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."
Some of the displaced families we passed on our journey to Baidoa. Most of the soldiers get immune to sights like this within 6 weeks. Those soldiers who do patrols and move around. The infantry guys are a tough lot.
The road to Baidoa is a tarred road but you can't see much of the road. The sand has blown over and covers most of the road. The countryside see's lots of unkempt villages. Normally with garbage strewn all over. On some of the mounds of garbage near big settlements, people will be scavenging for their daily needs. Life is harsh and cruel in Somalia. Refugees, are mostly found in built up areas (urban areas). There sometimes you see displaced families walking along the road gesturing for food and water. We do not stop. Our job is to see that the food convoy reaches safely to Baidoa. There are other vehicles too on the road. Continued here.... Children bore the brunt of the suffering, in Somalia if you had guns you had food. Most of the gunmen were well fed. They robbed the food meant for the starving masses. This way the warlords got to control the people. They had thugs and butchers under their command to implement this. Compassion was not one of their strong traits. They were enemies with members of other clans. They only joined or used the word "collaborate" instead of cooperation with one another for self interest. The young women sold themselves for as much USD1, widows and divorcees as young as thirteen.
Right,an aerial view of Mogadishu International Airport during better times. The whole airport was isolated from the population and occupied by assorted foreign forces. Top, Mogadishu before the war.
After the face off with the Somalis with no ontoward incident like me landing on a red carpet for butchery, glad in our hearts that there was no necessity to kill people we continued our journey to Baidoa which was only 230 kms. If on a Malaysian road it's like travelling from Penang to Ipoh, about two hours. If on the kind of terrain like in Somalia, it would take a good 5 hours. I felt the cool air of the morning on my face with the warm air from the exhaust of my Condor blowing into my face, due to the direction of strong winds. Winds in Somalia travel at 25 miles per hour at certain areas, measured by a wind gauge (sniper's equipment) most of the time. We moved pass huts on the narrow roads. I used my binoculars to check the convoy out. Of course you will pass alot of children who will gesture with food signals, with a movement of their hands to their mouths. It's tempting to toss a pack or two of biscuits to them but then I would be breaking my own rules. The harsh landscape in Somalia, water was a big problem. We had to stock up enough for all of us for 5 days, we could not afford to share it with others.We used to come across nomads like the above during our World Food Program escort duties.
My sodiers and I know it's taboo to toss food to children. The last time my soldiers did that was when the main body of 7 Mech arrived in January 1994, I was there earlier on the 15th December 1993. The soldiers were picked up by us and as we were passing by a group of children, ages around 12-15 years, one soldier throw a pack of something which he took from the Gulf Airways plane. The package landed amongst them. I was in the rear, I saw the apckage fly and land amongst the children. There was a commotion, when the package was fought over and one of them got,they ran off. What was left, was a weaker child, he was stabbed in the stomach and left to die. Food thrown with good intentions in Somalia can kill. We did not stop to help. Continued here...
Left Condor with 20mm Oerlikon Right a Malaysian Condor with twin GPMG' s which was in service in Mogadishu.
We packed lunch at 2 am in the morning, we will not need to cook on the way.2Lt Othman Bahadon had his men lined up along with the other support elements. There were a total of 57 other ranks and two officers including me for this particular move. We had trained many times over and over to perfection all the immediate action drills, well like a broken record I went through over that again. Better to be safe than sorry. I gave them another ten minutes for the Corporals to inspect their men, for the platoon Sergeant to go over the logistics. The prevoius night I had already delivered my orders, on the route and order of march. For the move to the seaport Othman will lead with his platoon whilst I and the the support elements will move at the rear. It was Othman's show, no doubt I was in overall command. Continued here....
A Malaysian Condor destroyed by the Somalis whilst mounting a rescue of 70 AmericanRangers in Mogadishu on the 3rd of October 1993 in the Bakarra Market area. Four vehicles of the same type were destroyed. They were abandoned after being hit, the American Spectre AC-130 blasted them later, to prevent Malaysian equipment falling into the Militia's hands.
Briefing soldiers of Bravo Company before a move I was called by my Operations Officer Major Abang Hamdan Abang Hadari , for a briefing to the UN Headquarters, the former location of the US embassy in Mogadishu a heavily fortified area. This was in April 1994. I did not know what was in store for me, the only thing I knew was I was getting out of Mogadishu. Everyone I knew wanted to get out of Mogadishu. If one stayed in Mogadishu, you had to stay in the heavily fortified University compound. I pity those support element chaps who never got a chance to wander out of that place. The only time in 6 months they got out was to Kenya for a well deserved 4 day R&R weekend.
I was told by a couple of white guys, not sure which country they were from. The rest of the guys in the briefing room were Pakistani, Indian, New Zealand and Australian Army Officers apart from Major Abang. I was informed that the convoy would consist of 50 trucks carrying bags of grain to Baidoa. Okay, fine, I am going into the desert, wow, it struck me, me alone against the militia and the elements. I told myself, what about maps. I blurted out about the maps, okay no problem, the operational people had no problems about issuing me maps. Yes, they gave me air maps, which have squares that are 100 kms by 100 kms, not the normal 1:63360 or 1:50000. The next thing, where on earth do I get my convoy ? Oh yes, at the seaport. The time I would be getting the convoy would be around 4 am in the morning. My contact was a guy with a Somali name, question , could my contact speak English ? The answer was in the positive. I was trying to visualise 50 trucks all in a row moving at 50 kilometers per hour. Maximum time I would reach Baidoa would be 5 hours. I am an optimist. Continued here...
Malnourished 15 year old girl. Left : The hostile terrain The World Food Program food runs were the responsibility of the WFP itself. The problem was could the food convoys reach safely and intact to the places most needed. The UN had a dilemma. UN contingents were tasked to escort the convoys through hostile and a very challenging terrain. The first time the Italians took over from the Americans, the convoy returned failing to deliver the food to Baidoa which was 230 kms from Mogadishu. Baidoa when the Americans first arrived for "Operation Restore Hope" was known as "Death City", where 1000 Somalis a day died. The Bangladeshis took over, some were killed, some were wounded, their weapons and vehicles captured. The convoy failed to deliver. Baidoa proper was secured and held by Indian troops, the Indian 3rd Mechanized Infantry, who were equipped with BMP's and T72 tanks. The Indians due to political concerns back home did not operate in the city of Mogadishu. As the Pakistanis operated there. Both the Indian and Pakistani contingents were the largest of all the UN contingents.Continue here....