Hillary wins!!! McCain clinches!!!

(Source for Hillary picture - http://timpanogos.wordpress.com/category/voodoo-history/ )

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(Source for McCain picture - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18348393/ )

PS Obama wins Vermont

Malcollm X

A somber and sad anniversary:

"On February 21, 1965 in Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom, Malcolm had just begun delivering a speech when a disturbance broke out in the crowd of 400. A man yelled, "Get your hand outta my pocket! Don't be messin' with my pockets!" As Malcolm and his bodyguards moved to quiet the disturbance, a man rushed forward and shot Malcolm in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun. Two other men charged the stage and fired handguns at Malcolm, who was shot 16 times. Angry onlookers in the crowd caught and beat the assassins as they attempted to flee the ballroom. Malcolm was pronounced dead on arrival at New York's Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.

After the assassination: Malcolm X on a stretcher, en route from the Audubon Ballroom to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.
Two suspects were named by witnesses — Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson, both members of the Nation of Islam.

Three men were eventually charged in the case. Talmadge Hayer, also a Black Muslim, confessed to having fired shots into Malcolm's body, but he testified that Butler and Johnson were not present and were not involved in the shooting. All three were convicted."

(Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X )

This is not the first time that I've noted this sad event (see - February 21, 1965 - Malcolm X Remembered ). I learned of Malcolm X from the Spike Lee movie. The events and life chronicled in that movie compelled me to read a biography of Floyd Little – who would eventually changed his name to Malcolm X.

The assassination of Malcolm X, as well as the tragic murders of other great historical people and current leaders (Benazir Bhutto, etc.), forces us all to wonder what the World would be like if these great leaders would have lived.

PS Malcolm X is the role that Denzel Washington should of won the Oscar and not the role he played as a rouge cop in Training Day. ;-) GC

Twas the Super Bowl before Super Tuesday

Twas the Super Bowl before Super Tuesday and all through the land
Not a candidate was stirring, nor even committee.
The reporters and pollsters were readying their skills
With hopes of predicting the Presidential candidate winners.

The voters were praying, hoping and waiting to vote.
Maybe next year the President will deliver; bringing prosperity, security, and hope.
Do we believe in past policies or demand change?
Do we stay with the status quo or rock the nation and vote?

Some call for the security of the Nation and safe borders.
Others want driver licenses for illegal immigrants and national health care.
While fears of inflation and joblessness abound. Voters are dazed.
Plagued by fears of foreclosures and empty wallets. Confused by policies foreign and domestic.

Whether Hillary, Obama, McCain, Romney, or Huckabee is right.
Have faith. Hope, pray, and prepare to vote Tuesday.
The underdog and underprivileged will have their day.
Some Patriots did lose but we have always lived in a land of Giant dreams and hopes.

Congratulations to the underdog Giants. God save the United States of America.

(With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore's Twas the Night before Christmas - http://www.carols.org.uk/twas_the_night_before_christmas.htm )

Mitt takes Michigan - On to South Carolina

(Source for picture - http://www.mymanmitt.com/mitt-romney/uploaded_images/Mitt-Romney-Photo-773809.jpg )

Huckabee - Iowa

McCain - New Hampshire

Romney - Michigan

New Hampshire - the Comeback Kids

Hillary wins New Hampshire!!!!!


Don't send a man when a woman can do the job.

Congratulations. Hillary.









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McCain wins New Hampshire!!!!!


At 71 years old, he's not a kid. But, he's a winner.

Congratulations. Senator McCain.

PS Hillary's 60 years old.

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Click on the following to hear John Stewart (formerly of the Kingston Trio) sing - Mother Country

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWwayDfJtkE&NR=1

Click on the following for the lyrics - http://www.marcogiunco.com/Testi/001564_07.htm

Iowa, 1 down. On to New Hampshire, Round 2

(Source for Obama picture - http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/the-first-black-us-president/2007/01/17/1168709786906.html )


Obama wins in Iowa!!!!!









(Source for Huckabee picture -http://lighthousepatriotjournal.wordpress.com/2007/08/20/huckabee-mike-election-2008-dossier/ )


Huckabee wins in Iowa!!!!!












