“I am still a Soldier…”

I am still a Soldier…

I am Ubiquitous, Paratus, and ready to Percute et Percute Velociter, 

A Vigilant soldier, who had the Courage to stand up for Australia,

Always moving Forward and full of Resolute and Nec Aspera Terrent

In many units that were Par Oneri as I was The Minstrel Boy

And we did things Paulatim not like a bull at a gate! Arte et Marte every step of the way

For we were Swift and Sure we did it Pro Patria 

And I gave Sua Tela Tonanti, for I was Ubique and I was always First in, Last Out, lights off

For I was Q.  Ich Dien under our Southern Cross and was Tenax in Fide

When I served I did Pro Humanitate and with dignity, with Jolly Rogers; Skulls; Grim Reapers; and, Swords on Shields. Something that was a Tradition, Our Identity!

Not eligible for an ICB but I had to apply for my ACB and that just isn’t cricket (still waiting… was that a cricket, No just my friendly Cicadas! You hear them too?)

I never just did my Duty First, I had Integrity, and I put the welfare and morale of my soldier’s first

For the troops, with the troops, You Sir! Had better call out The Guard!

It’s not like I DNSDC because I do and I did, I served with Vigilance to Defende et Doce

I was Serving Australia with Pride as it is a family tradition; and my God given right, We Sustain

Primus in Terra Australi for Ducit Amor Patriae

Fighting Per Ardua ad Astra I kept my feet firmly on the ground

Remember Salt looks like Sugar and Dolphins look like little Sharks (Navy Sub Has Surfaced! No “Jolly Roger” though!)

But it is about those, those who Strike Swiftly, Foras Admonitio as those Who Dares Wins, as you damned well know

As Virtutis Fortuna Comes which if forgotten by those in Command and Civilians

We serve Pro Aris Et Focis under our Australian National Flag 

They wore the Sword on a Cross, like the cameras you put on them, their Cross, their burden, their lot

We must never forget, For those who stand beside them through good times and the bad, 

The night horrors and the cold night sweats Mintu Wanta and Ever Vigilant

For idere Parare Est, Through Awareness, Strength we all Honour the Work 

And rise up In this Sign Conquer, Forewarned Forearmed with Integrity for Justice in Arms

Just ensure you remember that we are and were the Acies Acuta the ones you push over it

For CDF Campbell and CA Burr remember Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense.

Far from Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt (s)

Poem by Spent Cartridge

(Any plagiarism is both unintentional and intentional you figure it out! Digitally Altered for All Posterity!) “I am still a Soldier…”

 

 

I am still a Soldier…

I am Present, Prepared, and ready to Strike and Strike Swiftly, 

A Vigilant soldier, who had the Courage to stand up for Australia,

Always moving Forward and full of Resolute and Not Even Hardships Deter Us

In many units that were Equal to the Task as I was The Minstrel Boy

And we did things Little by Little not like a bull at a gate! With Skill and Fighting every step of the way

For we were Swift and Sure and we did it For Country 

And I gave To the Warrior his Arms, for I was Everywhere and I was always First In, Last Out lights off

For I was Q.  I Serve under our Southern Cross and was Steadfast in Faith

When I served I did For Humankind and with dignity, with Jolly Rogers; Skulls; Grim Reapers; and, Swords on Shields. Something that was a Tradition, Our Identity!

Not eligible for an ICB but I had to apply for my ACB and that just isn’t cricket (still waiting… was that a cricket, No just my friendly Cicadas! You hear them too?)

I never just did my Duty First, I had Integrity, I put the welfare and morale of my soldier’s first 

For the troops, with the troops, You Sir! Had better call out The Guard!

It’s not like I DNSDC because I do and I did, I served with Vigilance to Defend and Inform 

I was Serving Australia with Pride as it is a family tradition; and, my God given right, We Sustain 

First in Australia for Love of country leads me

Fighting Through Adversity to the Stars I kept my feet firmly on the ground

Remember Salt looks like Sugar; and, Dolphins look like little Sharks! (Navy Sub Has Surfaced! No “Jolly Roger” though!)

