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 Portuguese Conquest of Malacca from the Portuguese perspective, not some spins as in our current history textbooks.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
The following reading, which describes the conquest of Malacca by Afonso d'Albuquerque in August 1511, is taken from Tom'e Pires' Suma Oriental, translated by Armando Cortesao [Hakluyt Society, London, 1944, 11, 278-81.]
Afonso de Albuquerque, Captain-Major and Governor of the Indies, arrived at Malacca at the beginning of the month of July in the year 1511, with fifteen sail, great and small, in which came about sixteen hundred fighting men*. At this time it is said that Malacca had a hundred thousand men-at arms, from Kuala Lingi (Coala Penagy)to the hinterland (?) and Kasang (Cacam), which are the limits of the city of Malacca.
And the Malays had many strong palisades, and on the sea were many lancharas and paroas in the river, and on the sea many junks and Gujarat ships which were ready to fight; because there was then in Malacca a captain from Gujarat who was working for war, as it seemed to him that he alone could cope with our ships and men, all the more because of the immense number of natives, though the natives did not back the king of Malacca; because in trading-lands, where the people are of different nations, these cannot love their king as do natives without admixture of other nations. This is genrally the case; and therefore the king was disliked, though his mandarins fought, and whenever they could.
*Albuquerque himself writting in 1513: 'We were in all seven hundred white men and three hundred Malabars......' Continued here.......