The Times They are a Changin'

(Click on the following for video of song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ_XwLSN45I )


Register to Vote!!!!!

Happy - 4th of July

John Adams wrote that the Fourth of July
"...ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other..."

The Declaration of Independence itself has become one of the most admired and copied political documents of all time. It was written by Thomas Jefferson and revised by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Jefferson.

The Declaration of Independence is a justification of the American Revolution, citing grievances against King George III. It is also a landmark philosophical statement, drawing on the writings of philosophers John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau. It affirms that since all people are creatures of God, or nature, they have certain natural rights, or liberties, that cannot be violated.

The Declaration and the American Revolution have since inspired freedom-seekers the around the world.

(Source - Fact Monster - http://www.factmonster.com/spot/independenceday1.html )

Stars and Stripes Forever

Vicksburg and Grant

Vicksburg
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The Battle of Vicksburg, or Siege of Vicksburg, was the final significant battle in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of skilled maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grand and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton into defensive lines surrounding the fortress city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Grant besieged the city from May 18 to July 4, 1863, until it surrendered, yielding command of the Mississippi River to the Union. *

*(Source for above citation - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vicksburg )

(Source for above picture - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Battle_of_Vicksburg%2C_Kurz_and_Allison.png )

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Click on the following for a battle summary by Heritage Preservation Services - http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/ms011.htm


Grant

In an attempt to capture the Mississippi River fortress of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Grant spent the winter of 1862–1863 conducting a series of operations to gain access to the city through the region's bayous. These attempts failed.

However, his strategy to take Vicksburg in 1863 is considered one of the most masterful in military history. Grant marched his troops down the west bank of the Mississippi and crossed the river by using U.S. Navy ships that had run the guns at Vicksburg. There, he moved inland and—in a daring move that defied conventional military principles—cut loose from most of his supply lines. Operating in enemy territory, Grant moved swiftly, never giving the Confederates, under the command of John C. Pemberton, an opportunity to concentrate their forces against him. Grant's army went eastward, captured the city of Jackson, Mississippi, and severed the rail line to Vicksburg.

Knowing that the Confederates could no longer send reinforcements to the Vicksburg garrison, Grant turned west and won the Battle of Champion Hill. The Confederates retreated inside their fortifications at Vicksburg, and Grant promptly surrounded the city. Finding that assaults against the impregnable breastworks were futile, he settled in for a six-week siege. Cut off and with no possibility of relief, Pemberton surrendered to Grant on July 4, 1863. It was a devastating defeat for the Southern cause, effectively splitting the Confederacy in two, and, in conjunction with the Union victory at Gettysburg the previous day, is widely considered the turning point of the war. For this victory, President Lincoln promoted Grant to the rank of major general in the regular army, effective July 4.

A distinguished British historian has written that "we must go back to the campaigns of Napoleon to find equally brilliant results accomplished in the same space of time with such a small loss." Lincoln said after the capture of Vicksburg and after the lost opportunity after Gettysburg, "Grant is my man and I am his the rest of the War." **

** (Source for second citation - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_S._Grant )

(Source for Grant's Picture - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:GenUSGrant.jpg )

PS Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July!!! ;-) GC

Gettysburg

Gettysburg – July 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, 1863

THE CIVIL WAR IN ITS THIRD YEAR *

Fought over the first three days of July 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg was one of the most critical battles of the Civil War having occurred at a time when the fate of the nation hung in the balance - the summer of 1863. Often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy", it was the culmination of the second and most ambitious invasion of the North by General Robert E. Lee and the "Army of Northern Virginia". The "Army of the Potomac", the Union army that had long been the nemesis of Lee, met the Confederate invasion at the crossroads town of Gettysburg and though it was under a new commander, General George Gordon Meade, the northerners fought with a desperation born of defending their home territory. The Union victory at the Battle of Gettysburg resulted in Lee's retreat to Virginia and an end to the hopes of the Confederacy for independence.


(National Park Service)
The "High Water Mark" of the Confederacy.






