...it's not dark yet, but it's gettin' there...
How different is this war we are fighting now. Compared to wars of the distant past.
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) writes about a once universal irony among soldiers:
'Had he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,
We should have sat us down to wet
Right many a nipperkin!
'But ranged as infantry,
And staring face to face,
I shot at him as he at me,
And killed him in his place.
'I shot him dead because --
Because he was my foe,
Just so: my foe of course he was;
That's clear enough; although
'He thought he'd 'list, perhaps,
Off-hand like -- just as I --
Was out of work -- had sold his traps --
No other reason why.
'Yes; quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down
You'd treat if met where any bar is,
Or help to half-a-crown.'
Nah, these guys are whack jobs. Like the little soldierette prison guard said, "The fuck women for children, and boys for fun".
Posted by: Casca on Oct. 6, 2004Indeed, the cultural gulf is wider with our current enemy than before. I remember reading this poem in high school in a discussion of the Cold War (which was of course still ongoing), and talking about the humanity of Russian soldiers...
Thanks.
Posted by: Hugo on Oct. 7, 2004