The Paratroopers Prayer

[Chdamn]

For the French, Portuguese and Brazilian Airborne forces

The Prayer of the Paratrooper
(Translation by Robert Petersen)
I'm asking You God, to give me what You have left.
Give me those things which others never ask of You.
I don't ask You for rest, or tranquility.
Not that of the spirit, the body, or the mind.
I don't ask You for wealth, or success, or even health.
All those things are asked of You so much Lord,
that you can't have any left to give.
Give me instead Lord what You have left.
Give me what others don't want.
I want uncertainty and doubt.
I want torment and battle.
And I ask that You give them to me now and forever Lord,
so I can be sure to always have them,
because I won't always have the strength to ask again.
But give me also the courage, the energy,
and the spirit to face them.
I ask You these things Lord,
because I can't ask them of myself.

Corporal Andre Zirnheld 1942



I came across this in a book I was reading and didn't know if it was fake or real so I looked it up. Interesting guy. Took a demotion from being an officer to get into SAS. If you read the link below you will understand that he meant every word. The man longed to be in the fight so much he defected and then demanded a front line position. When that wasn't enough turmoil he took a demotion to corporal.

More on him here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/André_Zirnheld

 

[11B CIB]

I can understand that.

I was in ROTC at Clemson before joining the Army. I missed a year of ROTC (I was a sophomore and finally made up my mind) and to make up the lost ROTC “credits”, I could go to basic training and belong to a Reserve or Guard unit as whatever MOS (the recruiter wanted me to join as whatever had the highest bonus which was 42A, admin, at the time and drill as a cadet with E5 pay until I graduated and commissioned). I spent time walking around Clemson’s military heritage plaza near Bowman field, And they have a statue of a soldier who was previously a student, who walked between these two columns with half of a soldier’s mold in each one, which represent the school minting the civilian into an officer and a soldier. There are also inscriptions, and military medals throughout the plaza and there is information about how the entire senior class of 1917 at Clemson resigned from the school and volunteered to President Wilson en masse to fight the Germans. I knew I couldn’t stay.

I got to the recruiting station and said screw this, the war just kicked off, I’m done with school, forget the bonus, sorry dad (he commissioned into the Army from Clemson), how quick can I ship to basic training as an Infantryman? There’s a war on and I want to be in it!

The rest is history.

Oh, my recruiter admired my change of heart and got me a $5,000 quick ship bonus for leaving as fast as I did. He and I talk weekly to this day

 

[Chdamn]

I can understand that.

I was in ROTC at Clemson before joining the Army. I missed a year of ROTC (I was a sophomore and finally made up my mind) and to make up the lost ROTC “credits”, I could go to basic training and belong to a Reserve or Guard unit as whatever MOS (the recruiter wanted me to join as whatever had the highest bonus which was 42A, admin, at the time and drill as a cadet with E5 pay until I graduated and commissioned).

I got to the recruiting station and said screw this, the war just kicked off, I’m done with school, forget the bonus, sorry dad (he commissioned into the Army from Clemson), how quick can I ship to basic training as an Infantryman? There’s a war on and I want to be in it!

The rest is history.

Oh, my recruiter admired my change of heart and got me a $5,000 quick ship bonus for leaving as fast as I did. He and I talk weekly to this day

I did pretty much the same. Was accepted to the citadel when it kicked off in 91. Said effe it and joined the corps. Unfortunately I was forced to voluntarily change MOS to intel in boot camp. High test scores and the corps had a need.

 

[BatteryOaksBilly]

No higher compliment to a S.C. Father than to have a son at the Citadel.