A Fitting Poem…

Read this and remember Benghazi.

THEY shall not return to us, the resolute, the young,
The eager and whole-hearted whom we gave:
But the men who left them thriftily to die in their own dung,
Shall they come with years and honour to the grave?
They shall not return to us; the strong men coldly slain
In sight of help denied from day to day:
But the men who edged their agonies and chid them in their pain,
Are they too strong and wise to put away?
Our dead shall not return to us while Day and Night divide–
Never while the bars of sunset hold.
But the idle-minded overlings who quibbled while they died,
Shall they thrust for high employments as of old?
Shall we only threaten and be angry for an hour:
When the storm is ended shall we find
How softly but how swiftly they have sidled back to power
By the favour and contrivance of their kind?
Even while they soothe us, while they promise large amends,
Even while they make a show of fear,
Do they call upon their debtors, and take counsel with their friends,
To conform and re-establish each career?
Their lives cannot repay us–their death could not undo–
The shame that they have laid upon our race.
But the slothfulness that wasted and the arrogance that slew,
Shell we leave it unabated in its place?

-Rudyard Kipling, Mesopotamia 1917

I seriously want to cry.  It is however a solid reminder, that history can and does repeat itself and it seems so much like nothing ever changes.

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About TMM

TMM is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms. Many know his private name and information however due to the current political climate, many are distancing themselves due to the abandonment of Due Process.

2 Responses to A Fitting Poem…

  1. I keep coming back to this. I want to say something, but what…

    • Barron says:

      There is nothing to say. Honestly I read that again the other night after my wife mentioned hearing about a poem from Kipling regarding Benghazi. I had first read it in high school and it spoke well to me then. Now the words of that poem speak more now that they ever could then.

      Though it should also be noted I’m a big Kipling fan, especially given the fact he is a brother.