*The Story of the Battle of Gettysburg - http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/getttour/main-ms.htm

* July 1, 1863 - The Battle Begins - http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/getttour/day1.htm
* July 2, 1863 - "A most terrible day..." http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/getttour/day2.htm
* July 3 - "I will strike him there..." - http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/getttour/day3.htm
* "the last full measure of devotion..." - http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/getttour/day4.htm

*(Source the National Park Service – Gettysburg -http://www.nps.gov/gett/historyculture/index.htm )

Click on the following for a battle summary by Heritage Preservation Services - http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/pa002.htm


Click on the following for information on the movie Gettysburg (1993) - http://imdb.com/title/tt0107007/









Click on the following for the companion book for the 1993 movie - Gettysburg The Paintings of Mort Künstler - Text by James M. McPherson - http://www.mortkunstler.net/gallery/product495_lastcat100.ihtml or http://www.amazon.com/Gettysburg-Paintings-Kunstler-James-McPherson/dp/1558536175 **

** Found a copy of this book in my local library

Click on the following for books on the Battle of Gettysburg by the Battle of Gettysburg Resource Center - http://gburginfo.brinkster.net/booklist.htm

Click on the following for information on Joshua Chamberlain - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Chamberlain
(Chamberlain is an important character in both Gettysburg & Gods and Generals. Chamberlain is played by Jeff Daniels in both movies.)

Click on the following for YouTube clips from Gettysburg the movie -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLHRXrlqq_s
or the 20th Maine's Bayonet Charge on Big Round Top- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYDhAmjmxYk&mode=related&search=
or Pickett's Charge - The High Water Mark - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW3DfXrn8Yc
or Pickett's Charge - The Aftermath - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke7ltmCa0vo&mode=related&search=

Stonewall Jackson

(Source of picture NNDB: Tracking the entire world -
http://www.nndb.com/people/596/000050446/ )

Stonewall Jackson *

Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21,1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and probably the most revered Confederate commander after General Robert E. Lee. He is most famous for his audacious Valley Campaign of 1862 and as a corps commander in the Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee. His own troops accidentally shot him at the battle of Chancellorsville and he died of complications from an amputated arm and pneumonia several days later.

Military historians consider Jackson to be one of the most gifted tactical commanders in United States history. His Valley Campaign and his envelopment of the Union Army right wing at Chancellorsville are studied worldwide even today as examples of innovative and bold leadership. He excelled as well at the First Battle of Bull Run (where he received his famous nickname), Second Bull Run, Antietam, and Fredericksburg. Jackson was not universally successful as a commander, however, as displayed by his weak and confused efforts during the Seven Days Battles around Richmond in 1862. His death was a severe setback for the Confederacy, affecting not only its military prospects, but the morale of its army and the general public; as Jackson lay dying, General Robert E. Lee stated, "He has lost his left arm; I have lost my right."

*(Source for above info. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_Jackson)

To learn more about Stonewall Jackson, you might want to rent or buy the following DVD - Gods and Generals. Stephen Lang as Jackson is excellent.

(Source for Gods and General DVD cover - http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Generals-Jeff-Daniels/dp/B00009OOFA/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-9045144-6758528?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1183176427&sr=1-1 )

Click on the following for information on Gods and Generals - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0279111/

Click on the following for a video clip from Gods and Generals - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYzt1ao81jU&mode=related&search=

Mary Fahl - Going Home - song from Gods and Generals (2003)

Lower the volume before playing

Hilton: 'I'm so much more grateful' *

* click on the above for the current news on Paris

Clinton spoofs 'Sopranos' in Web video *

*(Source Yahoo News - http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070619/ap_en_tv/clinton_video )

Click on the following for Journey's - Don't Stop Believing - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip1zsUIosoA ;-) GC

The Winner of Hillary's Campaign Song Contest

Celine Dion - You and I

I voted for the Tina Turner song. But the winning song is excellent.

Tina Turner - (Simply) The Best



And I would have been happy with Bill's choice.
















