A COMPARISON: CIVIE VS SOLDIER

Civie: Your alarm clock goes off , you hit the snooze and sleep for another 10 minutes.
Soldier: He stays up for days on end. __________________________________
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Civie: You take a warm shower to help you wake up.
Soldier: He goes days or weeks without running water. ________________________
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Civie: You complain of a "headache", and call in sick.
Soldier: He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward._______________
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Civie: You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.
Soldier: He still fights for your right to wear that shirt. ________________________
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Civie: You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket.
Soldier: He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.__________________
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Civie: You talk trash about your "buddies" that aren't with you.
Soldier: He knows he may not see some of his buddies again. ___________________
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Civie: You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls/hot guys.
Soldier: He walks the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.______________
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Civie: You complain about how hot it is.
Soldier: He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.____
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Civie: You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.
Soldier: He doesn't get to eat today. _____________________________________
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Civie: Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.
Soldier: He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.____
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Civie: You go to the mall and get your hair redone.
Soldier: He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today. ________________________
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Civie: You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
Soldier: He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months. _______________________
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Civie: You call your girlfriend/boyfriend and set a date for tonight.
Soldier: He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home._________________
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Civie: You hug and kiss your girlfriend/boyfriend, like you do everyday.
Soldier: He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume. ___________________
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Civie: You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
Soldier: He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.__
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Civie: You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
Soldier: He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.
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Civie: You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.
Soldier: He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded. ________________
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Civie: You see only what the media wants you to see.
Soldier: He sees the broken bodies lying around him. __________________________
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Civie: You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.
Soldier: He does exactly what he is told.____________________________________
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Civie: You stay at home and watch TV.
Soldier: He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat._________
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Civie: You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.
Soldier: He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5 minute nap,only to be woken by gunfire.
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You sit there and judge him, saying the world is probably a worse place because of men like him. *
If only there were more men like him! _________________________________

A Soldier's Prayer

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Almighty God,

Help me remain true to my ideals

During my service to my country.

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Help me to be what is best in Canada,

A vast and wonderful land.

May I realize that I represent

What our country stands for.

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My uniform is a symbol of duty and

Valour both in peace and in war.

I take up arms to defend what all

Canadians hold dear: life, dignity, and respect.

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Grant me the strength to live

According to the courage of my

Convictions and the resolve to

Endure whatever dangers threaten.

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With you at my side I fear no evil.

I Resist every enemy secure in the

Knowledge that you hold me safe in the

Palm of your hand.

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Amen

WAR'S A BORE

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"War is an organized bore."

I guess he never saw THIS coming at him...

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- Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

Definition: VETERAN

When a good Veteran leaves the 'job' and retires to a better life, many are jealous, some are pleased, and others, who may have already retired, wonder if he knows what he is leaving behind, because we already know.
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1. We know, for example, that after a lifetime of camaraderie that fewexperience, it will remain as a longing for those past times.
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2. We know in the Military life there is a fellowship which lasts longafter the uniforms are hung up in the back of the closet.
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3. We know even if he throws them away, they will be on him with everystep and breath that remains in his life. We also know how the verybearing of the man speaks of what he was and in his heart still is.
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These are the burdens of the job. You will still look at people suspiciously, still see what others do not see or choose to ignore and always will look at the rest of the Military world with a respect for what they do; only grown in a lifetime of knowing. Never think for one moment you are escaping from that life. You areonly escaping the 'job' and merely being allowed to leave 'active'
duty.
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So what I wish for you is that whenever you ease into retirement, in your heart you never forget for one moment that you are still a member of the greatest fraternity the world has ever known.

BARBIE FOR MEN

...the BAD.....

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"Don't try to be a good man, just be a man,

and let history decide"

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- Zefram Cochran

Sgt John Wayne Faught

the Anniversary of Sgt J.W. Faught's passing

Sergeant John Wayne Faught was killed by an improvised explosive device during a dismounted security patrol January 16.

