NO MANS LAND in Valentine | Armed forces

NO MANS LAND

Locality: Valentine

Address: 6 LINDSAY AVE 2280 Valentine, NSW, Australia

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21.01.2022 DOING IT HARD If you're doing it hard Then be a real hero Think of your mates... Don't become a zero. Your mates may be diggers Or your kids in all sizes Reflect on your life. Truth often surprises. We just have a short time To live on this Earth. Prove you're a man. Show them your worth. Stand up to your problems. Don't fail your kids. There are so many others That recently did. There is joy still in living. Death is always unkind. Your pain may be over. It just hurts those left behind! Bill Charlton c 2019

20.01.2022 I'M BROKE! I'M ALWAYS BROKE! I'LL DIE BROKE! But when I wake up in the morning I don't care that I am broke.... You don't need to be rich, When you're an ordinary bloke. You're quite happy with what you've got Even though it isn't much. If you've never, ever had it. Then wealth is just another crutch. Some people have a yacht, Big cars and aeroplanes. But we who do not have these things. Get by just the same. People worry about their money, Their shares and all their wealth. I don't have these luxuries So they have to worry by themselves. Enjoy the beauty of the world. The sunsets and the flowers, the kids upon the beach. Your wealth is what surrounds you, Not somewhere out of reach. When you wake in the morning. Just be thankful you're alive. Money is not quite everything, Even if it's needed to survive! Bill Charlton c 2019

19.01.2022 A FIGHT TO THE END Life is like guerilla warfare Sometimes it may seem too hard. But we have to find the strength... To go and find that extra yard. If you lie down you're loser. Live to fight another day. Stand your ground and be a winner. There should not be another way. Sure there'll be some fight against you. Always meet them with a grin. This is your life, this is your time. Never let the bastards win. You'll have your good days mixed with bad. This is just the way it is. Tomorrow's sun will shine upon you. Prove you have much more to give. Soldiers don't surrender meekly. Many suffer until they mend. That's what makes our diggers special, For they will fight right to the end! Bill Charlton c 2019

16.01.2022 A DIGGER'S LITTLE GIRL Doesn't she look beautiful? She's also sweet and very smart, As she wears her Daddy's slouch hat,... With a smile that melts your heart. This is Riliee Garforth. A little girl who's only seven. In 2014 her Father left her. Took his leave and went to Heaven. Daniel had psychological problems. Which so many others suffer. But his pleas were disregarded, By the rank and many others. Singled out and ridiculed, Betrayed and quite forgotten. Young Daniel felt he was a burden And that he had no other option. If he'd only had the right support. Someone to lend an ear. Little Riliee would be holding her Daddy. For Daniel would still be here. Every soldier should have easy access To a third party where he can lodge a complaint. A system that bypasses superiors. Where there are no delays or restraint. The onus would be on this third party To see that all requirements are met. Without prejudice and with great haste To save many diggers and Vets. One little Riliee is too many! Every man should be there for his child. Life is too precious to be thrown away, When these problems can be reconciled. Bill Charlton c 2019 Riliee wearing Daddy's slouch hat and father Daniel Garforth (Photo courtesy Daily Telegraph).

16.01.2022 OUT IN NO-MAN'S-LAND There are soldiers out in no-man's-land Too proud to ask for a helping hand The war goes on inside their heads... And it will continue till they are dead. Some sleep there out on the street Finding daily obligations too hard to meet. Many sleep in hostels for homeless men. On returning they were never the same again. They all are still in a no-man's-land, And more than ever they need a hand The war may have finished years ago. But being never stood down they won't ever know. For in the night the rifles still crack And they look for a mate to watch their back In their wounded minds the cannons still roar Way back somewhere on that foreign shore. Trusting no-one their friends are few. But roughing it is not anything new. They are used to sleeping out in the cold Out on their own and far from the fold. These wars may be done and dusted now But these men served during their finest hours Don't we owe them something for service rendered, In those times when this country they defended? These men are soldiers who were wounded in war Out in no-man's-land where their prospects are poor. What is needed is more daring and initiative to be shown By the mates who have left them out there on their own. Bill Charlton c 2017

16.01.2022 NOT MY STYLE I don't like to admit it but I was let down By a few diggers still roaming around. They forced me into No Mans Land.... And would not even give me a hand. Their names of course I will always conceal As they were mates, names will not be revealed. That's because mate-ship means more to me. And I'm bigger than these blokes will ever be. To say that it hurt is an understatement. For years it has festered without abatement. It cost a career and almost my life And years of constantly being in strife. Whilst they of course excelled in their time. Continuing as soldiers in the line. With scant regard and not lifting a hand To save a mate out in No Mans Land. All's not forgiven and one day they'll pay For the 'save themselves stance' they displayed that day. There'll be a reckoning that's only fair! For turning their backs and leaving me there. Don't ever leave a mate in No Mans Land. He'll always remember the names at hand. And they'll always worry they will be exposed. But that's not my style and that's just how it goes! Bill Charlton c 2019

