Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Disgraced airforce captain struggles daily, pining for second chance by Asyraf Malik
Saturday, May 21, 2022
Malaysiakini : "I was heartbroken when I heard the judge read out the charges because I loved my career," he told Malaysiakini in a recent interview.
Because
he was dismissed with disgrace, Joraymi is not officially recognised as
an armed forces veteran and thus ineligible for benefits.
"I have tried to go to the Defence Ministry to try and save whatever rights I could, but it's clear there are none left.
"My life is totally upside down," he said.
Currently
living in a squatter settlement in Gombak, Selangor, Joraymi said this
black mark continues to haunt him wherever he goes.
No benefits
Besides
not getting any veteran benefits, his dismissal with disgrace also left
him without the paperwork to show he had served in the armed forces.
"Every veteran, when they end their service, will be given a passport book to prove they served in the armed forces.
"But
because of how I was terminated, I don't have that. This makes it
really hard to get a job as employers want to see that passport book,"
he said.
He added that those who access the Defence Ministry's
database can find out how he was fired, making them reluctant to give
him a chance.
But it's not just employers shying away from Joraymi. His family and friends have turned their backs on him too.
"To
them, I am a very evil person. Everyone distanced themselves from me.
My family and relatives sidelined me, and my wife asked for a divorce. I
was treated like a criminal.
"Sometimes I wonder, after all I have done for my country, is this how my life will end?" he asked.
Health issues
To make matters worse, Joraymi has health issues. He suffers from heart and kidney disease and requires dialysis treatments.
Healthcare,
unfortunately, is not something he can afford and he is not eligible
for treatment at a military hospital like other officially recognised
veterans.
"I eat just enough to stem my hunger, I can't afford to
go to the hospital for treatment... there are weeks where I have to skip
dialysis," he said.
He said there are members of the public who take pity on him and donate to him, but the kindness doesn't always last.
"Some
people, when they find out I have been dismissed with disgrace, ask for
their money back, as though I am a scammer. But that's okay. I returned
all their money," he said.
One donor, however, was kind enough to donate a peritoneal dialysis machine.
Not waiting for handouts
He is also a zakat recipient, but like many others, it is not enough to make ends meet.
But Joraymi said he is not a lame-duck just waiting for handouts.
Instead,
he said he harvests recyclable trash which he said can earn him around
RM200 a month. He also takes up odd jobs such as cleaning, washing cars,
and working at fruit stalls.
Joraymi now harvests recyclable trash to make ends meet
Joraymi also hopes there will be a light at the end of the tunnel.
He is hoping that the Rise Veterans demonstration in Kuala Lumpur on June 6 - the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's birthday - will have an impact.
Demand for pardon’s board
One
of the rally's demands is for there to be a pardons board specifically
to bring military court cases to the king's attention.
"I really need a royal pardon from His Majesty so that I qualify as a veteran and can get benefits.
"Twenty-four
years have passed (since my dismissal) and I am still being punished.
My wrongs are not so grave, such as selling national assets, being
corrupt, or abusing my subordinates," he said.
The rally's
organiser, Major (R) Mior Rosli Mior Rosdi, said the Federal
Constitution allows the Agong to pardon or lighten sentences meted out
by military courts.
A photo of Joraymi in his early days at RMAF
However, since 1974, there have been no pardons issued to court-martialed service officers.
"Even former communists who betrayed the country get a second chance to live comfortably in our motherland," Mior Rosli said.
He
also cited how Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah
and Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob both pleaded with Singapore to
save Nagaenthran Dharmalingam from the gallows.
