BRING 'EM BACK HOME

Here we are 10 days from Christmas and I can't help thinking about our lads abroad. My nephew's out there, somewhere. They never tell you where, though... shhhh...Military Secret!

So many have died.

They haven't stopped dying, you know. They started dying during the local tribal wars. They fought and died against the Romans. They died when the Vikings came over. They died during the Norman conquest. They died on the American Continent. They died fighting the French, the Spaniards, the Germans, and almost every other nation in Europe. They went on dying further away from home, in Africa, in India, in the Middle East. How many fields are soaked with their blood? How many lands have become their final resting place? How many homes have been shattered by the death of their younger members, and their older members, or by the injuries that were inflicted on them? How long must our boys and girls go on fighting other people's wars away from home? Were we invited there I wonder? Did we ask our lads for their opinion? Did they volounteer to go? Are we now more comfortable in our centrally-heated homes and our aerodinamic-designed cars and the latest telecom gadgets because of their supreme sacrifice? Was it really worth it? To us, I mean; to the people. Not to the petrol companies or their shareholders, or the arms manufacturers; No I'm sure they're not terribly concerned. "Keep it flowing" is their motto; whatever the cost.

Well I say the cost is too high. I say let's make sure that if the lads have to go and face death they do it with their eyes wide open and on a strictly voluntary basis. No Briton should ever be forced again to die far from home. I should think a National Debate is long overdue. Let's ALL do something about it. If you are short of ideas, then copy this posting and send it to the Prime Minister, or to your head of government, to your MP or to your Government Representative. And why not to the newspapers? In fact to anyone with any kind of influence. Let's do everything possible to bring them back home.... and to keep them here.

I chose this song because of my nephew's Scottish ancestry, on his father's side. But mostly I chose it to honour those who didn't make it back home. We used to gather round the fireplace on New year's Eve and watch Andy Stewart's show on TV. We all loved him. God bless you Andy for the many hours of joy you gave us, and God bless you lads and lasses, wherever you may be posted. Come home safely and may Xmas be a happy occasion for you all.

Here's the video (Composed by Andy Stewart himself) below. It was posted on youtube.com by chizz32 on 29th july 2008. Thanks chizz32. Enjoy .... and don't forget our lads!

There was a soldier, a Scottish soldier, who wandered far away, and soldiered far away.
There was none bolder, with good broad shoulder. He'd fought in many a fray, and fought and won.
He's seen the glory and told the story of battles glorious and deeds victorious.
But now he's sighing, his heart is crying to leave those green hills of Tyrol.
Because those green hills are not highland hills,
or the island hills, they're not my land's hills.
And fair as these green foreign hills may be
they are not the hills of home
And now this soldier, this Scottish soldier who wandered far away, and soldiered far away,
sees leaves are falling, and death is calling and he will fade away, in that far land.
He called his piper, his trusted piper and bade him sound alay, a pi-broch sad to play
up on a hillside, but Scottish hillside, not on those green hills of Tyrol...
Chorus
And so this soldier, this Scottish soldier will wander far no more, and soldier far no more,
and on a hillside, a Scottish hillside, you'll see a piper play his soldier home.
He's seen the glory, he's told the story of battles glorious and deeds victorious.
The bugles cease now, he is at peace now far from those green hills of Tyrol..
Chorus