14.01.2022 IN HINDSIGHT Like any old veteran I recount the stories Of our men at arms in their hour of glory. I watch anxiously as they fight in the mud... Staining uniforms with their own blood. And I marvel at times at the initiative shown By boys in their teens who are not yet full-grown. I admire their courage as they fight the good fight For what they thought decent for what they thought right. I recoil at the idea of putting young boys in danger In some foreign country in which they are strangers. With no previous experience at all in a fire support base Tied like lambs to a post with a tiger to face. And in the rubber out there in Long Tan Our diggers fought hard and were brave to a man. Despite their rawness they all proved their worth. Upholding the traditions from the land of their birth. So many soldiers lost their lives to mines. This was the apocalyptic scourge of the times. Deaths from accidents and so-called friendly fire Outnumbered anything to which the enemy could aspire. I have sat here for years contemplating each death Agonising with them as they took their last breath Knowing their loss could have been avoided If only the right safeguards had been deployed. In hindsight I can see too many young lives wasted. Uncertain at times what really faced them. Against seasoned troops they were inexperienced and raw It was only sheer guts that saw them come to the fore. As a regular soldier I saw the the conscript as brave No-one could imagine the commitment each gave. Extraordinary men with an extraordinary will. I admired them then I admire them still! And I feel for the immigrant families as well. We took their young lads and sent them to hell. It was never their fight but they answered the call. For their family's free passage they gave their all. So many lives wasted and we now count the cost Of the families who sadly suffered a loss. The war left a generation shattered and torn With a legacy for children who have not yet been born! Bill Charlton c 2019

12.01.2022 IN NO-MAN’S-LAND There’s no place worse than No-Mans-Land Nowhere to turn or make a stand. No-one to help you or offer a hand.... You have to be caught there to understand. Separated from your brothers with nowhere to hide Holding back tears from the pain inside. Too proud and too tough to seek aid from someone. So conscious now of the wreck you’ve become. The days are long, but the nights are longer, With no-one to talk to the fear grows stronger Not fear of the unknown, but some sixth sense Of a looming danger and its full consequence. Any cry for help will surely fall on deaf ears. This is another outcome the prodigal fears. Best to sit real tight and drown your sorrows. Let the world go by and wait till tomorrow. There’s no place more lonely than No-Mans-Land Those who have been there will understand. No-one to talk to and nowhere to hide And no way of hiding the fear inside! Bill Charlton c 2019

09.01.2022 THE NO MANS LAND PAGE WAS SPECIFICALLY OPENED FOR THE PURPOSE OF HELPING VETERANS AND CURRENTLY SERVING PERSONNEL GAIN ACCESS TO WHATEVER HELP THEY REQUIRE TO S...EE THAT THEIR NEEDS ARE ATTENDED TO IMMEDIATELY. IF I CANNOT HELP THEM PERSONALLY I WILL ENSURE THAT THEIR PROBLEMS ARE PASSED ONTO THE APPROPRIATE GROUPS AND AUTHORITIES WILL BE MADE AWARE OF THEIR GRIEVANCES. THIS WILL STOP THE BUCK-PASSING AND ENSURE THAT PEOPLE ARE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY FAILURE OF DUTY. IF YOU ARE THE FAMILY OR FRIEND OF A VETERAN OR SOMEONE FACING DIFFICULTIES PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT ANY TIME. COMING BACK FROM NO MANS LAND Down through the years I've witnessed The death of many soldiers. To me their loss is personal, And will increase as I get older. For each of them is my family. Our bond the oath we swore. This was made more meaningful When we went to war. But this sense of duty never left me. I feel for those who serve today. We walk the same walk, talk the same talk As if I've never been away. When I hear someone's in trouble, And has a load to bear. I can offer a hand in friendship, To let them know that somebody cares. Sometimes our path is uncertain And we end up in No Mans Land Where no-one seems willing to help us. Nor do they understand. Well I have been there, and done that, as they say. I can tell you the right way to go. Whatever it is, nothing is ever too hard. Take it from someone who knows! Bill Charlton c 2019

08.01.2022 GOOD PRACTICE Kicking and screaming I entered this world. Must have known what lay ahead. The hardship, the cold, the days without food.... Times that I wished I was dead. Maybe foresaw that South Viet Nam Would be the undoing of me Those days of strife with a gun and a knife Destroyed my philosophy. Always thought war was an adventure Where soldiers joined to fight. Man upon man, they'd compete hand to hand For their country and making things right. But I forgot about the killing and dying. The heartache of losing your friends. It seemed such a waste of precious young lives In a nightmare that never ends. Of course there have been times I've been on top of the world. Seeing my children at play. Then you're brought back to earth by that familiar death curse As another loved one is taken away. So when it's my time I'll politely decline To kick and to scream or to yell. For where I am going, I have no way of knowing. But I've had practice at living in hell! Bill Charlton c 2019

07.01.2022 I seem to be on a guilt trip! SINNER OR GRINNER? I'll leave no Secrets when I die.... Spare shaking heads and asking 'why?' If you can't take me as I am Then really I don't give a damn! If I have killed it was in war. My conscience clear upon that score. Of other sins I may be blamed But all of these are rather tame. I know I've lied - but so have you. Even stole a quid or two. Of cardinal sins my sheet is clear, But before you start to cheer My sins are not listening when I should Sometimes my heart was made of wood. Not helping someone there in need. Turning my back whilst others bleed. I should have loved more than I did Emotions felt were always hidden. Should have had much more to say. Regret it now up to this day. On a score of one to ten. I know I failed the test again. The best I managed was a four. Not good enough for heaven's door. If I had it over would I be a saint? Not really, for a saint I ain't. I do acknowledge I have sinned But mostly did it with a grin! Bill Charlton c 2019

04.01.2022 WHEN I WASN'T AWOL.... I've been Confined to Barracks. Did a spell at MCE. Graced the dungeon at Vic Barracks.... Been around a bit you see! A fortnight on Field Punishment When in South Viet Nam Only went to show that, I was always in a jam. So many times I toed the carpet. Severely Reprimanded at one time. Even lost my two stripes, Sometime further down the line. Wouldn't change a thing at all. It was just a learning curve. But it didn't teach me much it seems. Though felt honoured to have served. Met some good blokes. Struck some bastards. Got locked up, When I was plastered. Now I'm on the straight and narrow. No chance of any incarceration. Left all that stuff behind me. When I was there for the nation. Bill Charlton c 2019