But it is about those, those who Strike Swiftly,  Without Warning as those Who Dares Wins, as you damned well know

As Fortune is the Companion of Valour which if forgotten by those in Command and Civilians

We serve For Altars and Hearth under our Australian National Flag

They wore the Sword on a Cross, like the cameras you put on them, their Cross, their burden, their lot

We must never forget, For those who stand beside them through good times and the bad, 

The night horrors and the cold night sweats Always Alert and Ever Vigilant

For To See is to Prepare, Through Awareness, Strength we all Honour the Work 

And rise up In this Sign Conquer, Forewarned Forearmed with Integrity for Justice in Arms

Just ensure you remember that we are and were the Cutting Edge the ones you push over it

For CDF Campbell and CA Burr remember Evil be to him, who Evil thinks.

Far from Where right and glory lead (s)

Poem by Spent Cartridge

(Any plagiarism is both unintentional and intentional you figure it out! Digitally Altered for All Posterity!)

 

Legend 

(Why Thank you!)

9th Force Support Battalion – Ubiquitous – Present

1st Armoured Regiment – Tank – Paratus – Prepared

‘A’ Squadron 10th Light Horse Regiment (Western Australian Mounted Infantry) – Reconnaissance

  – Percute et Percute Velociter – Strike and Strike Swiftly

Royal Western Australia Regiment – Vigilant

2nd Cavalry Regiment – Reconnaissance – Courage – (A word that gets used way too often.)

Royal Australian Armoured Corps – Australia

2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) – Forward 

‘B’ Squadron 3rd/4th Regiment – Armoured Personnel Carrier – Resolute

3rd/9th Light Horse (South Australian Mounted Rifles) – Nec Aspera Terrent – Not even hardships deter us

Royal Australian Corps of Transport – Par Oneri – Equal to the Task

Australian Army Band Corps – March – The Minstrel Boy* 

*CDF don’t listen to it you may just want to ban it also, if you really listen to the words!

Royal Australian Army Medical Corps – Paulatim – Little by Little

Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers – Arte et Marte – With Skill and Fighting 

Royal Australian Corps of Signals – Certa Cito – Swift and Sure 

Royal South Australia Regiment – Pro Patria – For Country

Royal Australian Engineers – First In, Last Out (Or so they think! Q – No it’s not a question!)

Q – Quartermaster- R.A.A.O.C. or any Quartermaster Store (All Corps)

Royal Queensland Regiment – March – Southern Cross 

Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps – Pro Humanitate – For Humankind

Jolly Rogers; Skulls; Grim Reapers; and, Swords on Shields. Something that was a Tradition, Our Identity! – CDF! You have a Legacy, Congratulations! (Have another Gong!) In doing so you have offended many including Me! Time and Place, As, I have all the time in the world as this poem displays!

Infantry Combat Badge – Issued to RAInf Soldiers whom have served in Warlike Conditions 

Royal Australian Infantry Corps – RAInf

***

Unless you served in Malaysia apparently, read this story:

https://www.contactairlandandsea.com/2020/06/01/rcb-denied-warlike-service-appeal/

My Bad, that’s about AASM’s not issued! So No “Contact!” occurred? 

I received an AASM for East Timor and I wasn’t in “Contact!” … 

G.G., P.M., Mr Gee, Mr Dutton? Please Explain? The Veterans’ Covenant! Your Oath! Bloody Oath!

You tight Bastards! You all couldn’t lie straight in bed! For what they have done, this we will do.

 Oh really! Do tell! I’m NOT feeling it at all! Nor are these fine Rifle Company Butterworth Veterans!

Who did their DUTY!

Source: Oath | Recognition (dva.gov.au) – For what they have done, this we will do – yeah! sure!

***

Army Combat Badge – Issued to All Non RAInf Soldiers whom have served in Warlike Conditions 

Also Australian Cricket Board – C’mon Aussie! C’mon! 

Royal Australian Regiment – Duty First

Royal Australian Army Pay Corps – Integrity

Royal Australian Corps of Military Police – For the troops, with the troops 

Royal Australian Army Ordinance Corps – Sua Tela Tonanti –

Upon the Royal Garter of RAAOC; RAE.: Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense 

Defence National Storage and Distribution Centre – DNSDC – Don’t kNow Shit Don’t Care* 

*I feel a name change coming on! Remember! Tradition CDF! 

Australian Army Aviation – Vigilance

Australian Army Public Relations Service – Defende et Doce – Defend and Inform

Royal Australian Navy – Serving Australia with Pride

Australian Army Catering Corps – We Sustain – (Why aren’t they Royal? Troops got to eat! Important Job!)

