Nos morituri….
There I was, at the front of the line, putting together arms and armor for a mighty battle, when it occurred to me, as the puzzled but willing leader of this loosely knit band of tramps, humans, humanoids, and various alien species, that I had no pep talk at the ready. No rousing oration to stir the blood. No ‘Nos morituri te salutamos’ sort of thing. So I had to put down the sword polish and go and consult with the best speechifiers I could find, which took a bit of time, time travel and digging.
There is, of course, the internet in addition to the videos available, both of which make the job of cobbling a pep talk together so much easier. But will it answer that question: what stirs the blood?
I always liked this part, from Jack Kennedy’s inaugural speech: Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.
We have bits and bobs of Patton’s actual speech, in various videos. This one isn’t too bad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8ULAFxlrvY
Then there’s Marco D’Aviano’s speech on the hill in ‘Day of the Siege’, a so-so movie about the Siege of Vienna. The movie itself is kind of slow, but the delivery of speech by F. Murray Abraham as the monk D’Aviano is stirring, with the Polish King Jan Sobieski and his Winged Hussars attacking the Turks at the end of it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAKYICdbwA4
Theoden, King of Rohan and the Riddermark, made a rousing battle speech at Isengard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryy5U2mNTJU
Aragon made another speech at the Black Gate, just before Sauron (who was afraid of Morgoth, who was afraid of the Balrogs) disintegrated when the One Ring melted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17_ImViPryQ
Crassus wanted to know who Spartacus was. He sorely underestimated the people he faced, misunderstood what it takes to truly lead people, and was assassinated by the Parthians when he also underestimated the desert of the Middle East and the pure skill and will power of the Parthian army. And in the end, everyone was Spartacus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8h_v_our_Q
So just what is it that stirs your slow, tired blood?
What sends chills up your spine?
What is it that makes want to you get off your duff and follow them into the thick of it?
Category: "The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves"
The St. Crispin’s Day speech from William Shakespeare’s play, Henry V, in Act IV Scene iii 18–67.
We few, we happy few…
Ditto.
Check.
General Mattis’s letter to the 1st Marine Division just prior to the beginning of the assault into Iraq in March 2003:
http://americanmilitarynews.com/2016/11/read-general-james-mad-dog-mattis-letter-to-the-1st-marine-division-before-assault-on-iraq/
‘For decades, Saddam Hussein has tortured, imprisoned, raped and murdered the Iraqi people; invading neighboring countries without provocation; and threatened the world with weapons of mass destruction. The time has come to end his reign of terror. On your young shoulders rest the hopes of mankind.
When I give you the word, together we will cross the Line of Departure, close with those forces that choose to fight, and destroy them. Our fight is not with the Iraqi people, nor is it with members of the Iraqi army who choose to surrender. While we will move swiftly and aggressively against those who resist, we will treat all others with decency, demonstrating chivalry and soldierly compassion for people who have endured a lifetime of oppression under Saddam’s oppression.
Chemical attack, treachery and use of the innocent as human shields can be expected, as can other unethical tactics. Take it all in stride. Be the hunter, not the hunted: never allow your unit to be caught with its guard down. Use good judgement and act in best interests of our Nation.
You are a part of the world’s most feared and trusted force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon. Share your courage with each other as we enter the uncertain terrain north of the Line of Departure. Keep faith in your comrades on your left and right and Marine Air overhead. Fight with a happy heart and strong spirit.
For the mission’s sake, our country’s sake, and the sake of the men who carried the Division’s colors is past battles-who fought for life and never lost their nerve-carry out your mission and keep your honor clean. Demonstrate to the world there is “No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy” than a U.S. Marine.’
No wonder he’s called Saint Mattis. I am SO glad he is SECDEF!
Two movies come to mind: In Kingdom of Heaven, Balian’s speech where he knight’s the Patriarch’s servant, the grave digger, and everybody else within earshot gets the blood moving; the other is Gettysburg, in the scene where Chamberlain prepares his troops for the bayonet charge. Every time I see that, when he bellows “Bayonets!”, I get chills.
I’d forgotten about that scene in Gettysburg – but you’re right.
When Lincoln was up in Manhattan NYC for a political dinner in Little Italy, his coach driver was going around in circles so the Pres. asked what was wrong so the coach driver said to Mr. Lincoln that he lost the directions to the Spaghetti’s day address.
Maximus’ speech to his troops right at the beginning of Gladiator
OH and music: Beethoven’s 9th and the 1812 overture
Men of Harlech
NICE
Just watched “Victory” last night, a medium bad Stallone picture but the scene at the end where all the French spectators break into a chant of “Victoire!” and then sing the Marseillaise makes the whole movie worth while and brings tears to my eyes. Oh, and Pele.
Patton.
And King Leonidas:
“Xerxes wrote to him, “It is possible for you, by not fighting against God but by ranging yourself on my side, to be the sole ruler of Greece.” But he wrote in reply, “If you had any knowledge of the noble things of life, you would refrain from coveting others’ possessions; but for me to die for Greece is better than to be the sole ruler over the people of my race.”
