A Private Matter.
This may be a Prıvate matter:
But no Generals died today.
Many of their aides,
Guaranteed them medals
When they suggested.
As long as they
Did their war-planning;
İn the office,
That “car-bombs, ” would be the least
Of their military worries, in Iraq
İf, the action part of the plan
Was delegated, to 'gung-ho' enlisted men
Drafted to do it.
News from Washington says:
Too many Prıvates,
Seeking 'medals of honor, ' in 2011
Are too willing to die.
For their country
And if, this trend continues
Against, what General Patton Once said:
'About lettıng your enemy dıe
For hıs country, '
The army will have a “glut, ” of happy cooks
& old Master Sergeants, close to retirement
That/ have no/ intention,
Of dodging enemy bullets
Or being Fragged
İn the desert, by their corporals
So ** close ** to ** payday.
poem by Ronald Stroman

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Related quotes

Not long ago, if you wanted to seize political power in a country you had merely to control the army and the police. Today it is only in the most backward countries that fascist generals, in carrying out a coup d'état, still use tanks. If a country has reached a high degree of industrialization the whole scene changes. The day after the fall of Khrushchev, the editors of Pravda, Izvestiia, the heads of the radio and television were replaced; the army wasn't called out. Today a country belongs to the person who controls communications.
quote by Umberto Eco

Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Bombs Away
The general scratches his belly and thinks
His pay is good but his officers stink
Guerilla girl, hard and sweet
A military man would love to meet
The president looks in the mirror and speaks
His shirts are clean but his country reeks
Unpaid bills
In afghanistan hills
Bombs away
But were ok
Bombs away
In old bombay
The general only wants to teach france to dance
His army life doesnt give him any romance
Guerilla girl, hard and sweet
A military man would love to meet
The general scratches his belly and thinks
His pay is good but his company stinks
Guerilla girl, hard and sweet
A military man would love to meet
Bombs away
But were ok
Bombs away
In old bombay
song performed by by Police

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Don't Want To Be A Hero
I don't want to be a hero renowned for my bravery
All I want is heaps of money and of my worries I'd be free
To pay my bills I have to struggle I live close to poverty
I don't want to be a hero what use would that be to me? .
I don't want to die in battle and be honoured posthumously
And be seen as an example and left for posterity
And the crazy army general say there's none so brave as he
I don't want to die a hero what use would that be to me? .
I don't want to die a hero I don't yearn for such renown
But I would like to own a big house on the outskirts of the town
With a rolls royce in my car port and I sunning by the swimming pool
And a nice dip in the water just to keep the body cool.
You would like to die a hero fighting for your Country's pride
And a stone plaque to your memory and your fame known far and wide
Millions of brave men died in battles they like you believed the lie
That your name will live forever if for your Country you will die.
You would like to be remembered as one of the noble dead
But I don't want to die a hero bullet through my heart or head
I don't want no crazy general saying there's none so brave as he
All I need is heaps of money and of my worries I'd feel free.
poem by Francis Duggan

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Sincere Thanks
Sincere thanks to the Africans who,
Made us proud at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games;
For there their talents were exposed to the world.
Thanks to Kenya who got the total of 14 medals:
Made up of 5 Gold medals,5 Silver medals and 4 Bronze medals.
Thanks to Ethiopia who got the total of 7 medals:
Made up of 4 Gold medals, a Silver medal and 2 Bronze medals.
Thanks to Zimbabwe who got the total of 4 medals:
Made up of a Gold medal and 3 Silver medals.
Thanks to Cameroon who got a single Gold medal,
Thanks to Tunisia who got a single Gold medal,
Thanks to Nigeria who got the total of 4 medals:
Made up of a Silver medal and 3 Bronze medals.
Thanks to Algeria who got 2 medals:
Made up of a Silver medal and a Bronze medal.
Thanks to Morocco who got 2 medals:
Made up of a Siver medal and a Bronze medal.
THanks to South Africa who got a single Silver medal,
Thanks to Sudan who got a single Silver medal,
Thanks to Egypt who got a single Bronze medal,
Thanks to Mauritius who got a single Bronze medal,
And tanks to Togo who also got a single Bronze medal.
You've really made Africa proud and we do thank you all!
poem by Edward Kofi Louis

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Enemy Of All
A father is the enemy
When he left unpaid debts
A foolish son is the enemy of
His parents
A beautiful wife is the enemy of
Her husband
A mother with loose character
Is the enemy of her children
A greedy corrupt and notorious king
Is the enemy of the country men
O friend, remember
If you are not doing any good deeds
Beneficial to others you are the enemy
Of your soul and enemy of you
As you are destroying yourself
As your same soul is there in the body of all.
poem by Gajanan Mishra

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Defeating An Enemy
We live in a world full of enemies,
or so we are lead to believe.
The best way to defeat an enemy
is not with bullets or bombs.
The best way to defeat an enemy
is to make that enemy a friend.
poem by David Harris