Royal New South Wales Regiment – Primus in Terra Australi – First in Australia 

51st Battalion, Far North Queensland Regiment – Ducit Amor Patriae – Love of country leads me

Royal Australian Air Force – Per Ardua ad Astra –Through Adversity to the Stars 

Royal Australian Navy Submarine Service – Dolphins – GO DOLPHINS! ARRRGH!

1st Commando Regiment – Strike Swiftly 

2nd Commando Regiment – Foras Admonitio – Without Warning

Special Air Service Regiment – Who Dares Wins – 2 Squadron. R.I.P. Thank you CA Burr – Champ!

12th/16th Hunter River Lancers – Virtutis Fortuna Comes – Fortune is the Companion of Valour

Royal Tasmania Regiment – Pro Aris Et Focis – For Altars and Hearths

Australian National Flag – The flag of the Commonwealth of Australia; and, the Australian Army which so many have served to provide security and died, protecting our values and our way of life.

Lest We Forget…

***

Sword on a Cross – Ref: Photo of then Cpl Ben Roberts-Smith VC, MG digitally altered for all posterity. 

Also used by the British 1st Army; 2nd Army; British Army Of the Rhine – W.W.2 (or B.O.A.R. – CDF) 

Side Note : About Digitally Altered

In time the landings of “ANZAC Cove” will be about a football match against the Turks. Or the treatment of Allied Soldiers (in World War Two) at the hands of the Japanese about a “Walking holiday following a train route”.  You can’t hide from history it has a tendency to “Repeat” itself. Look at W.W.1; W.W.2; Vietnam; Afghanistan, why don’t we ever learn? Learn from our mistakes; or, better still from others. And Digitally altering images is just lying as it’s Not portraying the truth. Surely this is wrong projecting a lie 

Cross – like the cameras the double edged weapons “Funny” how you erase the Sword on a Cross but

“Order” our SF Operators wear these Cameras, more equipment to carry, for your viewing pleasure.

***

Partners Of Veterans Australia (P.V.A.) – For those who stand beside them – Our Rock 

Our Florence Nightingale’s

Florence Nightingale – was a prominent Nurse during the Crimean War that brought 

 changes to Medical Hygiene; Sanitation; and Care for the wounded. 

Pilbara Regiment – Mintu Wanta – Always Alert 

NORFORCE – Ever Vigilant 

Royal Australian Survey Corps – idere Parare Est –To See is to Prepare 

(Gone but not forgotten by this Black Duck!)

Royal Australian Army Educational Corps – Through Awareness, Strength

Royal Australian Army Dental Corps – Honour the Work 

Royal Australian Army Chaplains’ Department – In this Sign Conquer – Well that went! So offensive!

Tell me do we still swear on the Holy Bible when in Court? Look at their Badges they could be Offensive too! 

Australian Intelligence Corps – Forewarned Forearmed – 

(Army + Intelligence = Boo! Spooks! You, though I was going to say something else didn’t you!)

Australian Army Legal Corps – Justitia in Armis – Justice in Arms 

Special Operations Command (Australia) – Acies Acuta – Cutting Edge

Chief of Defence Force –- CDF – Common Dog FFFk! – Sorry for my stutter! I got nothing! 

(Common Dog F*ck = Common Sense – Army Slang)

Chief of the Army – CA – again, I got nothing!

Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery; Royal Australian Engineers – Ubique – Everywhere 

Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery – Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt – Where right and glory lead 

I guess Artillery do have the final say!

***

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! – Pte. Baldrick

Source: Blackadder Goes Forward poem ‘The German Guns’ from episode ‘Goodbyeee’

***

(s) – Adding “-s” 1. An ending, which marks the regular plural of in nouns, as in dogs. 

Source: The Macquarie Concise Dictionary Third Edition, ISBN 0 949757 95 0

 

 

My Condolences/Commiserations

Australian Army Psychology Corps – AA Psych – Do you have a moto?

Don’t feel blue as I have been welcomed with Open Arms elsewhere:

NCVH – Concord Repatriation Hospital. 

And I’m Soldiering On! Or “Continuing with Task” one could say, Thank Q!

Corps of Staff Cadets

Royal Military College – Duntroon

Australian Defence Force Academy

I did flip a coin to include you all; and, it was…

“Tails”

Sorry but you lost!

To all other Units Combat; Training; and, Support that I may have missed my sincere apologies. H.M.A. Ships and Royal Australian Air Force Squadrons and Land Bases for All Services, I had to cut this poem short. You are in my thoughts and your Service did get some recognition which you equally deserve. 

Even the Rising Sun has Pricks though! 

