Neutron. "Second string" update!!!

[red indian]

News story reported in most papers (apart from "U.S. Ranger Monthly"):-

5 SBS KILL HUNDRED AL-QAEDA
---------------------------

"Things looked grim for 150 US troops pinned down in a valley of death by desparate al-qaeda fighters who out numbered them three to one"......."perched safely on craggy moutain tops raining machine gun fire, mortars and grenandes on the trapped rangers"......."rocket launchers kept rescue helicopters at bay"......"but in the nick of time the cavalry arrived in the shape of FIVE BRITISH COMMANDOS responding to a mayday call, the elite squad killed 100 al-qaeda, saved the rangers and put themselves in line for the American equivalent of the VC"

"As dusk fell the SBS men scaled a moutain behind the 500 strong force of al-qaeda and taliban"...."they climbed above the enemy and gave them a taste of their own medicine as they prepared to charge down the Rangers"...."al-qaeda thought they were under attack from a huge force and turned their attention from the rangers, the SBS squad drew the enemy away from the Americans, who escaped"


"The Brits, superbly skilled in high altitude survival tactics melted in to the night, mission accomplished"


"Now Congress is to change their rules and let foriegn troops receive the prized Congressional Medal of Honour, the SBS team will be the first to be awarded it"


"It was a classic special forces raid, combining speed, aggression and suprise"

"Such was the ferocity of the attack the enemy assumed they were under a major assault by a significant force, and so they were.So they were"


quote from neutron:- "As for British Commandos, we let the second string ride along. We,d have whipped the taliban without you" (yeah right sure you would Neutron)

[qjakal]

There's no "I" in "teamwork" buddy....hope they DO get a medal, and that there's more true tales of how well our forces work together in the future battles against terrorism. Be assured our guys would do the same for you crumpet loving tea besotted Brits...good story, red...when did this happen, btw? Q

[Dave2112]

I'm really amazed that with all of the people we have to fight against these days, we still find ways to fight with each other.

sigh

[qjakal]

You are? Hmmm...must be my aged cynical side that prevents that emotion from surfacing, Dave... I expect nothing less from a certain % of people in general, and i'm not often disappointed. Q

[shark]

Well done SBS.

[BigJim]

Well the SBS are the British equivalent of the Navy Seals. That being the case, I think a rousing chorus of Rule Brittania might be in order! Only problem is,I only know half a dozen words to it, wheras I know the whole of "The Star Speckled Banana." Hmmm.........

[Strelnikov]

Q, this battle took place the first day of Operation Anaconda. And I don't think anything is gained by insulting the Brits - other than normal insults, of course. How are you, red indian? I've missed your acid wit. Well, half-acid, anyway!

Strelnikov

[Strelnikov]

When Britain first— at Heaven's command
Arose— from out the azure main
Arose, arose, arose from out the azure main
This was the charter,
The charter of the land,
And guardian angels sung this strain:
Refrain:
Rule Britannia, Britannia rule the waves,
Britons never never never shall be slaves.

The nations, not— so blest as thee,
Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall:
Must in, must in, must in their turns to tyrants fall.
While thou shalt flourish,
Shalt flourish great and free,
The dread and envy of them all.
Refrain:

Still more majestic shalt thou rise,
More dreadful, from each foreign stroke:
More dreadful, dreadful, dreadful from each foreign stroke.
As the loud blast,
The blast that tears the skies,
Serves but to root thy native oak.
Refrain:

Thee haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame:
All their attempts to bend thee down,
All their, all their, all their attempts to bend thee down
Will but arouse thy,
Arouse thy generous flame;
But work their woe, and thy renown.
Refrain:

To thee belongs the rural reign;
Thy cities— shall with commerce shine:
Thy cities, cities, cities shall with commerce shine
All thine shall be the,
Shall be the subject main,
And every shore it circles thine.
Refrain:

The Muses, still with freedom found,
Shall to— thy happy coast repair:
Shall to, shall to, shall to thy happy coast repair
Blest isle! with matchless,
With matchless beauty crown'd,
And manly hearts to guard the fair.
Refrain:

(James Thomson, 1740)


Strelnikov

[JoBelle]

Originally posted by Strelnikov
How are you, red indian? I've missed your acid wit. Well, half-acid, anyway!
Strelnikov

**Biting my tongue to avoid saying, "Don't you mean half-wit?"**

Strel, that red feather looks might fine in your cap, darlin'...MIGHTY fine. :)

Joby

[Strelnikov]

Thanks, Joby. It IS kind of rakish, isn't it?

Strelnikov

[BigJim]

Originally posted by Strelnikov
When Britain first— at Heaven's command
Arose— from out the azure main
Arose, arose, arose from out the azure main
This was the charter,
The charter of the land,
And guardian angels sung this strain:
Refrain:
Rule Britannia, Britannia rule the waves,
Britons never never never shall be slaves.

