![Hundreds of dead soldiers in stretchers covered with a blankets after D-Day. Killed during Normandy landings, they lie in a temporary cemetery on the cliff of Colleville-sur-Mer, overlooking Omaha Beach, ca. June 8-10, 1944. This scene took place a little west of the permanent Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. France, World War 2. (BSLOC_2014_2_43) (Newscom TagID: evhistorypix026772.jpg) [Photo via Newscom]](http://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/D-DAY-300x244.jpg)
It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
- Charles M. Province
Amen.
…and never forget the real heroes of any military operation – The poor, miserable and bloody infantryman. At Ft. Jackson, South Carolina in 1966, I was trained as an infantryman and received the 11B (Light weapons infantryman MOS) after ten weeks of intense training under the hot Southern sun; however, upon graduation day I was told I’d been reassigned to Military Intelligence at Ft. Devens, Massachusetts.
This was a classic SNAFU on the part of the Army because I was suppose to go to Devens after Boot Camp, but the orders had been lost in some clerk’s filing cabinet and not discovered for over two months. “OOPS!” said the Sergeant-Major to me as way of explanation and handed me my new orders, “…and anyhow young soldier, you wouldn’t have liked the infantry, those boys like to play for keeps. There is a war on in Vietnam and everyone in your training company will be assigned to the First Air Cavalry Division…except for you!”
Thus ended my short career as a “Grunt”…and I’ve often wondered how many of those guys in my training company survived in the war, as the 1st Air Cav was in some pretty intense battles.
Anyhow, To the Everlasting Glory of the poor, bloody and miserable INFANTRY!
http://ronbosoldier.blogspot.com/2016/06/on-d-day-remember-poor-bloody.html
For them, and for you, Ronbo, Salute.
“Anyhow, To the Everlasting Glory of the poor, bloody and miserable INFANTRY!”
Agreed!
The 1st Air Cav. – they’ve always had a real mystique around them for me. A legendary unit.
I am humbled.
I am certain they watch over us still.
Following Reagan’s historic speech on the 40th anniversary of D-day where he honoured the Rangers at Pointe du Hoc he gave a second, much less lauded speech at the Omaha Beach Memorial honouring “the poor, miserable and bloody infantryman”. Moving stuff!
“…..So that we may be always free.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5psJU33OC-k