because of recent bad talk about the military, i'd like to turn the tide a bit by posting this...i hope some of you appreciate it

The warrior stood and faced God,
which will always come to pass,
He hoped his shoes were shining,
just as brightly as his brass,

"Step forward, now old warrior,
How shall i deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheeck?
To my church have you been true?"

The warrior squared his shoulders and said,
"no, Lord, i guess i ain't,
'cause those of us who carry guns,
can't always be a saint

"i've had to work most sundays,
and at times my talk was tough,
and sometimes i've been violent,
'cause the world is awfully rough

"but i never took a penny
that wasnt mine to keep
though i worked a lot of overtime
when the bills hot just too steep,

"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

"i'f you've a place for me here, lord,
it needn't be so grand.in life
i didn't expect nor need too much,
so if you don't, i'll understand"

There was a silence all around the throne,
where the saints had often rod,
As the warrior stood quietly.
For the judgement of his God.

"Step forward now, my warrior,
You've born your burdens well,
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."

-Author unknown, printed on page 370 of On Combat by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman

there's also Erasmus' twenty two principles on how to be strong while remaining viruous in a dangerous world, if some of you are interested i'll post it

and i warn you that i won't be replying to negative comments

Good post, I'd like it if you posted those 22 principles.

There was a young lad named Agonizing Truth.
Who posted as if he was long in the tooth.
He tried to sugarcoat these threads
While minimizing all the war deads.
"Fuck you!" .....if you view my reply as uncooth.

Go ahead and post them man.

Erasmus' twenty-two principles on how to be strong while remaining virtuous in a dangerous world

From the Enchridion Militis Christiani: A guide for the righteous protector, by Erasmus, 1503 extracted by Sergeant Chris Pascoe, Michigan State Police.

rule 1
INCREASE YOUR FAITH
Even if the entire world appears mad

rule 2
ACT UPON YOUR FAITH
Even if you must undergo the loss of everything

rule 3
ANALYZE YOUR FEARS
You will find that things are not as bad as they appear

rule 4
MAKE VIRTUE THE ONLY GOAL OF YOUR LIFE
Dedicate all your enthumsiasm, all your effort, your leisure as well as your business

rule 5
TURN AWAY FROM MATERIAL THINGS
if you are greatly concerned with money you will be weak of spirit

rule 6
TRAIN YOUR MIND TO DISTINGUISH GOOD AND EVIL
Let your rule of government be determined by the common good

rule 7
NEVER LET ANY SETBACK STOP YOU IN YOUR QUEST
We are not perfect-this only means we should try harder

rule 8
IF YOU HAVE FREQUENT TEMPTATIONS, DO NOT WORRY
Begin to worry when you do not have temptations, because that is a sure sign that you cannot distinguish good from evil

rule 9
ALWAYS BE PREPARED FOR AN ATTACK
Careful generals set guards even in times of peace

rule 10
SPIT, AS IT WERE, IN THE FACE OF DANGER
Keep a stiring quotation with you for encouragement

rule 11
THERE ARE TWO DANGERS:ONE IS GIVING UP, THE OTHER IS PRIDE
after you have performed some worthy task, give all the credit to someone else

rule 12
TURN YOUR WEAKNESS INTO VIRTUE
if you are inclined to be selfish, make a deliberate effort to be giving

rule 13
TREAT EACH BATTLE AS THOUGHT IT WERE YOUR LAST
And you will finish, in the end, victorious!

rule 14
DON'T ASSUME THAT DOING GOOD ALLOWS YOU TO KEEP A FEW VICES
The enemy you ignore the most is the one who conquers you

rule 15
WEIGH YOUR ALTERNATIVES CAREFULLY
The wrong way will often seem easier than the right way

rule 16
NEVER ADMIT DEFEAT EVEN IF YOU HAVE BEEN WOUNDED
The good soldier's painful wounds spur him to gather his strength

rule 17
ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN OF ACTION
So when the time comes for battle, you will know what to do

rule18
CALM YOUR PASSIONS BY SEEING HOW LITTLE THERE IS TO GAIN
we often worry and scheme about trifling matters of no real importance

rule 19
SPEAK WITH YOURSELF THIS WAY:
If i do what i am considering, would i want my family to know about it?

rule 20
VIRTUE HAS ITS OWN REWARD
once a person has it, they would not exchange it for anything

rule 21
LIFE CAN BE SAD, DIFFICULT, AND QUICK:
MAKE IT COUNT FOR SOMETHING!
Since we do not know when death will come, act honorably everyday

rule 22
REPENT YOUR WRONGS
Those who do not admit their faults have the most to fear

source: On Combat from Dave Grossman

i'd like some comments from people who are genuinely interested and or supportive in/for this forum
are there things you agree on?things you don't?

