"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
...

And what then of the war when those few, those happy few, that band of
brothers are reviled by their countrymen as baby-killers and
murderers? Where "gentlemen in America now a-bed" don't have the
slightest inkling of the accursedness of not being there?

I think he just means that you *had* to be there. Anyone who wasn't
wouldn't and
couldn't *really* understand, especially the 'gentlemen.......now a-bed'
(in the US and Oz - our diggers
got similar treatment at home initially) There's still a small minority
that wanted to practice that kind of
thing on our digs coming home from Afghanistan and Iraq, but they were,
ahem, discouraged, by the
fact that an awful lot of people here *do* understand duty - you do it
whether you agree with it or not
and don't take kindly to the dutiful wearing unpopularity that belongs
to the Pollies.......

For the record, I've never been in any form of combat and at my age now,
am unlikely to be.
But I respect those that have 'seen the elephant' since but for accident
of birth, there but
for the grace of God, go I.

Then, we who were there will hold their manhood cheap among ourselves
when we gather and speak of those who fought with us.

Those who weren't there have no right to disparage
the acts of those that were fulfilling their oath of obedience to the
CinC (or HM)
whether the political masters were doing the right thing or not.....
Unfortunately there are always some (then and now) that don't get
that...

Henry V, never would have imagined the modern citizen of the English
speaking world.

Perhaps not in as much quantity, but I think he understood the differnt
types
of people pretty well. There are arseholes and scumbags in his plays as
well.

The CO