When Xerxes wrote again, “Hand over your arms,” he wrote in reply, “Come and take them.” ‘Molon labe’ (μολών λαβέ)
When someone said, “Because of the arrows of the barbarians it is impossible to see the sun,” he said, “Won’t it be nice, then, if we shall have shade in which to fight them?”
https://www.thoughtco.com/sayings-of-leonidas-116333
‘Have a good breakfast men, for we dine in Hades!’
http://www.ancientgreekbattles.net/…/47931_Spartaquotes
“So no more running. I aim to misbehave.”
https://youtu.be/1VR3Av9qfZc
Mal definitely had some good ones.
Cool a Cheer Leader!
If you read a historical first person account of Washington’s resignation speech in 1784 it is very moving and despite the current fad to bash our fore fathers he still remains a beacon for the world 233 years later.
Also virtually any speech by Winston Churchill. Seriously, I have watched several of his speeches from the dark days of early WWII on YouTube and you are left wondering “where would we be today if Great Britain had not found this steadfast leader”.
There’s another quote from JFK that I think applies to all facets/members/commenters of the Stolen Valor outing community:
“If not us, who? If not now, when?”
The best 2-minute speech ever given (and Lincoln wasn’t even the main speaker, but no one remembers the other guy):
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Abraham Lincoln
November 19, 1863
The Gettysburg Address is my all-time favorite Presidential quote.
And at the time many commentators panned it as a sad collection of cliches… guess the press never changes.
Many very good ones have already been mentioned. To those I would add Mel Gibson’s rendition of then-LTC Hal Moore’s speech to the 7th Cav before deploying to Vietnam in “We Were Soldiers.”
Another notable one was given by MAJ Dragutin Gavrilovic of the Royal Serbian Army to the defenders of Belgrade as the invading Austro-Hungarian army closed on them in 1914:
“Exactly at three o’clock, the enemy is due to be crushed by your fierce charge, destroyed by your grenades and bayonets. The honor of Belgrade, our capital, must not be stained. Soldiers! Heroes! The supreme command has erased our regiment from its records. Our regiment has been sacrificed for the honor of Belgrade and the Fatherland. Therefore, you no longer need worry about your lives: they no longer exist. So, forward to glory! Long live Belgrade!”
In Hacksaw Ridge, when PVT Doss is up on top alone, he asks the the Most High, “What do You want me to do, Lord?”
He hears the cries of the wounded then, and says,” Ok, Lord. Ok.”
Before that, it was COL Joshua Chamberlain’s command to fix bayonets at Little Round Top.
I’m your huckleberry.
As an enlistee right after 9/11, I’ll never forget how fired up the church full of trainees would get when they’d play those “grouchy” videos. In particular, the bodies one with the terrorists’ photos set to the refrain of “let the bodies hit the floor.” A thousand young, fired up troops was awesome. We’d have charged the gates of hell at that moment.
Grouchymedia does / did have some badass videos…
“I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death”
Patrick Henry
Ex-PH2- Thank you for bringing up this subject. 20 minutes ago I watched General Kelly’s talk to the “press” at the White House (in re: casualty calls). I can just say—Semper Fidelis.
What stirs this slow, tired blood?
What sends chills up this spine?
What makes this ole soul motivated and follow them in the thick of it?
Several of them :
(1) Alfred Lord Tennyson’s narrative poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade”.
(2) President Reagon’s speech at the Brandenberg Gate in 1987.
(3) “High Flight” nararated by William Conrod.
(4) General MacArthur’s Farewell Speech to Congress in 1951.
(5) Peter Finch’s monologue in the 1976 movie “Network”.
(6) Bluto’s motivating speech to his Fraternity Brothers in “Animal House”, because we all know nothing is over until we decide it is…(was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!)
(7) The 1984 song “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister. Which we do at TAH with phonies…and other Troublemakers…(you know who they are…😉)
Go ahead, make my day
A couple of quotes from Sitting Bull…
“For us, warriors are not what you think of as warriors. The warrior is not someone who fights, because no one has the right to take another life. The warrior, for us, is one who sacrifices himself for the good of others. His task is to take care of the elderly, the defenseless, those who can not provide for themselves, and above all, the children, the future of humanity.”
“I wish it to be remembered that I was the last man of my tribe to surrender my rifle.”
Comments I’ve used against bullies after their ranting/belittling “tough” talk:
a. (Palms slapping on self’s chest while yelling) FLZ – motherfucker! FLZ; frog landing zone – so if you feel foggy, just jump.
b. Well now that you’re finished with your bullshit rant, what’s stopping you? I’ll tell you – it’s the fear still running through your veins you mealie mouthed fuck!
c. If you’re still in my personal space when I finish talking, all I’m going to do is break every.single.fucking.bone in your body. Then I’m going to rip off your fucking head and shit down your slimy fucking neck.
“I’m a Navy EOD Tech; 6 foot 2, 230 pounds of muscle, bone and blood. I’m a deep sea divin’ parachute drivin’ non-ferrous, double-crimpin’ hairy chested, stripped ass mankiller. I’m the last of the bare-knuckled fighters and ball room dancers. How do you like me so far. I’m as innocent as a new born babe and as pure as the driven snow. No sky too high, no sea too deep. I will start or stop wars for a fee and deflower virgins for free. Any time any place. Just one friendly reminder – don’t ever get in my face.”
