British commander's speech to his troops

[Grog]

A friend sent me this today. Just wanted to share...



Mar. 23, 2003 -- Maintaining morale among troops facing combat is one of the

greatest responsibilities -- and challenges -- for military field

commanders. A commentary by Ben MacIntyre in the Times of London this

weekend quoted a battlefield speech given by Lt. Col. Tim Collins, a

42-year-old commander of the Royal Irish battle group. Just hours before his

troops went into battle, Col. Collins said this:

"The enemy should be in no doubt that we are his Nemesis and that we are

bringing about his rightful destruction. There are many regional commanders

who have stains on their souls and they are stoking the fires of Hell for

Saddam. As they die they will know their deeds have brought them to this

place. Show them no pity. But those who do not wish to go on that journey,

we will not send. As for the others, I expect you to rock their world.

"We go to liberate, not to conquer. We will not fly our flags in their

country. We are entering Iraq to free a people, and the only flag that will

be flown in that ancient land is their own. Don't treat them as refugees,

for they are in their own country.

"I know men who have taken life needlessly in other conflicts. They live

with the mark of Cain upon them. If someone surrenders to you, then remember

they have that right in international law, and ensure that one day they go

home to their family. The ones who wish to fight, well, we aim to please. If

there are casualties of war, then remember, when they woke up and got

dressed in the morning they did not plan to die this day. Allow them dignity

in death. Bury them properly, and mark their graves.

"You will be shunned unless your conduct is of the highest, for your deeds

will follow you down history. Iraq is steeped in history. It is the site of

the Garden of Eden, of the Great Flood, and the birth of Abraham. Tread

lightly there. You will have to go a long way to find a more decent,

generous and upright people than the Iraqis. You will be embarrassed by

their hospitality, even though they have nothing... "

And in conclusion, Lt. Col. Collins told his troops:

"There may be people among us who will not see the end of this campaign. We

will put them in their sleeping bags and send them back. There will be no

time for sorrow. Let's leave Iraq a better place for us having been there.

Our business now, is north."

 

[dandave]

Wow! What a fantastic speech.

DH and I were talking the other night about "the cradle of civilization" being between the Tigris and Euphrates (sp?).

 

[minnie56]

Whenever the British speak...they do so eloquently.

 

[nativetxn]

Very eloquent speech. Thanks for posting it.

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Originally posted by dandave
DH and I were talking the other night about "the cradle of civilization" being between the Tigris and Euphrates (sp?).

That's right, and it makes Saddam's rape of his country even more tragic. Iraq has the potential to be a rich and prosperous country, with a depth of history that few other parts of the world can offer. The sooner that Saddam goes the better.

The speech by the British CO was a good one, and got a fair bit of media coverage here in the UK. It is fair to point out that a speech by one of the US commanding officers to UK troops under his command was also well recieved, and featured in some of the media coverage here. Perhaps not quite as elegant as that by Lt Col. Tim Collins, but equally effective as lifting the ground forces who were about to go to war.

Regards

Rob