Something To Share....

Anyone who reads my rants on a regular basis knows I am prone to getting a little personal sometimes and sharing things that touch or have an effect on me. I wanted to share the following pieces from Diggers past and present to give them the opportunity to be heard...

Oh for F*ck's Sake! Thursday, 12th April, 2007 G'day Reader, Well after sitting through a documentary on a US Baghdad Military ER on CI, I retired to the computer for a brief respite from gore and heart-rending tragedy only to discover this latest little article: http://au.news.yahoo.com/070412/2/132zw.html Photo shown above of the delightful little "Explosively Formed Projectile" or EFP. More info on this little treat here: http://www.afrlhorizons.com/Briefs/Dec04/MN0407.html . Who the Hell decided we needed yet another weapon to kill each other with? Don't we have enough already? Talk about an "Ah F@ck!" moment. For those of you who haven't grasped the scale of the number of casualties being generated from Iraq already take a quick look here at the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count website: http://www.icasualties.org/oif/BY_DOD.aspx . As much as I support Our, meaning Australian AND other Coalition nations, personnel in the performance of their task - I'm finding it hard to stomach the carnage and waste of real peoples' lives and well-being. I don't think of them as Australian, American, British, Canadian, etc., they're OUR Sons and Daughters, Brothers and Sisters, and above all OUR Friends. Friends being those you get to choose as opposed to relatives. I'm not calling for an immediate withdrawal and I refuse to get involved in political slanging. Like it or not OUR people are there, and the job has to be completed now it's been started. SO why write this waffle? Think of it as being akin to standing on a mountain top and howling out at all the evil and pain in the world; or blowing off some steam before getting back to business. The alternative being to simply burst from frustration and vicarious pain. Ok, thanks for taking the time to read my minds wanderings. Catch you next time I have something to say, Geoff

(Yes, I am aware the links don't work, Blogger is giving me hell as usual!!)

Flames Of Nam There was a whisper in the wind as the nightmares scorched my mind The pain from which was so intense it was killing me in kind As I cried out for help and no one heard my scream I awoke from another nightmare, another realistic dream So I looked within my broken soul to see the damage there The scars left from that war afar, but no one seemed to care And as the thoughts consume my soul and my will to live again I feel those thoughts killing me and grip my body with pain Is this the burning legacy of war, a life we must endure Remembering those that gave their life, and others without a cure And as we travel the fiery path that leads us to our fate Will anyone ever understand or will life be what we hate

Anzac day is less than a week away, Join me in putting this pic as your display pic, as apart of a tribute to the diggers, both past and present And pass this on to all your friends, so they can do the same Regards Luke http://www.myspace.com/lukus01

Often when I see the writings of Vets (Luke is currently in the Army) I am reminded of a night at one of the local pubs. I walked into the Saloon Bar where a number of Vets often get together and found a group of young guys (all 18-21 I guess) buying the Vets beers and listening to their War Stories. Never have I seen such a captive audience and the Vets had barely taken their last mouthful of beer before the glass was refreshed and the young guys sat in awed silence as these Diggers of the past described their respective conflicts. I almost cried with pride that day.

Now, I have no idea how it is in the rest of the world, but where I live people of different ages mix freely in the pubs. We generally drink with and chat to whoever happens to be there at the time. We're a small community where alot of us know each other anyway. Somehow that day these young guys knew there was a lesson to be learnt and the Diggers knew there was a lesson to be taught

I have actually noticed from wearing my Military TShirts, alot of Soldiers and Vets approach me and say hi and tell me they serve/served. I think this is truly awesome, I love that they feel comfortable to do that. It does give some creedence to the idea that a magnet or a TShirt can make a difference in whether or not Soldiers and Vets feel supported I think.

Anyway, just some little pieces I wanted to share.

Oh and myspacers.....Pinch the graphic and put it up as your display pic, anyone with a blog run that pic. Show our Diggers some love!!

A_C