No copyright for my friends … hehe
Nice one EOD.. I’ve never used the FLZ part (though i will now) but the feeling froggy line is a favorite of mine
CSM John Wayne Troxel, CSM of the 4th SBCT (stryker brigade combat team), 2nd ID.
Two third of the way through an 18 month deployment, Iraq 2007-2008, the Surge.
“Enjoy it while it lasts”.
SGM Plumley, “Gentlemen, prepare to defend yourself!”
I Believe and Profess Karl von Clausewitz I believe and profess that a people must never value anything higher than the dignity and freedom of its existence; that it must defend these with the last drop of its blood; that it has no duty more sacred and can obey no law that is higher; that the shame of a cowardly submission can never be wiped out; that the poison of submission in the bloodstream of the people will be transmitted to its children, and paralyze and undermine the strength of later generations; that honor can be lost only once; that under most circumstances, a people is unconquerable if it fights a spirited struggle for its liberty; that a bloody and honorable fight assures a rebirth of the people even if freedom were lost; and that such a struggle is the seed of life from which a new tree inevitably will blossom. I declare and assert to the world and to future generations that I consider the false wisdom which aims at avoiding danger to be the most pernicious result of fear and anxiety. Danger must be countered with virile courage joined with calm and firm resolve and clear conscience. Should we be denied the opportunity of defending ourselves in this manner, I hold reckless despair to be a wise course of action. In the dizzy fear which is beclouding our days, I remain mindful of the ominous events of old in recent times, and of the honorable examples set by famed peoples. The words of a mendacious newspaper do not make me forget the lessons of centuries and of world history. I assert that I’m free of all personal ambitions; that I profess thoughts and sentiments openly before all citizens; and that I would be happy to find a glorious end in the splendid battle for freedom and excellence of my country. Does my faith and the faith of those who think like me deserve the contempt and scorn of our citizens? Future generations will decide. The nation cannot buy freedom from the slavery of alien rule by artifices and… Read more »
…and some Kipling
This is an excerpt of a speech given by Lieutenant General John F. Kelly USMC on November 13, 2010 to the Semper Fidelis Society of St Louis in honor of the Marine Corps Birthday. Lt General Kelly’s son, First Lieutenant Robert Michael Kelly, was killed in action in Sangin, Afghanistan only four days before Lt. Gen. Kelly gave this speech. The link below will take you to the speech in its entirety, if you would like to read all his remarks. http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/12/an_extraordinary_speech.html The subject of the speech was to assure Society members that currently serving Marines live up to the high standards set for them by their predecessors. The excerpt below demonstrates that LtGen Kelly’s assertion regarding the professionalism and bravery of today’s Marines in true. “…I will leave you with a story about the kind of people they [Marines] are…about the quality of the steel in their backs…about the kind of dedication they bring to our country while they serve in uniform and forever after as veterans. Two years ago when I was the Commander of all U.S. and Iraqi forces, in fact, the 22nd of April 2008, two Marine infantry battalions, 1/9 “The Walking Dead,” and 2/8 were switching out in Ramadi. One battalion in the closing days of their deployment going home very soon, the other just starting its seven-month combat tour. Two Marines, Corporal Jonathan Yale and Lance Corporal Jordan Haerter, 22 and 20 years old respectively, one from each battalion, were assuming the watch together at the entrance gate of an outpost that contained a makeshift barracks housing 50 Marines. The same broken down ramshackle building was also home to 100 Iraqi police, also my men and our allies in the fight against the terrorists in Ramadi, a city until recently the most dangerous city on earth and owned by Al Qaeda. Yale was a dirt poor mixed-race kid from Virginia with a wife and daughter, and a mother and sister who lived with him and he supported as well. He did this on a yearly salary of less than $23,000. Haerter, on the other… Read more »
I remember this as a Someone You Should Know post on BlackFive.
I’ll state now, what I stated then. Leonidas would have welcomed them with open arms.
Lord, help us to always strive to be worthy of such men.
“Leonidas would have welcomed them with open arms.”
I’m sure he did Old Soldier, I’m sure he did.
To be worthy of such men.
And then, back in the Real World (TM), on the Dark Side of Democracy (TM) years ago…
Leader: ‘Revered Poseidon, please don’t let any of us fvck up…[i]too badly[/i].’
The Pack: ‘Amen.’
Leader: ‘Hokay boys, time for some of that Teams n’ Sh1t style heroics. FEBU.’
The Pack: ‘FEBU.’
And off they went. And the rest, they say, is (redacted) history.
FEBU = Fvck Everyone But Us
That was very funny.
Where did you get it from?
Both based on actual speeches:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UpdeNcH1H8A
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VcMk85ZsBh0
PH2 – I am terrbly sorry but my mind went off in a different direction after “sword polish”. Could you repeat what you said? I’m just a simple guy with simple needs.
Okay. It was about what inspires you to do something, sort of like this:
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter, and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves”.
~Abraham Lincoln
Why do my comments keep disappearing and reappearing?
Because of your drug habits.