***

NCVH – National Centre for Veterans Health – Concord Repatriation General Hospital – Sydney

There are others facilities like NCVH – Concord around Australia that are available to the Still Serving; and, to Veterans (My community: My Brothers and Sisters). Hospitals for helping us; provide guidance; and, methods; and, advice to maintain a healthy lifestyle. So look them up, know where they are, what they can do even if you do go interstate ensure you know where you can get help anytime of the day or night. 

So employ some K.I.S.S. 

(Keep It Simple Stupid!) 

And Remember:

 Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance!

(the Six P’s)

You’re Not Forgotten, Cobber!

***

Lieutenant Fussell was serving with the Special Operations Task Group when he was killed in action by an Improvised Explosive Device detonation while conducting a dismounted patrol in Uruzgan province, on Thursday 27 November, 2008.

17 November 1983 – 27 November 2008

Rest In Peace

***

Source: Home : Lieutenant Michael Fussell : Department of Defence (verbatim) 

Side Note:

My Wife a I have used NCVH Concord recently and stayed at the Fussell House (as we live in Rural Taree NSW). The support provided was outstanding. In a facility that was purpose built to house Families and Single members in a safe and well thought out environment with all costs being paid for by DVA (meals through reimbursement as per DVA SOP’s). I strongly recommend the NCVH Concord Repatriation General Hospital for all Serving Members; Veterans; and, their families. There are NEW additions being completed which include a well-stocked gymnasium overlooking the Parramatta River which is only a stone’s throw, (Don’t you dare!)  from the Fussell House. I would like to ask that you don’t souvenir anything from this facility as it is for all of Us; and, I know what we’re like! And the proviso that you ensure you treat Michael’s place and the Staff with Respect; and, “stow as you go!” when you visit. Also, No! whizzing on the trees! Especially during the day!

SLHD National Centre for Veterans’ Healthcare – Home (nsw.gov.au)

Doing what the Federal Government should be doing!

***

 

Dear General Angus Campbell,

So you know who I am CDF! Of course you do! Ping! Ping! Ping! By the way if this poem displays one thing it is that the ways of the old customs do last, it’s called Tradition. Please, Look it up! 

It’s right under ‘trading stock’ in my copy of the Macquarie Third Edition as quoted above.

A Spent Cartridge I may be; But, “Don’t Forget Me, Cobber!” or all our fine Australian Veterans’ and those that are still Serving under YOUR care:

Sailors; Soldiers; and, Aviators.

People are our greatest assets not: 

Ships, Submarines; Tanks; Helicopters; Aircraft; or, Munitions.

They are just costly consumables; however, they are only as good as the people that are using them.

Medals, or a collection of them don’t show your loyalty or your prowess in your Profession. In most cases it shows that others made you look good doesn’t it, CDF? 

After all everybody gets a “Coke Bottle” don’t they? (ADM-Australian Defence Medal – called a “Coke Bottle” due to the Red; White ribbon; it’s shiny; and, round just like the top of the can, for those not in the know). 

I don’t use a medal counts to measure a Veteran as they’re just bits of “Tin” with ribbons; I like to think I’m not a shallow person, sure medals have their place; and, we value them with pride; but, you have look at the person not the “Gongs”.

We all sacrifice something when we put on that uniform.

Funnily enough, it’s called Freedom! 

For a great many it’s also their Life.

***

My service was well balanced CDF, is yours?

‘A’ Squadron 10th Light Horse Regiment – Reconnaissance – 1991 to 1994 – R.A.A.C. (Army Reserves)

***

2nd Cavalry Regiment – Reconnaissance – R.A.A.C. (Australian Regular Army)

Rifle Company Butterworth 1/96 – 1st Brigade

176th Air Dispatch Squadron – 1998 to 2001 – R.A.A.O.C.

9th Force Support Battalion HQ Main Q Store – 2000 – UNTAET EM

1st Health Support Battalion – 2002

1st Armoured Regiment – Tank – 2003 to 2004

Australian Army Standby Reserve – 2004 to 2008

I bleed ARMY!  

Because I was never untrained! and,

 I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.

Nemo Me Impune Lacessit!

No one hurts me with impunity!

(5th Bn. Royal Victoria Regiment) 

I didn’t forget You VIC!

Australia 

Yours most sincerely,

 

By Spent Cartridge
Proud Australian Army Veteran and Peace Keeper

IMAGE: The author, 2 Cav Regt, Mt Bundy, NT, 1995.

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