“March the guilty b—s in” was once said with much humour.
By George Mansfield
It referred to a weekly phase of administration in barracks when soldiers charged with a military offence were paraded with armed escort before their Commanding Officer to determine guilt or otherwise.
The beginning of such procedure was always referred to by soldiers with tongue in cheek as “march the guilty bastards in”
As once uninvited Political Correctness and WOKE slowly take their place in our increasingly troubled society, the saying with tongue in cheek no longer has the humour intended.
The presumption of innocence, the very base of our legal system has been tossed aside, particularly in the fog of war, where the media has already made its judgement of alleged crimes yet to be proven.
Duty and Consequences
What strange rules for combat wrapped in white flags we use
To placate political masters far distant from arenas of win or lose
Blind to cruel reality and reluctance to raise clenched fists of war
Constant “ifs, buts, ums” and gentle nudges to signal what for?
Suits seeking victory with timidity, naivety and swollen empty heads
Armed with appetites for self- praise and prepared tears to mourn the dead
Safe In an opulent Special Place far distant from fields of death and despair
Where war weary Space Age ANZACS standing tall, still go forward to dare
A soldier accused of war crimes in headlines, bold, black and white
A bloody arena with a thin invisible line between wrong and right
Photographs galore of enemy dead on the same page, readily seen
Frozen images falsely hinting what gentle citizens such foe had been
The accused, already a hero before this split second survival need
Had been presented proud ANZAC laurels for previous brave deeds
For grit In combat against ruthless foe who never, ever showed mercy
Thugs and murderers now converted to martyrs with sly pen for all to see
So much easier to bury heads in the sand in which injustice thrives
Yet where is presumption of innocence until proved otherwise?
Such irony in assumptions of guilt of a soldier pre – trial to determine sin
Echoing from ages past, I can hear “Sar- Major, march the guilty bastards in”
George Mansford © March 2023
More wise words from our Elder Warrior.
Your a lonely voice in the wilderness George. But thank you for speaking up. This hanging our soldiers out to dry and finding them guilty before they are even given a fair trial is a regular occurrence now. I served 30 years, and quite a few beers with you at Tully Gully. But would I heed the call now? Not on your life. Why would I want to put myself on the line with the current mob of gutless poseurs we have now pretending to watch our backs? Not likely mate!
As for our military, we have the woke appeasing, politically pliable, cowardly and weak gutted officer corps led by Campbell. The political points and ambulance chasing pretenders like the anointed, faux military lawyers, and the far-left wing and despicable ALP, and so disappointingly aided by a compliant, inactive and cowardly, an insipid, flaccid, pathetic Liberal Party. Australia’s military is now wide open to the soul-destroying social engineering and ridiculous imposition of radical and ridiculous policy’s by the vapid extremists in the public service, parliament and the bankrupt politics in this now pathetic country.
Just wait and see what happens when this Voice garbage goes through. Id say we are even in for a greater rude awakening. Im tired of being welcomed to my own country, Im tired of not being listened to, Im tired of seeing Australia being flooded with immigrants who cant even speak English and are laughing at us dumb white bastards, I’m tired of seeing dumb, oxygen stealing politicians wasting our national treasure on hysterical kneejerk fake natural disaster theories. Im tired of seeing the manipulation and indoctrination of our children by the left-wing extremists embedded in our education system. Australia is being manipulated, bankrupted, while the dumb, compliant, naive Australian population is letting it all happen. One thing needs to happen and that is politicians need to learn there are consequences for their actions.
Maybe its time to rouse the “Fyrds”, we need to take back the country. I hate to say it but I believe we are losing this country from this modern despicable leftist cancer within. Whose fault? Bloody apathetic, lazy, selfish, inward looking, “She’ll be right” Australians.
Thank you for stating the bleeding obvious, but unfortunately it is unlikely that the brainwashed youth and even up to 50 year olds now will know any different. The subversive indoctrination of our kids and their kids has been going on since the early 70s they now govern us. We know woke and military won’t work but it may do in this enlightened world.