When he said farewell to the Corps, Gen. Douglas MacArthur said of the American soldier:
"From one end of the world to the other, he has drained deep the chalice of courage. As I listened to those songs [of the farewell glee club], in memory's eye I could see those staggering columns of the First World War, bending under soggy packs on many a weary march, from dripping dusk to drizzling dawn, slogging ankle deep through mire of shell-pocked roads, to form grimly for the attack, blue-lipped, covered with sludge and mud, chilled by the wind and rain, driving home to their objective, and for many, to the judgment seat of God.
"I do not know the dignity of their birth, but I do know the glory of their death. They died unquestioning, uncomplaining, with faith in their hearts, and on their lips the hope that we would go on to victory. Always for them: Duty, Honor, Country; always their blood, and sweat, and tears, as they saw the way and the light."
MacArthur's words continue to describe the men and woman who have chosen the profession of arms — a profession equaled only by the clergy. Today is a day to take pilgrimages to war memorials, and to bend the knee.
Extracted from published sources to be shared with those who care and pray for freedom.
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