Smash Mouth - I'm a Believer



Click on the following link for the Smash Mouth video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B17W_HT3A9E

(Source for Celine Dion's picture - 8notes.com - http://www.8notes.com/wiki/images/205px-Wma.jpg or http://www.8notes.com/biographies/dion.asp )

(Source for Tina Turner's picture - Today powered by msnbc.com -http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050202/050202_today_turner_hmed7a.h2.jpg or http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6898775/ )

(Source for Smash Mouth's picture - Open Music - http://www.openmusic.ru/articles-respond-recenses/0486-smash_mouth2/0486-smash_mouth2_02.jpg or http://www.openmusic.ru/articles-respond-recenses/0486-smash_mouth2/index.shtml )

But, why all the fuss about a campaign song? ;-) GC

What does not kill me . . .

What does not kill me makes me stronger.

-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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This quote came to mind as I read of Paris Hilton's fate, to be sent back to jail for her whole 45 day sentence.

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I firmly believe that this judge will be reassigned to a different location where he won't come in contact with future celebrities since he seems to hate them all and just wants to throw the book at them.

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He refused to listen to her attorney in chambers regarding her medical condition, which by now looks like a nervous breakdown. It is only human to make mistakes and instead of the big egos of men sparring with each other, they should take the time to consider that it wasn't her fault that she was released in the first place to home confinement.

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I hope they take her to the hospital ward of the county jail system (USC County Medical Center) and get her some help for her medical condition instead of waiting until her condition deteriorates further. Just ask yourself how would you like it if this was happening to your son or daughter, neice or nephew?!

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The people she surrounds herself with seem unable to stop the worst case scenario from happening to her. Like Sherriff Lee Baca says if you hate celebrities, puninshing them worse than average citizens is not justice either.

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love -l

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(Source of picture - E online -http://images.eonline.com/eol_images/Profiles/20060922/244.hilton.paris.091906.jpg )

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Click on the following - Paris Hilton turned herself in at the Men's Central Jail - Access Hollywood -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp_jXBuASqo&mode=related&search

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Click on the following - PARIS IN JAIL: The Music Video -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k66epna2Sss

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My response to -l:

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Paris’s case doesn’t seem as critical as either OJ’s or Robert Blake’s murder trials. Drunk driving is trivial compared to murder. The media circus surrounding Paris’s return to jail is not an issue about truth, justice, or medical treatment. If not for fortune, fame, and fabulous looks; Paris’s jailing would have garnered not a second of media or a word of print.

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I have heard and arranged the presentation of a MADD (Mother’s Against Drunk Driving) victim, speaker, and advocate. I was trained that – DRUNK DRIVING is a CRIME and BUZZED driving is as dangerous as DRUNK DRIVING. (And this applies equally to Driving on Drugs.) The truth is, regardless of medical condition, that Paris simply and clearly broke the LAW and violated her Parole.

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(Paris could have easily weaved her car into an innocent driver or pedestrian. Paris’s late night run for munchies was a CRIME and not a cry for help and treatment.)

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The Justice system should be impartial and treat all people equally. But, to most, including myself, celebrity and fame does affect what type of Justice one receives. The details of Paris’s unspecified "medical condition" could determine who made the right the decision. Whether Sheriff Lee Baca had valid grounds for Paris’s release to Home Detention or whether Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer sent Paris back to jail too quickly; could then be fully debated.

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DON’T DRINK and DRIVE. Paris is GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY

Some recent news on Paris:

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Paris goes back to Lynwood *

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* Click on the above for some current news on Paris - ONLINE in Touch

PS Not exactly a hard news story. ;-) GC

Flag Day

"In the United States, Flag Day (more formally, National Flag Day) is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.

Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, though on June 14, 1937 Pennsylvania became the first (and only) U.S. state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday.

Title 36 Sec. 110 of the US Code is the official statute on Flag Day, however it is at the President's discretion to proclaim officially the observance.

The largest Flag Day parade is held annually in Troy, New York.

