“Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor, dumb bastard die for his country. Men, all that stuff you’ve heard about America not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the war is a lot of horse dung. American’s traditionally love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle.
“When you all were kids, you loved the champion marble shooter, the fastest runner, the big-league ball player, the toughest boxer. America loves a winner, and will not tolerate a loser.
“Americans play to win all the time. I wouldn’t give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That’s why Americans never lost, and never will lose a war. Because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans.
“Now an Army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team. This individuality stuff is a bunch of crap. The bilious bastards who write that stuff about individuality in The Saturday Evening post don’t know anything more about battle than they do about fornicating.
“We have the finest food, equipment and the best spirit and the best men in the world. You know, by God, I actually pity those poor bastards we’re going up against. By God, I do. We’re not gonna just shoot the bastards, we’re gonna cut out their living guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We’re gonna murder those lousy Hun bastards by the bushel.
“Now some of you boys, I know, are wondering whether you’ll chicken out under fire. Don’t worry about it. I can assure you that you’ll do your duty. The Nazi’s are the enemy. Wade into them. Spill their blood. Shoot them in the belly. When you put your hand in a bunch of goo that a moment before was your best friend’s face – you’ll know what to do.
“Now there’s another thing I want you to remember. I don’t want to get any messages saying we’re holding our position. We’re not holding anything. Let the Hun do that. We are advancing constantly, and we’re not interested in holding anything except the enemy. We’re going to hold onto him by the nose and we’re gonna kick him in the ass. We’re gonna kick the hell out of him all the time, and we’re gonna go through him like crap through a goose.
“There’s one thing you men will be able to say when you get back home – and you may thank God for it. Thirty years from now when you’re sitting by your fireside with your grandson on your knee and he asks, “What did you do in the Great World War II?” you wont have to say, “We’ll I shoveled s**t in Louisiana.”
“Alright now, you sons-of-bitches, you know how I feel.
“Oh, and I will be proud to lead you wonderful guys into battle anytime, anywhere.
“That’s all.”
~George C. Scott in the opening monologue of “Patton.”
***
“Sons of Scotland, I am William Wallace!
“Yes, I’ve heard about him. He kills men by the hundreds. If he were here, he’d consume the English with fireballs from his eyes and lightning bolts from his arse.
“I am William Wallace!
“And I see a whole army of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny. You have come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What would you do without freedom? Will you fight?
“Aye, fight and you may die. Run and you’ll live – at least a while.
“And dying in your bed many years from now would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that, for a chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they may never take our freedom!
“Alba gu bra!”
~Mel Gibson as William Wallace in “Braveheart.”
***
“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius. Commander of the Armies of the North. General of the Felix Legion. Loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife – and I will have my vengeance – in this life or the next.”
~Russel Crowe as Maximus in “Gladiator.”
***
“Don’t start nothin’, and there won’t be nothin.”
~Will Smith as Agent “J” in “Men in Black.”
eof737
Have a peaceful Memorial Day!
stevenwwatkins
haha…
stevenwwatkins
Thanks for the re-post. I really enjoyed writing that piece. God bless.