Marines taste defeat...
April 3, 2003 3:02 PM Subscribe
Marines taste defeat... Touching. Reminds me of this, which isn't quite the same but altogether much more extraordinary.
That's it. World conflicts solved by soccer.
(Goddam, I love stories of people being people.)
posted by Wulfgar! at 3:13 PM on April 3, 2003
(Goddam, I love stories of people being people.)
posted by Wulfgar! at 3:13 PM on April 3, 2003
Unfair match...the kids knew where the landmines were.
posted by srboisvert at 3:17 PM on April 3, 2003
posted by srboisvert at 3:17 PM on April 3, 2003
From a Boys Own Story... 3 Frame Cartoon. Title of cartoon is "A Game To Remember".
Frame 1. General VeryPosh Worthly Speaks. "I say Boys. The war's going jolly well, but those damned iraqi's don't seem to know we're doing it all for them. "
Frame 2. Back of picture is a large wooden box with an arrow pointing at it. Private LowerClass Jenkins Speaks. "Aye Sir. Reet Queer 'tis an' all. t' lad's reckons we need to win 'earts and Minds. "
Frame 3. Private LowerClass Jenkins is surrounded by cheering Iraqi children. General VeryPosh Worthly Speaks. "By Jove Jenkins. Your impromptu game of soccer has bought the Iraqi population back to the side of right. They'll be no stopping our march into Baghdad now!!!"
Comic Strip ends.
posted by seanyboy at 3:54 PM on April 3, 2003
Frame 1. General VeryPosh Worthly Speaks. "I say Boys. The war's going jolly well, but those damned iraqi's don't seem to know we're doing it all for them. "
Frame 2. Back of picture is a large wooden box with an arrow pointing at it. Private LowerClass Jenkins Speaks. "Aye Sir. Reet Queer 'tis an' all. t' lad's reckons we need to win 'earts and Minds. "
Frame 3. Private LowerClass Jenkins is surrounded by cheering Iraqi children. General VeryPosh Worthly Speaks. "By Jove Jenkins. Your impromptu game of soccer has bought the Iraqi population back to the side of right. They'll be no stopping our march into Baghdad now!!!"
Comic Strip ends.
posted by seanyboy at 3:54 PM on April 3, 2003
Oh, US troops are able to make friends well enough -- whether it's liberating Najaf to jubilant cheers, busloads of fleeing refugees, or even two guys stuck alone in the desert. It's a little ridiculous to suggest that there's some enormous divide in style, or humanity.
posted by dhartung at 3:56 PM on April 3, 2003
posted by dhartung at 3:56 PM on April 3, 2003
John McCutheon wrote a song about the WWI incident, the lyrics say it all:
Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's Land
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand
We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well
And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell
We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own
Young Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin
This curious and unlikely band of men
Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more
With sad farewells we each prepared to settle back to war
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wonderous night
``Whose family have I fixed within my sights?''
'Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost, so bitter hung
The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung
For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war
Had been crumbled and were gone forevermore
My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell
Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle we're the same
posted by girard31 at 4:06 PM on April 3, 2003
Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's Land
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand
We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well
And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell
We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own
Young Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin
This curious and unlikely band of men
Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more
With sad farewells we each prepared to settle back to war
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wonderous night
``Whose family have I fixed within my sights?''
'Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost, so bitter hung
The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung
For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war
Had been crumbled and were gone forevermore
My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell
Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle we're the same
posted by girard31 at 4:06 PM on April 3, 2003
US troops can make friends, but the UK troops have a reputation for being able to show (and use) a friendly face. Experience in N.I. and all that. U.S. is good at tech. U.K. is good at being non-confrontational.
Mind, that could just be me being slightly drunk and unwittingly patriotic.
posted by seanyboy at 4:07 PM on April 3, 2003
Mind, that could just be me being slightly drunk and unwittingly patriotic.
posted by seanyboy at 4:07 PM on April 3, 2003
seanyboy, that's the only really funny thing I've read all day. (The cartoon script, I mean).
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 10:27 PM on April 3, 2003
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 10:27 PM on April 3, 2003
I love the way the reporter thinks it's amazing that the Iraqis would have goalposts, a whistle and cards.
posted by Summer at 1:10 AM on April 4, 2003
posted by Summer at 1:10 AM on April 4, 2003
They probably didn't want the Americans to know they had goalposts in case Bush came and moved them again.
posted by Grangousier at 1:19 AM on April 4, 2003
posted by Grangousier at 1:19 AM on April 4, 2003
The Post added this tidbit:
The British strategy is simple: "First, we have football matches, then we have tea parties, and then somehow our soldiers go out and meet the local ladies," a retired colonel told the WP. "It's amazing how quickly they do that."
posted by gottabefunky at 6:41 AM on April 4, 2003
The British strategy is simple: "First, we have football matches, then we have tea parties, and then somehow our soldiers go out and meet the local ladies," a retired colonel told the WP. "It's amazing how quickly they do that."
posted by gottabefunky at 6:41 AM on April 4, 2003
i wonder if beckham could get the iraqis to surrender.
posted by sgt.serenity at 3:39 PM on April 4, 2003
posted by sgt.serenity at 3:39 PM on April 4, 2003
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