Framingham, Massachusetts also holds a yearly Flag Day parade, as do many other towns and cities, although in recent years a shrinking turnout has prompted the town to consider eliminating the event." *

*(Source for above citation - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_Day_in_the_United_States )




















Click on the following link for -You're A Grand Old Flag - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOMWqFngOcY&NR=1

Remember Me

Maybe a little late for Memorial Day; but, my favorite redhead sister-in-law just e-mailed me this video clip. Click on the following for the video clip –
Remember Me - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ervaMPt4Ha0.


(Source for flag and sun - Download-By.net - http://gfx.download-by.net/screen/16/16621-flag-3d-screensaver.jpg )

(Source for Honor Guard statues - http://z.about.com/d/godc/1/0/C/9/honorguard.jpg )


PS Thank you Lizzie Palmer the creator of the video clip.

Memorial Day - 2007

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Memorial Day doesn't capture the Nation's attention. There maybe some parades and events, but for the most part Memorial Day weekend serves as a pre-summer warm-up. The three day weekend and warm weather is an excuse for barbeques, camping, boating, sunbathing, etc. But, let's not forget those who have served and made that ultimate sacrifice to maintain and preserve our Freedoms.

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God Bless America and Protect our Troops.

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My sister-in-law shared some Memorial Day information on her blog. Click on the following to read it -http://www1.va.gov/opa/speceven/memday/history.asp#hist .

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(Source for flag and cross graphic - Conservative Thoughts - http://files.blog-city.com/files/A05/107748/p/f/memorial_flag_cross_hg_clr.gif )

General George Smith Patton Jr. - a True Hero

(Source for Patton's picture - World War II Database -http://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=55 )

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I have read and recommend this book on Patton - Patton: Ordeal and Triumph by Ladislas Farago .

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(Not a short read, but not merely a biography either. I found this book in the history section of our local library.)

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"George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a leading U.S. Army general in World War II in campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, France and Germany, 1943-45. In World War I he was a senior commander of the new tank corps and saw action in France. After the war he was an advocate of armored warfare but was reassigned to the cavalry. In World War II he commanded major units of North Africa, Sicily, and the European Theater of Operations. The popular image of "Old Blood and Guts", contrasts with the historians' image of a brilliant military leader whose record was also marred by insubordination and some periods of apparent instability."

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(Source for brief biography - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_S._Patton%2C_Jr. )

(Source of picture of stained glass window and description - The Patton Society - http://www.pattonhq.com/church.html )*

The General George S. Patton, Jr.

Memorial Window

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Of all the colorful windows in the Church of Our Saviour, perhaps the most outstanding is the General George S. Patton Memorial window. It was presented to the Church by his children and their families. The window was dedicated on October 13, 1946.

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The design was adapted to the medium of stained glass from an original needlepoint embroidery on which Mrs. Totten was working at the time of her father's accident in Germany. General Patton showed great interest in this tapestry, which Mrs. Patton described to him during the fatal illness resulting from his accident.

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The main figure is Saint George conquering the dragon. The scales of the dragon are the Nazi swastika. The blanket on the horse has a pattern made up of the insignia of the 4th, 9th, 11th, 13th 14th, and 16th Armored Corps which were under the General's command during his dramatic sweep across war-torn Europe. Saint George's shield is emblazoned with the insignia of the Third Army General's command.

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In cloud formations, below the figure of Saint George, appear what General Patton considered to be the three main battles of World War II -- Metz, Coblentz and Bastogne. The four important cities of Rennes, Frankfort, Weimar, and Regensburg are shown being released from the stifling clutch of the Nazi dragon's claw.

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Surrounding the window is a decorative border topped by the insignia of the four corps under the General's command during his final thrust into the heart of Germany. They are: the Pentagonal Wheel of the 5th Army Corps, the Windmill Blades of the 12th, the Triangles of the 3rd, and the Crosses of the 20th. Also shown in the border are the shoulder patches of the twelve divisions in his army: the Poleax of the 65th, the '71' of the 71st, the Mountains of the 80th, the Four Leaves of the 4th, the Axe and Tree of the 70th, the Checkerboard of the 99th, the TO brand of the 90th, the YD brand of the 26th, the Diamond of the 5th, the Trident of the 97th, the Star-Indian of the 2nd, and the '1' of the 1st. These are all bound together by a decorative treatment of the rivers that General Patton crossed in his German Campaign: the Innsi, the Iser, the Ems, the Rhine, the Somme, the Danube, the Saar, the Kill, the Sauer, the Moselle, and the Meuse.