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Shes Got Medals
Shed walk through the door and shed set up the drinks on the house
She played a good game of darts, and the men slapped her back
And never took her out
She wore a trenchcoat khaki
Her hobnail boots were full of holes
Shes got medals
Her mother called her mary, but she changed her name to tommy, shes a one, oh
She went and joined the army, passed the medical
Dont ask me how its done
They sent her to the front line
Fighting for her countrys name
Shes got medals
She got very tired of picking up girls
Cleaning her gun and shaving her curls
Then the enemy dropped a bomb
Survivors there were none
People say that when the moon is full and all the stars have gone to bed
You can see her ghost but thats a lie because the naughty woman isnt dead
She deserted on the previous morning
Replaced her uniform with dresses silk and green
Called herself eileen
Came to london town
Now shes settled down
Shes got medals
song performed by by David Bowie

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Losing Armies
May 1945, the occupying forces in Norway surrenders, a flag
is lowered another one hoisted. The occupiers’ commandant
hand his revolver to the man from the home front, there is
dignity. The enemy now prisoners, go back to their barracks
and wait to be skipped home to their country.
Another war, in the Middle East 70 years later, the occupiers
leave in the night unseen by the masses, they too have lost
but pretend they are victors. No dignity, only an unspoken
sense of dishonor. And the soldiers, of the vanquished army,
will be demobbed, given medals and sacrifices are forgotten.
poem by Oskar Hansen

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My Country Bleeds
My country is bleeding to death,
Daily we mourn the dead and lay wreath
Could do absolutely nothing to prevent
Blasts and deaths daily occurrences as if there are no more event
Some people come on bike and strike with gun,
terrorist emerge all of sudden and shoot for the fun
People are caught in cross fire and go for the run
What a shame on earth? Are we happy under the sun?
Country’s existence and honor is at stake
Still there is no unity and people are not wake
No one thinks of humanity and survival is at sake
How to mourn death and celebrate the occasion with cake?
We expect many more such strikes if we remain discerned
People and country should have more concerns
Holy places are on hit list but who knows when?
Danger may be lurking from all over then
Enemies may strike when they are firmly placed in
outside danger may be less but more from within,
Keep them at bay and don’t let them assemble
Sacrifice will not go in vain if enemy is put in trouble
Rain water may flow on ground but blood will remain
When blood is mixed with water it will not go in drain
Don’t aggravate the situation by mere propaganda and refrain
Save country from dishonor and never complain
Asked not? What country has done for you or does?
Only offer self and it may serve purpose
Sacrifice is the only answer that lies with you
You survive or die.honour becomes due
Stop death game once for all and offer the peace best
Stop orgy of violence and unwanted or needless unrest
Come to the sense and deliver the rest
Bad phase will be over if we stand the test
Nothing has proved yet and enough is enough
Strike at the root and prove little tough
Let the enemy know, gun will match the gun
Pride and honor to be preserved and not made a fun
Will youth of today rise in arm and hunted enemy to be slained?
Salute to brave people and warning enemy not to strike again
Always ready to die by putting country first
Attempt to flush them as crisis has become worst
It is possible that you will be lost from memory
Country may be burdened more with worry
No one will remember who defended the honor
it may be by all sections including minor or major
It is not important how long did you live?
It only matter how you lived and what did you believe
So when it comes to defend the country?
You got to offer yourself and make the entry
Politicians always scrounge and people may laugh,
Words may be spoken but may not be that enough
Few rose petals may be offered by them and laid as wreath,
Tears too may be shed when stopped last breath,
What we need today is strong will power?
Not many building and no high rising towers
We should stand united and display strong will
Defeat the enemy designs and go for the kill
poem by Hasmukh Amathalal

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I am now the target of the most powerful man in this country, with an army of aides whose major responsibility today seems to be to attack me and get rid of me.
quote by Gerald Walpin

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Big War
He was nineteen on that cold January day
When he was drafted and was taken away
Infantry training made him into a rock hard man
Then a ship waited to take him to a far away land
He learned to live with all the mud and rain
And with a diseases that caused a lot of pain
Time moved slowly until three birthdays had gone past
Until the war ended and he came home at last
All the medals were hidden in a drawer
Grim reminders of a terrible long war
What he experienced nobody will ever be told
And to no publication will they ever be sold
Nobody will ever know what he had been through
To help keep this country free for me and you
poem by Harold C. Smith

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Tortured Silence
I don't want to be here, to open this door
Please close the curtains I don't want to see anymore
What I see when I close my eyes hurts beyond belief
I close the world away as I seek for some relief
I'll sit here in silence as the world burns and screams
I'll look through your heart pulling at the seems
Because all of my memories trap me in these confines
Memories of a day, a month, a year caged behind enemy lines
You know nothing and I won't be the one to tell
Not a word about the terrors that my mind befell
Because I'm not the one who gets saved by silence
No it's your sanity I preserve by not recounting the violence
Do you truly want to know how they scarred my skin?
Or how it came so close to you giving my home to next of kin
How they burnt my life away with their lies and knives
Trust me its not a tale to tell your children and wives
So you can tell me to speak and tell me I'm not weak
But you will never understand the blissful silence I seek
Because ignorance truly is bliss for those who don't know
That these scars and medals actually show the blood that flows
poem by Rebecca Pepper

