This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered.
Shakespeare, Henry V
Some people are opposed to celebrating martial virtues on grounds that such celebration encourages war. There may be something to that opinion, but I believe that until everybody in the world feels the same way, there is a greater danger that if we don’t honor our warriors, we will find ourselves worsted in a conflict with people who do – and we will pay a heavy price for our ingratitude to our military.
So today I am going to reprint part of a speech given by war correspondent and author Joe Galloway to the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association. Mr. Galloway is co-author (with Lt. Gen. Hal Moore) of the book, We Were Soldiers Once … And Young.
The speech is what you might expect for a reunion of hardened combat veterans. It is brash, politically incorrect and full of rough jests and macho swagger. But it ends on a profound and heartfelt note. Mr. Galloway declares:
“For myself and all my buddies in the Infantry I say: Thanks for all the
rides in and out....especially the rides out. It is great to see you all
gathered here for this reunion. A friend of mine, Mike Norman, a former
Marine grunt....wrote a wonderful book called "These Good Men" about his
quest to find and reunite with all the survivors of his platoon from
Vietnam. He thought long and deep about why we gather as we have done this
evening and he explained it thusly:
“I now know why men who have been to war yearn to reunite. Not to tell
stories or look at old pictures. Not to laugh or weep. Comrades gather
because they long to be with the men who once acted their best.....men who
suffered and sacrificed.....who were stripped raw......right down to their
humanity. I did not pick these men. They were delivered by fate and the
military. But I know them in a way I know no other men. I have never given
anyone such trust. They were willing to guard something more precious than
my life. They would have carried my reputation.....the memory of me. It was
part of the bargain we all made.....the reason we were so willing to die
for one another.
“As long as I have memory I will think of them all.....every day. I am sure
that when I leave this world....my last thought will be of my family and my
comrades.......such good men.”
Such good men indeed.