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The window is surmounted by the American Flag. In the bottom left-hand corner is the shield of the United States Military Academy at West Point. At the lower right General Patton is seen mounted in his tank wearing the redesigned Armored Force shoulder patch. The verse on the window is from Timothy 4:7:

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I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.

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The inscription reads, simply:

"In Loving Memory, General George S. Patton, Jr. -- 1885 - 1945."

THROUGH A GLASS, DARKLY

Patton was a complex man. Patton was definitely a leader – strong willed, determined, and brave. As a general Patton was competent. But some people would label his generalship as dangerous and not merely audacious. Many people would label Patton peculiar. Amongst other things Patton believed in reincarnation. Following is a poem by Patton reflecting his belief in reincarnation. Enjoy. ;-) GC

THROUGH A GLASS, DARKLY

Through the travail of the ages,
Midst the pomp and toil of war,
Have I fought and strove and perished
Countless times upon this star.

In the form of many people
In all panoplies of time
Have I seen the luring vision
Of the Victory Maid, sublime.

I have battled for fresh mammoth,
I have warred for pastures new,
I have listed to the whispers
When the race trek instinct grew.

I have known the call to battle
In each changeless changing shape
From the high souled voice of conscience
To the beastly lust for rape.

I have sinned and I have suffered,
Played the hero and the knave;
Fought for belly, shame, or country,
And for each have found a grave.

I cannot name my battles
For the visions are not clear,
Yet, I see the twisted faces
And I feel the rending spear.

Perhaps I stabbed our Savior
In His sacred helpless side.
Yet, I've called His name in blessing
When after times I died.

In the dimness of the shadows
Where we hairy heathens warred,
I can taste in thought the lifeblood;
We used teeth before the sword.

While in later clearer vision
I can sense the coppery sweat,
Feel the pikes grow wet and slippery
When our Phalanx, Cyrus met.

Hear the rattle of the harness
Where the Persian darts bounced clear,
See their chariots wheel in panic
From the Hoplite's leveled spear.

See the goal grow monthly longer,
Reaching for the walls of Tyre.
Hear the crash of tons of granite,
Smell the quenchless eastern fire.

Still more clearly as a Roman,
Can I see the Legion close,
As our third rank moved in forward
And the short sword found our foes.

Once again I feel the anguish
Of that blistering treeless plain
When the Parthian showered death bolts,
And our discipline was in vain.

I remember all the suffering
Of those arrows in my neck.
Yet, I stabbed a grinning savage
As I died upon my back.

Once again I smell the heat sparks
When my flemish plate gave way
And the lance ripped through my entrails
As on Crecy's field I lay.

In the windless, blinding stillness
Of the glittering tropic sea
I can see the bubbles rising
Where we set the captives free.

Midst the spume of half a tempest
I have heard the bulwarks go
When the crashing, point blank round shot
Sent destruction to our foe.

I have fought with gun and cutlass
On the red and slippery deck
With all Hell aflame within me
And a rope around my neck.

And still later as a General
Have I galloped with Murat
When we laughed at death and numbers
Trusting in the Emperor's Star.

Till at last our star faded,
And we shouted to our doom
Where the sunken road of Ohein
Closed us in it's quivering gloom.

So but now with Tanks a'clatter
Have I waddled on the foe
Belching death at twenty paces,
By the star shell's ghastly glow.

So as through a glass, and darkly
The age long strife I see
Where I fought in many guises,
Many names, -- but always me.

And I see not in my blindness
What the objects were I wrought,
But as God rules o'er our bickerings
It was through His will I fought.

So forever in the future,
Shall I battle as of yore,
Dying to be born a fighter,
But to die again, once more.

(Source for poem – The Patton Society - http://www.pattonhq.com/unknown/chap14.html )