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Who Wins in War?
Who are the winners in every war?
The ones who start the war, for sure.
They are the ones who sit at a desk
and devise their devious plan
to cash in on the death of boys,
this time in afghanistan.
Now the winners walk away proud
with regalia on their chest.
The heroes that thrive on war
surely must have been blessed
for they continuously salute in military style
as they walk among the rank and file.
I say 'take off your medals
and join the boys who kill.'
The medals won't protect you then
you'll be where the blood does spill.
As a result you'll ask the question
'Who are the winners in every war? '
It's those white shirts behind desks
that started the war.
poem by Edwina Reizer

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No Military for Me
No military for me,
No tanks or guns,
Or army ranks -
To hell with it all -
No military for me,
No stupid generals
Deciding who lives
Or dies -
No young recruits
Blindly following
Orders to dropp
Bombs on children
No heroes, no trenches,
No waiting wives
Or crying mothers,
Nobody to fight for me
Or my freedoms
Except myself alone -
No deaths to mourn,
No dead children,
No crippled and maimed
Bodies and wasted lives
No military for me,
I don't need any of it,
None of your fucking
Bombs, grenades
And helicopters
None of your nuclear
Weapons to explode
Up someone's ass -
No military for me -
Just keep it,
Shove it and forget it
Wrap it in your flag
And throw it out
The window -
For I'm just fine
Without it.
November 11,2006
poem by Alexander Shaumyan

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Soldier (not really a poem)
the american revolution was fought witha new breed of soldier.
this country was founded on that soldier.
that soldier is the one that those on the front lines calls the coward
that soldier is the one that those on the front lines call when they need help
because these soldiers dont miss.
these soldiers are trained harder than the most elite frontline man
these soldiers are tought to kill their enemy before there enemy sees them.
these soldiers are the ghosts in the night,
these soldiers are the wind in the day
these soldiers are everywhere.
these soldiers are the bush next to u.
these soldiers are the the tree across the field.
these soldiers are the lump of snow in the flat plain.
these soldiers are snipers.
snipers are the reason we are free.
snipers stop the enemy before the enemy gets close to u,
poem by Joshua Decker

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Close Again
Written by orbison/melson.
When evening shadows fall.
Im not lonely at all.
Now that youre with me I recall.
How much I love you.
Close again.
Now Im alright, tonight were close again.
Touching your hand means that were close again.
Reaching each other now within
At last were two are really close again.
How long has it been since we loved like this? ,
Ill never ever know.
It seems like only yesterday.
Yet it seems so long ago.
Close again.
Down deep inside were both are close again.
A love that died can be alive again.
I can survive because youve let me in.
Into your heart so very close again.
So love me,like you loved me when you loved me,
And say thats all you want to do.
I am what I am,and all that I am.
Is in love with you,and only you.
So close again.
Thats all that matter,were close again.
Dreams that were scattered are close again.
Hearts that were shattered begin to mend.
Cant help but cry.
For you and I are close again.
song performed by by Roy Orbison

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A War To End All Wars, But Wasn’t
They not only fought the enemy,
but fought the elements as well.
They fought for their country
in lands far from home.
They fought rain, mud and the enemy
in trenches stained with blood
from those who had fallen there before.
They fought on and on
while the Generals watched
the slaughter from far away.
For their mistakes men died
by the score across the battlefield.
Their blood would stained the land
then and forever more.
Then came the gas
like a creeping mist across the battlefield
that silenced all in its wake.
It made no distinction to young or old,
just poisoned all it touched.
Their contorted bodies rotted where they fell.
They said this was a war to end all wars, but it wasn’t.
Almost twenty years later
men from different countries gathered to fight another war
and again in the trenches men fell.
The mechanics had changed;
machines became more prevalent across the battlefield,
still men died for small victories in the tide of war.
3 July 2008
poem by David Harris

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A Nation Must Stand Firm
If openly they commit misdeeds,
Then the country shall remain,
And the nation exceeds
In the number of troops again.
The army has pain all abhorrent,
Many strike fear and retaliation
For they do not know who is absent,
The army or the law? Whose acceleration?
I guarantee the spread of health,
Active are the infantry in their strength,
May the legion carry its stealth
And let radio the wavelength.
We exceed the enemy in power
And we declare a truce;
What do we do as we are abler?
Abduct the foe with no abuse.
Let the nation stand firm against enemy control,
And let ages pass sweeter than charcoal.
poem by Naveed Akram

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We were on patrol in the desert
We were on patrol in the desert,
drove through a part of the Namib
with a brown armoured car
at a place where there were firm ground
and camped for the night,
seeing the trip as a type of joy ride
and during the day the sun was utterly hot
but the night was black and icy cold
and we counted bright stars
that looked shot-gunned into the sky
and the Bushmen trackers
sat round a fire where they prepared tea
reminding me of the British army
but we were continents away
in another country, fighting a enemy
that did not bother them.
poem by Gert Strydom

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No country in history ever sent mothers of toddlers off to fight enemy soldiers until the United States did this in the Iraq war.
quote by Phyllis Schlafly

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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