The Old Soldier Speaks

The Old Soldier Speaks

©Copyright, Bill Walker, All Rights Reserved

Remember Me? I am the one that won you your freedom. I have been in the forefront of your battles to keep your freedom. I have lived a very rough life. Some times I have fought in mud, in snow, in rain, in hot dry places. Sand blowing in my face. I have been left to do the best I can against a foe that out numbers me ten to one. Some times 50 to me, myself and I. But we will talk about some of these cases as we go along here. Us old soldiers hear that some of you young people from time to time need a refresher class in American History. So us old soldiers are going to do the best we can, about telling our story.

Remember me? I was at Bunker Hill. I was at a few other places along the way. One was that winter at Valley Forge. I was the one with out shoes, with out much in the way of food. With out a warm bed, without that stuff called money. But with a gun that maybe would get off a shot about ever minute if my cold hands could load fast enough. We in the end won you the thing called freedom. Freedom to move about. Stand on the street corner and talk about the crooks you voted into office. We lost a lot of battles along the way. After all we had so little to do with. The mother country had every thing, they even could buy troops from other countries to come over here and do their dirty work for them. But we whipped them enough that they went home with their tails between their legs. We sure had our day when Corn what’s his name (Cornwall Jackson) gave it up at Yorktown. Now I got to turn this over to my son. He can tell you about his war. You know freedom every once in a while some one has to fight to keep that. Freedom to vote, freedom to go to the church you happen to like, freedom to gripe about the people you have in public office. The ones who said if elected they would put a chicken in every pot. The trouble is they forgot to tell you there is no pots today. Well the campfire is calling. I hear General Washington says, congress got us some fat back bacon for the bean soup.

Remember me? I bet not. I fought a war called the Quasi War. John Adams was setting in the Presidents House [more on this later] Seem like that the French wanted to tie into us a bit. They got a fight going on the high seas, and a few other places. Any ways we whipped them into shape. We by now had a ship, name of Constellation. It defeated the French ship, L'Isuregent said to be a fast ship. Then it got the LaVenyeneince. What ever the name is. We waxed them both. The Frenchies soon learned we was no push over. So that war didn't last too long. But once again it was the American service people who kept your freedom.

Remember me? Well there was some people called the Pirates of the Barbary Coast. Well that they were. They has some ships that raided shipping along their neck of the woods. Even the British paid to go near their snake hole. Not us. We got our fill of it and President Jefferson sent the American Navy, with the Marines to clean out those rats. It lasted about 4 years. Just some more of the American Service people keeping your freedom to move about.

Remember me? I had to go fight the English one more time to keep your freedom. Seems like a few years back about 1806 them people was attacking our ships on the high seas. They would take men off and press them into serving their king. Well at last we got a bit up set with that and some of their other nutty deals. So one more time the American Service People is in the fore-front. Now please note I said Service People.

By this time we had a small army, a small navy, and those wonderful marines came into being some where along the way. Now our navy, lets talk about those few great names that came into being.

We have the Ships. The United States. The Wasp. The Hornet. The Enterprise. The President. And the Constitution, [Old IRON SIDES.] She was such a great ship, she is still in service.

They were few, but boy let me tell you they were great ships. They fought them English out numbered some times 2, 3 and more at a time.

And they whipped them English ships. We put many a ship down. Now go back and look at some of those names. There will be later wars and those proud names will be back. I will leave that for my great grand son, or is it my great, great grand son to tell about? Oh you figure it out. Well toward the end them darn British burned the White House. Now for all you young “Whipper Snappers”; the White House wasn't called the White House till after that time. You see it was the Presidents House or something like that. But after that it got some white paint to try to cover the burn job. Old Madison, he was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. Lucky his wife Dolly had a brain. [think it was spelled Dolly] Well any ways she saved some of the stuff and beat it down the road ahead of those fire-bugs. Any ways the Brits wasn't doing too good, so they got their selves some one to talk an end to the war. Any ways we won the Second war of Independence. So you can set at home and enjoy this thing called freedom.

Remember Me? Well it seems like a bunch of our people went down to a place we call Texas. They more or less was stomping on land that Mexico claimed. We would hear about the problems coming from there. But any ways after a bit that part came to be called Texas. Now it gets kind of a mess here. The Mexican people got a fuss going with these new people. Or was it the other way around? Any ways in the end here comes the good old American Service People again. Now it is time to pull up some names. We will talk about them later. There was a fellow by the name of Scott. Better known to us Service People as old Fuss & Feathers. He was the general. There was a fellow by the name of Lee, Hill, Grant, and a lot more. Now Scott got into a battle with the Mexican army at a place. Was not getting anywhere.

So he spotted a young man by the name of R.E. Lee, a captain. He told Lee to see what you can do. Well Lee did a bit of scouting about, and the battle was over real quick. Just real quick.

The thing is we won a lot of land to make more states. We ended up at the Mexico City. They were only too glad to call it quits. More of this thing called freedom. Won by the American Service people.

Remember me? Well I am the one that fought the many battles with those real Native Americans. The Indians. Now folks you should know these were bloody, and messy. Both for the white man and the Indians. These were never really ending battles. There was also a fellow who was making trouble name of John Brown.

