october 25, 1415. st. crispin’s day. king henry v leads his soldiers in the battle of agincourt. two-hundred years later, william shakespeare puts pen to paper and imagines the young king, inspiring his men that morning.
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember’d;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here…
march 19, 2003. st. joseph’s day. lt col tim collins speaks to the 1st battalion of the royal irish at fort blair mayne, 20 miles from the iraqi border.
“We are entering Iraq to free a people and the only flag which will be flown in that ancient land is their own. Show respect for them… Iraq is steeped in history. It is the site of the Garden of Eden, of the Great Flood and the birthplace of Abraham. Tread lightly there. You will see things that no man could pay to see and you will have to go a long way to find a more decent, generous and upright people than the Iraqis. You will be embarrassed by their hospitality even though they have nothing…”
in an age of four-minute late-night speeches that ring empty when attempting profundity, i find the simple eloquence of this single officer moving and oddly reassuring, even in these unsettling days. of course, not everyone will agree with me, but the entire speech is certainly worth a read.