Most of the rules above are just feel-good drivel, that is nothing but empty rhetoric trying to "inspire" people rather than teach them real world lessons. Just one simple example:

rule 13
TREAT EACH BATTLE AS THOUGHT IT WERE YOUR LAST
And you will finish, in the end, victorious!

Give me a fuckin break. That is some hokey inaccurate bullshit right there.

You want a guidebook or rules that will REALLY assist soldiers in their day-to-day struggles? Whether on the battlefield or off of it? "Art of War" is helpful, logical, can be inspiring and very informative. And if you apply many of those lessons in a metaphorical sense out of the realm of the military it STILL has practical significance.

Meh....... Sun Tzu probably would have wiped his ass with those 22 points above since they are more for targeting emotional heartstrings only to make people feel better about themselves, rather than positively affect real life practical scenarios.

Most of the rules above are just feel-good drivel, that is nothing but empty rhetoric trying to "inspire" people rather than teach them real world lessons. Just one simple example:

rule 13
TREAT EACH BATTLE AS THOUGHT IT WERE YOUR LAST
And you will finish, in the end, victorious!

Give me a fuckin break. That is some hokey inaccurate bullshit right there.

You want a guidebook or rules that will REALLY assist soldiers in their day-to-day struggles? Whether on the battlefield or off of it? "Art of War" is helpful, logical, can be inspiring and very informative. And if you apply many of those lessons in a metaphorical sense out of the realm of the military it STILL has practical significance.

Meh....... Sun Tzu probably would have wiped his ass with those 22 points above since they are more for targeting emotional heartstrings only to make people feel better about themselves, rather than positively affect real life practical scenarios.

what does a pot smoking hippy like you do with such a book? i don't think you should compare the two since sun tzu wrote ARTICLES about THE ART OF WAR and erasmus wrote PRINCIPLES

plus i find rule 13 not inaccurate bullshit actually

meh, sun tzu probably would have wiped his ass with a drugged up dumbass riding his gypsy mini van around with no goal in life

now that i'm satisfied, go flame all you want, freedom of speech is for everyone, i'll exercise my right to remain silent next time you post some bullshit

Fucking hell that was pathetic... army strong rhetoric and references to God... How fucking dainty...

what does a pot smoking hippy like you do with such a book? i don't think you should compare the two since sun tzu wrote ARTICLES about THE ART OF WAR and erasmus wrote PRINCIPLES

plus i find rule 13 not inaccurate bullshit actually

meh, sun tzu probably would have wiped his ass with a drugged up dumbass riding his gypsy mini van around with no goal in life

now that i'm satisfied, go flame all you want, freedom of speech is for everyone, i'll exercise my right to remain silent next time you post some bullshit


ROFLMFAO!!! Look at the fool that is paying a WHOLE LOT of attention to my words, yet still too stupid to comprehend everything I've been saying. Try again REMF, I'm hardly a hippy and sure as fuck more of a soldier than you'll ever be....even if you stayed a lifer.

And its pretty fuckin funny how you label me "hippy" just because I smoke weed. Are you really going to try to tell the masses there aren't drugs in the armed forces? Should we discuss the staggering proliferance of meth in the Air Force, or would you rather not go there?

And yes your little "articles" are empty rhetoric. #13 is some nonsensical bullshit you would tell a 4 year old. "If at first you don't succeed....try, try again". MY. FUCKIN. GOD! How fuckin lame could you possibly be to actually believe the accuracy of the nonsense you spewed.

BTW soldier boy.......you have proven how resilient and trust worthy you are. Remember these famous words? "and i warn you that i won't be replying to negative comments". So when should we heed THESE words you just posted? "i'll exercise my right to remain silent next time you post some bullshit"

How's it feel REMF? To know that some "drugged out hippy's" words have more meaning/seriousness then Mr. Ewww-Rahhh Boy's empty promises AND rhetoric????

Eh, not being the most religious person myself, I don't find it particularly helpful.
But if you were a Theist in the military, I'm sure that would be very encouraging, so good post, OP.

Meh, I'm a God fearing man and someone who has spent their fair share of time in the military. I've never been one for a bunch of feel good "I think I can I think I can" nonsense. My philosophy is more like "Lets get this shit done so we can go home" and "Get the fuck out of my face while I do my fucking job, Sir." Maybe the military has hardened me up a bit, or maybe that guy was just a fag who never served a single day in the military.