Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Always Faithful

From the Halls of Montezuma
To the Shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title of United States Marine.

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze

From dawn to setting sun;

We have fought in ev'ry clime and place

Where we could take a gun;

In the snow of far-off Northern lands

And in sunny tropic scenes;

You will find us always on the job--The United States Marines.

Here's health to you and to our Corps

Which we are proud to serve

In many a strife we've fought for life

And never lost our nerve;

If the Army and the Navy

Ever look on Heaven's scenes;

They will find the streets are guarded By United States Marines.

Yeah. There's more than one verse.

Semper Fi!

Sunday, September 10, 2006

You can run, but you can't hide...

The Ranger Creed

Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of my Ranger Regiment.
Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move farther, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.
Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be. One-hundred-percent and then some.
Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.
Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.
Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission though I be the lone survivor.
RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!

Into the Fire

The sky was falling and streaked with blood
I heard you calling me, then you disappeared into the dust
Up the stairs, into the fire
Up the stairs, into the fire
I need your kiss, but love and duty called you someplace higher
Somewhere up the stairs, into the fire
May your strength give us strength
May your faith give us faith
May your hope give us hope
May your love give us love
May your strength give us strength
May your faith give us faith
May your hope give us hope
May your love give us love

You gave your love to see, in fields of red and autumn brown

You gave your love to me and lay your young body down

Up the stairs, into the fire

Up the stairs, into the fire

I need you near, but love and duty called you someplace higher

Somewhere up the stairs, into the fire

May your strength give us strength

May your faith give us faith

May your hope give us hope

May your love give us love

May your strength give us strength

May your faith give us faith

May your hope give us hope

May your love give us love

May your strength give us strength

May your faith give us faith

May your hope give us hope

May your love give us love

It was dark, too dark to see, you held me in the light you gave

You lay your hand on me

Then walked into the darkness of your smoky grave

Up the stairs, into the fire

Up the stairs, into the fire

I need your kiss, but love and duty called you someplace higher

Somewhere up the stairs, into the fire

May your strength give us strength

May your faith give us faith

May your hope give us hope

May your love give us love

May your strength give us strength

May your faith give us faith

May your hope give us hope

May your love give us love

May your strength give us strength

May your faith give us faith

May your hope give us hope

May your love give us love

May your strength give us strength

May your faith give us faith

May your hope give us hope

May your love give us love

May your love bring us love

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

The Importance of a Pure Heart

Jay Gluck was a young man trying to make a living as a writer and photographer in Post-World War II Japan. He sold an article on the exotic fighting art of Karate to True magazine and started looking for another equally exciting subject for men's magazines.

He was able to convince a slight old man to perform a filmed demonstration for his article. Gluck secured the assistance of several off-duty Air Force MPs and the use of a few spare Judo mats. The young men were all experienced fighters and athletes with a knowledge of karate and judo, and were even armed with a few bokken. Gluck set up his camera with high expectations.

And his expectations should've been high, because the old martial artist he had engaged for the filmed demo was Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido.

The MPs attacked Ueshiba for several minutes, but never laid a hand on the man. Instead, they broke out into amazed laughter and childlike giggling as they fell over and into each other while Ueshiba danced out of the way.

Later, the editors of True rejected the film as staged. They found it impossible to believe the little old man could keep a group of sturdy young men from easily catching him. They pointed out the MPs often weren't even looking at Ueshiba, and their stupid grins indicated -- obviously -- that they weren't taking the attack seriously.

Gluck, a well educated man, was struck by a Biblical passage during the filming. Luke 4:28, "And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath. And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he (Jesus), passing through the midst of them, went his way." And also John 10:39 "Again they tried to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands." Gluck expressed these thoughts to both a minister who viewed his pictures, and Ueshiba himself. Both men agreed with Gluck, but Ueshiba (an adherent to a splinter Shinto mystic group) claimed, "In learning aiki, you must make yourself pure. He who was already pure, intuitively knew aiki from the beginning."

Jay Gluck wrote a book: Zen Combat, and you can read more about his adventures in martial arts.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Shogun Assassin

I started a spat over at Dan Dorman's blog. I asked Mr. Dorman about the proposed Hollywood version of Lone Wolf & Cub a series of Japanese samurai movies. Mr. Dorman was able to inform me, to my dismay, that the remake will be turned into a Western.
The discussion quickly turned to the first American incarnation of the film, Shogun Assassin. This was a re-cut, re-edited combination of the first two movies in the Japanese series. The plot was garbled. Somehow, the result is still regarded as brilliant. Even with the FM DJ voices doing the dubbing, it does achieve a strange brilliance from the Chinese fortune cookie dialogue, quick cut action, and psychedelic special effects added to the mix.
The Japanese movies were based on a comic book, or manga, which ran to 26 volumes. They tell the story of how the Shogun's executioner was framed by the shogun's assassins, and the long road to vengeance the excutioner and his son travel together. Blood runs thick through the pages as every (yes, every) weapon in the classical Japanese martial arts arsenal is brought into play. Even though the action always has central place, as the story develops Buddhist theology and philosophy come into play
One of the things the movie fanatics over at DD said was that obviously the gents who made Sin City saw Shogun Assassin a few times. Well, yes they did. Tarantino references the movie visually several times during both volumes of Kill Bill and near the end of the movie, The Bride watches the movie as a bedtime story with her newly found daughter. She compares her new relationship with the little girl to the Ronin and his child.
More importantly, Frank Miller -- credited as a co-director for Sin City, and author and artist of the comic book originals -- has been a huge fan of the Lone Wolf and Cub Manga since the early Seventies when a friend thrust them into his hands. Frank couldn't read a word of Japanese, but he devoured the art and the influence on his drafting style is obvious any time you lay the two side by side. In the perfect storm of the late seventies and eighties, Frank's Japanese obsession meshed with other cultural imports from the Asian archipeligo. Frank gave us the ninja assassin Elektra, her nemesis the Hand, and soon ninja were everywhere in comic books: Wolverine, GI Joe, the spoof Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which further morphed into a "serious" series... All directly influenced by Lone Wolf and Cub. Ninja became a household word partly because of Frank's efforts.

I have the first two movies in the LW&C series on DVD, and the last movie on Video tape. I also have the complete run of LW&C manga which Dark Horse Comics finished publishing about three years ago. You can actually find the LW&C manga in your local Borders, assuming you can step over the teenage girls who sprawl in the manga aisle so they can giggle over the romantic manga. And of course, I recommend all versions without reservation. Lone Wolf & Cub in any format is a towering achievement of imagination.