Seems like he was making a fuss over this thing called slavery. Now to some he was a wonderful fellow. To others well, he was just a crook. Any ways he came to Washington. He and a few men took a few people and held them in an old building. A man that was named before happened to be in town. By now he was know as Col. Lee. He got a call to do something. He rounded up a Lt. A.P. Hill and his unit of Marines. When the dust cleared. Mr. Brown was given a trial, and a trip to a rope. This isn't the end of the troubles. Maybe it is just a good warm up to the next war. But all this has a bearing on things to come. Another call for the Service People. For your freedom Remember me? Well I may wear Blue, or I may wear Gray. Just depends on what your thinking is. Let me say this. I fought in whatever color for not only what I thought was right, but in some cases for my little home, my farm, my family. I may have not cared one way or other about what some people says the war was about. It makes no difference. It ended up making the United States of America. We became the great nation that is here today by that war. Now that aside. It was a bloody war, it was a mean war, it was a nasty war. A man could find himself fighting, his son, his brother, his father or other family members.

Each with the belief they were right. I as a soldier of that war. Seen each calling on the Heavenly Father for help in doing what was right. I think the Heavenly Father had a hard time with the requests. As it seems to me people on both sides were, “God fearing people”. But the Service People on both sides of this case were called on. Remember this.

They were Americans. Men in Blue. Men in Gray. They were Americans ALL. And yes something called freedom got stronger. Oh I just got to get this in. You know the only woman in the history of the United States to win the Congressional Medal of Honor came out of that war. Had a real lovely name, Mary Walker.

Remember me? I was on the Maine when she blown up in Havana Harbor. I was with Teddy on the charge. I was with Dewey when he sank the Spanish ships at Manila. We grew to be a power to be taken note of.

We also got a few head aches out of it. Now people say one thing, may mean something else. Also people hear what they want to hear. The other words they can't hear. But that is what us old Solders figure they keep us around for. Seems like the Filipinos figured with all the double talk they were going to have at last, self-government. Well here we go again. Good old American Service People has to go get in the mess that the political hacks screwed up. We end up with 70,000 of us guys over there. Fighting against people, that wants some freedom. Funny isn't it? Remember me? I was one of the Marines that went to Korea. Yes we have been to that place twice. Seems like they didn't care about buying and selling. So we got the call to go open up the ports. Another fine mess the political hacks get us into. But you people seem to have elected them. Remember me? The world is at war. The war to end all wars. Boy is that some kind of joke. Here I am once again, an old soldier, sitting or standing in most cases with water up to the butt. In a trench. No hot food, no roof over my head. Fear at any minute of a gas attack, shot and shells landing near by. A machine gun raking my sand bags. You know we came over here a million strong. Our dear friends the French and Brits figured they would use us for canon fodder. You know put some of our troops in with theirs. Scream out charge and away we go while they have another cup of tea or wine. Well that didn't work. Thanks to that fellow from Missouri. Later known as General of The ARMIES. Black Jack Pershing. He told them to go to hell. He would not allow that to happen. We came over there to clean up the mess they started. We are Americans; we stick together. Well we went to hell and back a time or two. Maybe a few times, just depends on what you call hell. We had one American hero. A good old southern boy, name of York. Why he went hunting one day. He rounded up so many loose German soldiers. No one knew hardly what to do with them all. For a while they thought one of them was the Kaiser him self. Well the war ended on the 11th day, the 11th minute of the 11th hour, of the 11th mouth of 1918. We had saved your freedom one more time.

Remember me? December 7th, 1941. Pearl Harbor. A Sunday morning. The Battleship. U.S.S. Arizona. Come visit my battle station. I still am there, manning it. The navy says we are not on duty yet. What do they know? Some of us lived to fight another day. I was on the Battleship U.S.S. Missouri 2nd day of Sept 1945. I seen the papers signed ending that war. Between those two dates, many a American Service Person went to hell and back. Pure hell. If you don't think so ask one who served those years. This was another war to end all wars. Ha.

But we held on to your freedom for you. Oh remember great, great, Grandfather, saying something about the names of those war ships. Well we had the Hornet, the Wasp, the Enterprise.

Three great air craft carriers. You can stop and see my two Battleships when you come to Pearl. The Battleship Missouri standing guard near her sister ship.

Remember me? Pork Chop Ridge. The charge of wave after wave of Koreans and their friends. The few against so many. Out numbered a hundred to one. The cold nights. No hot food for days on end. Down to your last clip of ammo. Yes we too have been to hell and back.

Remember me? I waded the paddies too. In a place called Vietnam. Snakes, rats, bugs of all sorts. Friend and foe, who could tell them apart? The little old man, the little old woman, yes even the child may take a shot at you. Your next step may be a trap. Your leg blown off. Yes I too have been to hell and back.

Remember me? Desert storm, Lebanon, Dominican Republic, the Cole, the Marines killed here, there, the mess in the oil rich countries. All hell and back. Pure and simple.

Well we could go on in deeper detail. Our bottom line is this. Remember Me? We fought your wars, your battles, for what? To give you rights. Freedom to think, to do things, to go VOTE. We bled and died in many a place around this earth for you to do so. Now It makes us mad to think we gave all. And that old boy setting by the camp fire, eating his few beans with a smell of fat back bacon. You know your great, great, great, oh the heck with it it, you figure it out. He's mad as hell. When he hears that you don't have the time or it's too cold, or too wet, or it is just a good day to go play golf instead of going to vote! ©Copyright, Bill Walker, All Rights Reserved

Note from the Author: I wish to add a few lines to this, I am in no way meaning, that I, Bill Walker, was in all these wars and scraps this nation has found it’s self in. I have only been in one, Korea. I am saying the soldier has been in the scrap, to keep yours and my freedom. If you value your freedom, it was the soldier, not the political hack, who ducked out, by hook or crook, and got lost on which way he was to go; to find the battlefield!

Written by, Barbara J. Ervin-Weymouth