Sgt Faught was a member of the 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, Alberta. He was serving as a member of the Task Force 3-09 Battle Group.
“At the time of his death, Sergeant John Wayne Faught was taking part in a joint patrol with the Afghan National Army and the Canadian Battle Group near the village of Nakhonay as part of our efforts to protect Afghans from insurgents and to learn more about the villagers and their needs,” said Brigadier-General Dan Ménard, commander of the Canadian Task Force in Kandahar.

R.I.P.

To the Family, Friends and Fellow Soldiers of Sgt. John Wayne Faught

He was a soldier’s soldier crusty to the edge

He led and guided younger ones

Safely kept until and when

To bring them home when their duty done

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He died doing duty’s task

On behalf of a country so very proud

Now hurting at his pass

The hearts that pound, the tears that flow

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He looks on from angel’s arms

And growls a laugh, Stand proudly lads

Until your duty’s passed

Weep not for me for now I’ll rest

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In eternal loving arms

In hearts across a nation

Near mountains, seas and farms

In cities where we went to share

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In the company of having fun

For we’ve enjoyed those very things

We’ve tried to pass along

To a nation buried in an evil dust

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Of terror, hate, and war

That hasn’t had the chance to pass

Through freedoms opening door

So proud he walked the sands of time

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So proud to give his all

To protect and place his life between

This terror and us all

They say John was gruff

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Tough as Sergeants come

out for each and every one

To these youth he led in danger’s way

A father he’d become

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They placed a trust a bond in him

As each do in that brotherhood

He will be missed by all those near

For what he taught to them was good

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Oh Canada we rise salute

A soldier coming home

A son who rose to challenge’s hand

A soldier’s soldier it is wrote

For his family, friends, and loved ones

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We pledge a solemn vow

To remember and hold high the torch

He’s carried forth for us till now

Your efforts John, will not be forgotten.

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You are Canada, and you and your fellow troops are in our hearts.

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Sgt. John Wayne Faught we knew you not, but our prayers reach out for you, your loved ones, friends, and fellow soldiers. We do, so dearly, thank you and your loved ones for your efforts towards making our world a better place.

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By: Roger Borchert

ARTILLERY & DIGNITY

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"Artillery adds dignity,

to what would otherwise be an ugly brawl"

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- Unknown

Lay Me Doone - A Farewell to the Brave

PW - In Respect of our Military Families, Our Fallen, and Wounded on Remembrance Day

For what we take for granted

So many have died for

So many lives so vastly changed

At the dreadful cost of war

There is the good; there is the bad

A liberated nation cheers

Left in dread for those young souls lost

Devastated a world back home

Efforts to protect a peace

That no one thought was near

Laying lives upon the line

Visions at times so unclear

Lives touched by fear or lived in dread

Of wounded coming home

Of crosses lined in many rows

From a trip down a heroes road

I have been sitting on the bank

Of a river flowing by

Flowing heavy with the flood of tears

From their family’s eyes

For on this day of remembrance

Their thoughts, their dreams, their prayers

Are focused on a loved one lost

Leaving them in such despair

My heart it wants to reach out

Let them know I can’t forget

The gift they’ve laid for their fellow man

Tis the greatest gift to give

So humbled in a moment’s thought

So treasured was the step

That they took forth at their country’s call

Let it never be forgot

We measure freedom lightly now

For we’ve grown so familiar with

But if not for those who took this step

And gave this precious gift

Would we take it so very lightly

Would we have the chance to vent

About all that annoys and bothers us

Without retribution for what we’ve said

So thankful they stood so proudly for

All that we hold so dear

All that makes us Canada

For me it’s oh so clear

For some others they just don’t get it

They think so little of

What has been placed in front of them

At the cost of someone’s love

If I could send forth a message

Place it in a bottle, float it by

I’d provide a note of how much I care

For those whose tears are flowing by

If I could walk along this shore

Such a warming hug I’d give

To those who’ve lost a loved one

So we can live the way we live

By Roger Borchert

PW - A Soldier Goes Home Today

PWIn memory of our latest fallen soldier.

