[weasel]

Been reading Marcus Lutrell's book and in it he takes a quote from Bango Patterson's "Man From Snowy River" to describe his beloved friend "Murph".

The poem is about bravery in the face of all odds. I think there is an equally poignant description of his friend and the terrain he died in serving our country further into the poem and it goes like this;

"...When they reached the mountain’s summit, even Clancy took a pull,
It well might make the boldest hold their breath,
The wild hop scrub grew thickly, and the hidden ground was full
Of wombat holes, and any slip was death.
But the man from Snowy River let the pony have his head,
And he swung his stockwhip round and gave a cheer,
And he raced him down the mountain like a torrent down its bed,
While the others stood and watched in very fear.

He sent the flint stones flying, but the pony kept his feet,
He cleared the fallen timber in his stride,
And the man from Snowy River never shifted in his seat —
It was grand to see that mountain horseman ride.
Through the stringy barks and saplings, on the rough and broken ground,
Down the hillside at a racing pace he went;
And he never drew the bridle till he landed safe and sound,
At the bottom of that terrible descent.
..."

"a cheer" in this context is like "hooyah". Defiant to the last. And "stood" is used literally meaning frozen to the spot.

There is another poem used in Australia to remember the fallen and its ingrained in children like the pledge of allegiance is in the USA

"They shall not grow old,
As we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
And in the morning,
We will remember them..."

I will certainly be teaching my children to remember you Lt Murphy and thank you Marcus, for writing the book and making me aware of the story.

RIP Lieutenant and God's strength to your family and friends.