The nations, not— so blest as thee,
Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall:
Must in, must in, must in their turns to tyrants fall.
While thou shalt flourish,
Shalt flourish great and free,
The dread and envy of them all.
Refrain:

Still more majestic shalt thou rise,
More dreadful, from each foreign stroke:
More dreadful, dreadful, dreadful from each foreign stroke.
As the loud blast,
The blast that tears the skies,
Serves but to root thy native oak.
Refrain:

Thee haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame:
All their attempts to bend thee down,
All their, all their, all their attempts to bend thee down
Will but arouse thy,
Arouse thy generous flame;
But work their woe, and thy renown.
Refrain:

To thee belongs the rural reign;
Thy cities— shall with commerce shine:
Thy cities, cities, cities shall with commerce shine
All thine shall be the,
Shall be the subject main,
And every shore it circles thine.
Refrain:

The Muses, still with freedom found,
Shall to— thy happy coast repair:
Shall to, shall to, shall to thy happy coast repair
Blest isle! with matchless,
With matchless beauty crown'd,
And manly hearts to guard the fair.
Refrain:

(James Thomson, 1740)

Strelnikov

Oh say can you see,
By the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed,
At the twilight's last gleaming,

Whose broad stripes and bright stars,
Through the perilous flight,
O'er the ramparts we watched,
Were so gallantly streaming.

And the rockets red glare,
The bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night,
That our flag was stil there.

Oh say can you see,
By the dawn's early light,
The land of the free,
And the home of the brave.........

Now that is what I call a national anthem! Far more heart rousing than "God save the Queen." If I had my way Rule Brittania or Land Of Hope And Glory would be our national anthem. National anthems are supposed to get the blood flowing.

[red indian]

I knew it would only be amatter of time before an incident like this occurred, so I refrained from taking Neutrons bait at the time of his "throwing the toys out of his pram" post. The incident (in my view) is a reflection of how solid British support is for the U.S. and I am proud of what our guys did to support U.S. efforts to combat terrorism.

I hope this goes to show I am NOT anti American as some have suggested.

[red indian]

Thank god the empire is no more and we dont have to sing that embarrasing pile of shite all the time, "the dread and envy of them all"?.....My arse!!!!!

[BigJim]

Originally posted by red indian
I knew it would only be amatter of time before an incident like this occurred, so I refrained from taking Neutrons bait at the time of his "throwing the toys out of his pram" post. The incident (in my view) is a reflection of how solid British support is for the U.S. and I am proud of what our guys did to support U.S. efforts to combat terrorism.

I hope this goes to show I am NOT anti American as some have suggested.

Hell yeah! The UK and the USA will be friends for centuries to come, I hope. God knows, without the american influence in our lives life would be awful boring. LOL

[JoBelle]

Always liked the full lyrics.
Jo

The Star Spangled Banner
Lyrics by Francis Scott Key

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh, say, can you see,
by the dawn's early light,
what so proudly we hailed,
at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars,
thro' the perilous fight,
o'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets red glare,
the bombs bursting in air,
gave proof thro' the night,
that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
o'er the land of the free,
and the home of the brave?


On the shore dimly seen,
thro' the mists of the deep,
where thee foe's haughty host,
in dread silence reposes,
what is that which the breeze,
o'er the towering steep,
as it fitfully blows,
half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam,
of the morning's first beam,
in full glory reflected.,
now shines in the stream.
"Tis the star-spangled banner;
Oh, long may it wave,
o'er the land of the free,
and the home of the brave."


And where is that band,
who so vauntingly swore,
that the havoc of war,
and the battle's confusion,
a home and a country,
should leave us no more?
Their blood was washed out,
their foul footstep's pollution,
no refuge could save,
the hireling and slave,
from the terror of flight,
or the gloom of the grave,
and thee star-spangled banner,
in triumph doth wave,
o'er the land of the free,
and the home of the brave.


Oh, thus be it ever,
when free man shall stand,
between their loved homes,
and war's desolation,
blest with vict'ry and peace,
may the Heav'n rescued land,
praise the Pow'r that hath made,
and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must,
when our cause it is just;
and this be our motto;
"in God is our trust!"
And the star-spangled banner,
in triumph shall wave,
o'er the land of the free,
and the home of the brave.

[qjakal]

It's a warriors battle song..no doubt. But the Battle Hymn Of The Republic is the one that stirs my lust for conquest...got those lyrics for us, O songtress? Hi Jo, btw! ;) Q

[BigJim]

Originally posted by JoBelle
Always liked the full lyrics.
Jo

The Star Spangled Banner
Lyrics by Francis Scott Key

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh, say, can you see,
by the dawn's early light,
what so proudly we hailed,
at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars,
thro' the perilous fight,
o'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets red glare,
the bombs bursting in air,
gave proof thro' the night,
that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
o'er the land of the free,
and the home of the brave?


On the shore dimly seen,
thro' the mists of the deep,
where thee foe's haughty host,
in dread silence reposes,
what is that which the breeze,
o'er the towering steep,
as it fitfully blows,
half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam,
of the morning's first beam,
in full glory reflected.,
now shines in the stream.
"Tis the star-spangled banner;
Oh, long may it wave,
o'er the land of the free,
and the home of the brave."