A Canadian soldier goes home today

His duty all but done

His friends gather round to see him off

And salute him one by one

To keep the peace he's done his best

And kept the foe at bay

And gave the children in a foreign land

A chance to run and play

They may never know this soldier's name

Nor the sacrifice he made

To leave his own fond loved ones
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At home they wish he stayed

But the work of keeping a fragile peaceIs a long and arduous one

Most times accomplished with an open hand

But sometimes with a gun

He is not the first to go this way

But we pray he is the last

With a few shed tears we say goodbye

And then from sight he's passed

Yes, a Canadian soldier goes home today

Draped in our National Flag

His duty for his country is done

Rest well my fallen comrade

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by Roland MacKinnon

ATTITUDE

FIREPOWER

QW: Soldier vs Civilian

"The moral difference between a soldier and a civilian is that the soldier accepts personal responsibility for the safety of the body politic of which he is a member. The civilian does not."

- Robert Heinlein

from the book Starship Troopers

PW - THE SILENT RANKS

I wear no uniforms, no blues or army greens

But I am in the Army in the ranks rarely seen

I have no rank upon my shoulders - salutes I do not give

But the military world is the place where I live

I'm not in the chain of command, orders I do not get

But my husband is the one who does, this I can not forget

I'm not the one who fires the weapon, who puts my life on the line

But my job is just as tough. I'm the one that's left behind

My husband is a patriot, a brave and prideful man

And the call to serve his country not all can understand

Behind the lines I see the things needed to keep this country free

My husband makes the sacrifice, but so do our kids and me

I love the man I married, Soldiering is his life

But I stand among the silent ranks known as the Army Wife

- Mrs Henry Potter -

the RCD

QW: War & Deception

"All warfare is based on deception."

- Sun Tzu, The Art of War

PW - Thoughts of a Soldier

Ole Jack Layton ~ Thoughts From A Soldier
Dear Jack Layton,

You sit there in your quiet home, no fear is in your heart,
You sleep soundly certain that it won't be blown apart.
Your children they can go to school and play out in the park,
They've never seen a bomb explode, heard air raids in the dark.

They've never seen dead bodies piled up on the street,
Your wife, she won't be beaten, treated like a piece of meat.

You are free to form opinions, read any news print you can see,
You enjoy your rights and privileges in this country wide and free.

The reason you can live like that is because I fight your wars,
I fight and push the enemy back, I keep them off our shores.

I am here and you are there pretending you know best.
Well Ole Jack now listen close while I get this off my chest.

You have the right to criticize, you have the right to complain
You don't have the right to drag me down in a stupid political game.

The thing about your rights Ole Jack, the part you can't comprehend
Is you work in the very system, the democracy I defend.
I stand on fences around the world protecting those that need it,
It is not for you to determine Jack whether or not it's worth it.

Ask the people in Afghanistan if they want me to stay,
Women and children depend on me - you say just walk away.

I don't need your changing policy, trying hard to not lose face,
What I need is you behind me, helping protect this place.

You know its hard to do this when I think I'm all alone.
I hear stories of young punks pissing on memorial stones.

I read the papers over here and they tell me what is said.
Canadians are losing faith I can't get it through my head.

You say that it is hopeless, it really brings me down
Don't tell my mother we're losing, don't spread that rumour around.

I'm doing good, were winning here but no-one will believe
Because we are way over here where no one there can see.

Women here can work you see, children starting school.
We built a working government, we've broken Taliban rule.

We are so close to winning this, it's not too far away
History will show that we were in the right to stay.

When that brilliant day arrives, victory you'll claim is ours
You'll forget you said to run away - forget you are a coward.

On that day just thank me for my courage and my trouble,
Find another place that needs help, and send me on the double.

by Josh Forbes

Calgary, Alberta

CANADIAN SOLIDERS