Rough Men

[barcephus]

Found this on another website

I wonder if anyone knows/knew the author?

It so applies today


There's a character trait that's decided by fate
Comes (sadly) to many, far too faint, far too late.
They won't face the aggressor, stand up to his ire
They have not the will to fight his fire with fire.
So they bend over backwards to see all sides as fair,
Till they're faced with dragon breath fire in their hair.
Like our brethren in France, who'd know better than we,
Yet seem never to learn, seem doomed never to see.

Yes, it seems there are some who're determined by fate,
To possess not the courage to step up to the plate,
Who shrink from all threat because nothing's worth war.
But how can they know lest they've been there before?
Thank God some have courage, the will, yes, the grace,
To stand for the shirkers, stand strong in their place.
Thank God we have stalwarts who'll stand for us all,
Who will rise to the challenge at their nation's call.

The faint-hearted, who fear, whose reaction is flight,
Have no comprehension of those who will fight.
To hide their own trepidation they attempt to demean
The rough men, who defend them, as barbaric, obscene.
Yet these rough men stand ready, hard weapons to hand,
To put placaters behind them, draw a line in the sand,
To preserve for the peaceniks what they won't defend,
So their own unearned freedom won't perish, won't end.

To appeasers, rough men are coarse government tools.
To rough men, appeasers are dumb delusional fools.

Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66

Will be adding more patriotic posts to this as I find them/dig them up

[poetrooper]

Hi, this is my first post here. I surfed in from the Static Line website and the first thing that caught my eye is my poem, Rough Men, and the poster wondering who the author is. I wrote that poem in response to all the media outcry about the Marines brain-tapping terrorists in Fallujah.

I was in ground combat with the 2d/327th in Vietnam in 1966 and have zero tolerance for liberal media crybabies criticizing our troops. The dumb-butts don't know the difference between a squad and a squadron but want to tell our young warriors what the rules of engagement should be.

I have another popular poem out there on the Web entitled The Sheepdogs which was inspired by LTC Ret. Dave Grossmann's essay, "I Only Hang with Sheepdogs," which can be found at Blackfive here:

http://www.blackfive.net/main/2004/1..._hang_wit.html

If you haven't read the colonel's excellent essay, I suggest you do. It is a tribute to the kind of warriors who are members of this site. There's a link to my poem at the end of the essay. The Marine Corps saw fit to publish that poem in Leatherneck magazine back a few years ago.

An introductory collection of this poem and several others is nicely presented at this website:

http://www.bittersweetme.net/RussVaughn_Poetry.htm

My main website is here:

http://www.oldwardogs.us/

And I am a frequent contributor of both poems and essays to The American Thinker, a conservative blog frequently quoted by Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity among other conservative commentators.

You are welcome to share my work with others you think would enjoy it but copyright law does apply as to inclusion in books or publications. posting on websites is fine, especially if they are milblogs.

Airborne!

Russ Vaughn
aka The Poetrooper

[Gator 82]

Russ, great poem and welcome to the site. but you need to post a proper introduction in the intro threads. Just some info about you. Basic/Ait dates, Units Served. No PERSEC/OPSEC violations, just some more meat.

[barcephus]

Hi, this is my first post here. I surfed in from the Static Line website and the first thing that caught my eye is my poem, Rough Men, and the poster wondering who the author is. I wrote that poem in response to all the media outcry about the Marines brain-tapping terrorists in Fallujah.
(Snip)
Russ Vaughn
aka The Poetrooper

Holy shit!! Welcome, and thank you for this wonderful piece.
I am sharing it with everyone I know.
Didn't MEAN to stir any shit, and I hope I didn't
Again, thanks!!

Scott

[GLaw]

Found this on another website

I wonder if anyone knows/knew the author?

It so applies today


There's a character trait that's decided by fate
Comes (sadly) to many, far too faint, far too late.
They won't face the aggressor, stand up to his ire
They have not the will to fight his fire with fire.
So they bend over backwards to see all sides as fair,
Till they're faced with dragon breath fire in their hair.
Like our brethren in France, who'd know better than we,
Yet seem never to learn, seem doomed never to see.

Yes, it seems there are some who're determined by fate,
To possess not the courage to step up to the plate,
Who shrink from all threat because nothing's worth war.
But how can they know lest they've been there before?
Thank God some have courage, the will, yes, the grace,
To stand for the shirkers, stand strong in their place.
Thank God we have stalwarts who'll stand for us all,
Who will rise to the challenge at their nation's call.

The faint-hearted, who fear, whose reaction is flight,
Have no comprehension of those who will fight.
To hide their own trepidation they attempt to demean
The rough men, who defend them, as barbaric, obscene.
Yet these rough men stand ready, hard weapons to hand,
To put placaters behind them, draw a line in the sand,
To preserve for the peaceniks what they won't defend,
So their own unearned freedom won't perish, won't end.

To appeasers, rough men are coarse government tools.
To rough men, appeasers are dumb delusional fools.

Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66

Will be adding more patriotic posts to this as I find them/dig them up

Russ what "Gator82" said and welcome.

The author is George Orwell .

[VoTrooper99]

The author is George Orwell

I can't find any reference to Orwell being the author. All I can find is the attribution to Russ.



That being said, welcome to the site. As has been stated, please direct yourself to the intro forums (Paratrooper) and fill us in a little on the 5 W's.

Look forward to seeing you around.

[AbnJack]

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
George Orwell

Different

[GLaw]

I stand corrected. The real author is
Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66
http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/001904.html

Thanks for pointing that out "VoTrooper99"

[barcephus]

I stand corrected. The real author is
Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66
http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/001904.html

Thanks for pointing that out "VoTrooper99"

<.< >.>

Duh?

:)

[bg]

Good poem. I'll save my "welcome" for your intro thread.

[RH]

Good poem. I'll save my "welcome" for your intro thread.

X2