting of three carracks, eight
galeasses, four long galleys and fifteen foysts. There were thus forty (sic) craft in all. With
this fleet he sailed for Malaka. And when he reached Malaka, there was
great excitement and word was brought to Sultan Ahmad, "The Franks are
come to attack us! They have seven carracks, eight galeasses, ten long
galleys, fifteen sloops and five foysts." Thereupon Sultan Ahmad had all
his forces assembled and he ordered them to make ready their equipment.
And the Franks engaged the men of Malaka in battle, and they fired
their canon from the ships so that the canon balls came like rain. And
the noise of the canon was as the noise of thunder in the heavens and
the flashes of fire of their guns were like flashes of lightning in the
sky: and the noise of their matchlocks was like that of ground-nuts
popping in the frying pan. So heavy was the gun-fire that the men of
Malaka could no longer maintain their position on the shore. The Franks
then bore down upon the bridge with their galleys and foysts. Thereupon
Sultan Ahmad came forth mounted on his elephant Jituji. The
Sri Awadana was on the elephant's head, and to balance him on the
packsaddle Sultan Ahmad took [with] him Makhdum Sadar Jahan because he
was studying the doctrine of the Unity of God with him. On the
elephant's croup was Tun 'Ali Hati. And the king went
forth on to the bridge and stood there amid a hail of bullets. But
Makhdum Sadar Jahan clasping the pannier with both hands cried out to
Sultan Ahmad Shah "Sultan, this is no place to study the Unity of God,
let us go home!" Sultan Ahmad smiled and returned to the palace. And the
Franks shouted from their ships, "Take warning, you men of Malaka,
to-morrow we land!" And the men of Malaka answered, "Very well!" Sultan
Ahmad Shah then sent out men to assemble all his forces and bid them
get ready their arms. That night the war-chiefs and the young nobles
were waiting in the hall of audience, and the young nobles said," Why do
we sit here idly? It would be well for us to read a tale of war that we
may profit from it." And Tun Muhammad Unta said, "That is very true,
sir. Let us ask the Raja to give us the Story of Muhammad Hanafiah."
Then the young nobles said to Tun Aria, "Go, sir, take this message to
the Ruler, that all of us crave from him the Story of Muhammad Hanafiah,
in the hope that we may obtain profit from it, for the Franks are
attacking tomorrow. Tun Aria accordingly went into the
palace and presented himself before Sultan Ahmad, to whom he addressed
the young nobles' request. And Sultan Ahmad gave him the Story of Hamzah
saying, "We would give you the Story of Muhammad Hanafiah did we not
fear that the bravery of the gentlemen of our court falls short of the
bravery of Muhammad Hanafiah! But it may be that their barvery is such
as was the bravery of Hamzah and that is why we give you the Story of
Hamzah." Continued here....
