INFANTRY

He is born to the earth, on the day he enlists
He is sentenced to life on the soil,
To march on it, crawl on it, dig in it, sprawl on it,
Sleep in it after his toil.

Be it sand, rock or ice, gravel, mud or red loam
He will fight on it bravely, and die,
And the crude little cross, telling men of his loss
Will cry mutely to some foreign sky.

He's the tired looking man in untidy garb
Weather-beaten, footsore with fatigue,
But his spirit is strong, as he marches along
With burdens for league upon league.

He attacks in the face of murderous fire
Crawling forward, attacking through mud.

When he breaks through the line, over the wire and mines,
On the point of his bayonet is blood.

Should you meet him, untidy, begrimed and fatigued
Don't indulge in unwarranted mirth.

For the brave infantryman deserves more than your sneer,
He is truly the salt of the earth.

- unknown author -

QW: Fear

"There is a time to take counsel of your fears, and there is a time to never listen to any fear."

- Patton

QW: Family

"In a war, it's family and the land. We have to save those two. With land,
you have family, and with family, you have a country."
A Canadian bomber tail gunner, World War II

QW: Small Battles are the Way to Win

".....and it is a maxim in general not to suffer ourselves to be dictated to by the enemy.... a careful utilization of ground, strong ambuscades wherever the boldness of the enemy's advance guard, and the ground, afford opportunity; in short, the preparation, and the system of regular small battles - those are the means of following this principle"

- Clausewitz

THE INFANTRYMAN

The art of the Infantryman is less stereotyped and far harder to acquire in modern war than any other arm.

The role of the average Artilleryman, for instance, is largely routine; the setting of a fuse, the locating of a gun, even the laying of it, are processes which once learned, are mechanical.

The Infantryman has to use initiative and intelligence in almost every step he moves every action he takes on the battlefield.

We ought therefore to put our men of best intelligence into the Infantry.

- unknown quote -