And where is that band,
who so vauntingly swore,
that the havoc of war,
and the battle's confusion,
a home and a country,
should leave us no more?
Their blood was washed out,
their foul footstep's pollution,
no refuge could save,
the hireling and slave,
from the terror of flight,
or the gloom of the grave,
and thee star-spangled banner,
in triumph doth wave,
o'er the land of the free,
and the home of the brave.


Oh, thus be it ever,
when free man shall stand,
between their loved homes,
and war's desolation,
blest with vict'ry and peace,
may the Heav'n rescued land,
praise the Pow'r that hath made,
and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must,
when our cause it is just;
and this be our motto;
"in God is our trust!"
And the star-spangled banner,
in triumph shall wave,
o'er the land of the free,
and the home of the brave.


You mean I only knew the first few stanzas? Damn! Upstaged again! LOL

[JoBelle]

http://www.contemplator.com/folk2/battle.html

Lyrics and a realllllly irritating MIDI file too~!

Joby

[Mimi]

Don't feel bad, Jim. We are all only taught the first chorus as we are growing up. I doubt many even KNOW that our National Anthem has several choruses to it. And of those who do, maybe 3 people in this country could sing the anthem in it's entirity from memory...LOL. If you can sing the first chorus, you're up to America's standards...lol


Mimi :)

[qjakal]

Yes...should I ever have to go to battle, I'll be ready, with this verse thundering in my ears..

I have read a fiery gospel writ
In burnished rows of steel:
"As ye deal with My contemners,
So with you My grace shall deal":
Let the Hero born of woman
Crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.

Those who forget how America was forged would do well to read the lines of these "songs"...they are our heritage, our strength and glory...woe to any who attempt to whittle at their principles.... Q

[qjakal]

Main Entry: con·temn
Pronunciation: k&n-'tem
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English contempnen, from Middle French contempner, from Latin contemnere, from com- + temnere to despise
Date: 15th century
: to view or treat with contempt : SCORN


Just to give some context to the verse above....

[BigJim]

Originally posted by qjakal
Yes...should I ever have to go to battle, I'll be ready, with this verse thundering in my ears..

I have read a fiery gospel writ
In burnished rows of steel:
"As ye deal with My contemners,
So with you My grace shall deal":
Let the Hero born of woman
Crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.

Those who forget how America was forged would do well to read the lines of these "songs"...they are our heritage, our strength and glory...woe to any who attempt to whittle at their principles.... Q

Mine eyes have seen the glory,
Of the coming of the Lord,
He is trampling out the vintage,
Where the grapes of wrath are stored,
He hath loosed the fateful lightening,
Of His terrible swift sword,
His truth is marching on.

Chorus,
Glory,glory halleluja, (Yeah, I know I spelt that wrong)
Glory,glory halleluja,
Glory,glory halleluja,
His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watchfires,
Of a hundred circling camps,
The have builded Him an altar,
In the evening dews and damps,
I can read His righteous sentence,
By the dim and flaring lamps,
His day is marching on.

Chorus,
I have read a fiery gospel,
Writ in burnished rows of steel,
As ye deal with my contemners,
So with you my grace shall deal,
Let the hero born of woman,
Crush the serpent with his heel,
Since God is marching on.

Chorus,

He hath sounded forth the trumpet,
That shall never call retreat,
He is sifting out the hearts of men,
Before His judgement seat,
Oh be swift my soul to answer him,
Be jubilant my feet,
Our God is marching on.

Chorus,

In the glory of the lillies,
Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in his bosom,
That transfigures you and me,
As he died to make men holy,
Let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

Chorus,

Here's a little fact that I havn't let slip before. For a couple of years in my late teens I belonged to a society called SOSKAN. (For SOuthern SKirmish Assosciation.) It was a living history society that re-enacted battles from the American Civil War. This is where most of my knowledge of American songs comes from. My regiment was the 9th Kentuckey Volunteer Infantry and we were the most unique regiment in the whole gang. This was because BOTH sides had a regiment of that name in the ACW. One week we'd turn out wearing rebel grey and the next we'd be smart in Union blue. Those were the days........

[red indian]

Todays Daily Telegraph:-


"Royal Marines called in after US hit trouble"
--------------------------------------------

"The Royal Marines went in to action in afghanistan after two major US operations failed to achieve their aims"

"At the end of last year Tora Bora was bombarded from the air for days before US forces and their local allies took it giving bin ladens fighters ample time to escape."

"...the US ran in to difficulties in the early days of operation ana conda last month when they were ambushed by hundreds of al-qaeda fighters."

" The high altitude caused immense problems for the men of 10th Moutain Division, which despite its name is based in New York State.Many suffered from altitude sickness and one said "we dont do mountains"!!!!!!????????



So as you can see Neutron the "second string" is tagging along behind you in awe struck admiration.


ps:- The Royal Marines DO "do mountains" you will be pleased to know!

[JoBelle]

LOL
I can see Red's chest swelling with pride all the way across the waves.

Cool info that you really don't hear much of in the states. Gee, I wonder why??? *blinks*

Jo

[red indian]

The point of my post (apart from putting Neutron right on one or two points) is to make clear how proud i am that our armed forces are backing you guys up and that our support is there for you (unlike many european countries) in the fight against terrorism all the way.