Excellent speech

[Donut]

'Grieve for fallen comrades after battle is over'

A BRITISH commander told his men last night that not all of them would come home alive. He instructed his soldiers to wrap their fallen comrades in a sleeping bag, fight on and grieve for them after the heat of the battle.

Lieutenant-Colonel Tim Collins, the man leading the battle group of the 1st Battalion of The Royal Irish, told his troops: “It is my foremost intention to bring every single one of you out alive, but there may be people among us who will not see the end of this campaign.

“We will put them in their sleeping bags and send them back. There will be no time for sorrow.”

In an emotionally charged address that reduced many of Britain’s toughest infantry troops to tears, the commanding officer told his men that he would tolerate neither cowardice nor a killing spree but that they should show no mercy to forces who remained loyal to President Saddam Hussein. He also declared that any Iraqi troops who declared a truce in the face of the advancing Allies would be embraced by the coalition and permitted to fight for regime change in their own nation.

He said: “The enemy should be in no doubt that we are his Nemesis and that we are bringing about his rightful destruction. There are many regional commanders who have stains on their souls and they are stoking the fires of Hell for Saddam. He and his forces will be destroyed by this coalition for what they have done. As they die they will know their deeds have brought them to this place. Show them no pity.”

Wearing his kukri, the Gurkha blade that he is entitled to carry as a Gurkha commander, Colonel Collins spoke to his 800 men, an arm of Britain’s 16 Air Assault Brigade, at Fort Blair Mayne, their desert camp 20 miles from the Iraqi border.

He said: “We go to liberate, not to conquer. We will not fly our flags in their country. We are entering Iraq to free a people and the only flag that will be flown in that ancient land is their own. Show respect for them. There are some who are alive at this moment who will not be alive shortly. Those who do not wish to go on that journey, we will not send.

“As for the others, I expect you to rock their world. Wipe them out if that is what they choose. But if you are ferocious in battle, remember to be magnanimous in victory.

“It is a big step to take another human life. It is not to be done lightly.

“I know of men who have taken life needlessly in other conflicts. I can assure you they live with the mark of Cain upon them. If someone surrenders to you, then remember they have that right in international law and ensure that one day they go home to their family. The ones who wish to fight, well, we aim to please.”

As the men listened in silence, the dying minutes of a day-long dust storm giving added drama to his address, Colonel Collins reminded them that they were a band of brothers. He said: “If you harm the regiment or its history by over-enthusiasm in killing or in cowardice, know it is your family who will suffer. You will be shunned unless your conduct is of the highest, for your deeds will follow you down through history. We will bring shame on neither our uniform nor our nation.”

He said they would certainly face Saddam’s chemical and biological arsenal. “It is not a question of if, it’s a question of when. We know he has already devolved the decision to his lower commanders, and that means he has already taken the decision himself. If we survive the first strike, we will survive the attack.”

The commander said he expected the conflict to last between ten days and three weeks and that it was vital if the West was to curb the threat of Muslim fundamentalists. But he made it clear that his men were to respect Iraqi culture and religion and not to confuse it with the international terrorism that Saddam had cultivated within his borders.

He said: “Iraq is steeped in history. It is the site of the Garden of Eden, of the Great Flood and the birthplace of Abraham. Tread lightly there.

“You will see things that no man could pay to see and you will have to go a long way to find a more decent, generous and upright people than the Iraqis. You will be embarrassed by their hospitality even though they have nothing.

“Don’t treat them as refugees for they are in their own country. Their children will be poor. In years to come they will know that the light of liberation in their lives was brought by you. If there are casualties of war, then remember that when they woke up and got dressed in the morning they did not plan to die this day. Allow them dignity in death. Bury them properly and mark their graves.”

His closing words were resolute: “As for ourselves, let’s bring everyone home and leave Iraq a better place for us having been there. Our business now is north.”

[wellard]

Gosh that was emotional to read. And lets hope his wishes and commands are followed.

[Davros]

Your right - one heck of a great speech [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[Masklinn]

Not bad indeed.

[Memnoch]

I don't suppose that would be available on audio anywhere?

[wellard]

Originally posted by Memnoch: I don't suppose that would be available on audio anywhere?

I just read the speach on the BBC site maybe there is a link but I'm to tired to look [img]graemlins/sleep3.gif[/img]

Edit ... BBC site.. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2866581.stm

[ 03-20-2003, 07:10 AM: Message edited by: wellard ]

[Donut]

Originally posted by Memnoch: I don't suppose that would be available on audio anywhere?

I doubt it. It was an article from today's Times and is also on the BBC site

[Donut]

Here's another link about the speech and about motivating soldiers for battle

[Charean]

That was beautiful. Masterfully done.

[Timber Loftis]

Good speech. God, why do you Brits just have such a knack for nuances and beauty of the language. [img]graemlins/1pissed.gif[/img]