The Patriot Files Forums  

Go Back   The Patriot Files Forums > Conflict posts > Vietnam

Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 06-14-2021, 10:57 AM
Boats's Avatar
Boats Boats is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sauk Village, IL
Posts: 21,784
Exclamation The tragic story behind a moving song from ‘we were soldiers’ and ‘end of watch’

THE TRAGIC STORY BEHIND A MOVING SONG FROM ‘WE WERE SOLDIERS’ AND ‘END OF WATCH’
By: Mac Caltrider - Coffeeordie News - 06-14-21
Re: https://coffeeordie.com/sgt-mackenzie-song/

WARNING Note: These video's could bring back some buried emotions of such encounter's (don't watch it if you don't want to relive it)?

Photo link: https://coffeeordie.com/wp-content/u...000w_q95-4.jpg
The bagpipes of ‘Sgt. MacKenzie’ have been used in ‘We Were Soldiers’ and ‘End of Watch.’ Photo by Elizabeth Fraser, courtesy of DVIDS.

Crickets fade into the low drone of a bagpipe as the men of the 1st Air Cavalry Division nervously peer through the tall grass of Vietnam’s central highlands. The order comes to fix bayonets, and as the soldiers on screen prepare for deadly close-quarters combat, the haunting tune of “Sgt. MacKenzie” overtakes the sounds of the soldiers moving to contact.

The memorable song from We Were Soldiers’ climactic battle was used again to similar effect in 2012’s End of Watch. Following the film’s finale, the familiar drone of bagpipes leads audiences to an emotional conclusion.

As the color guard prepares and a seemingly endless procession of patrol cars makes its way to a funeral, the song overpowers the actions on screen. And while “Sgt. MacKenzie” moves audiences with its beautiful bagpipes and touching lyrics, the true story behind its origin is a tragic historical footnote.

2nd photo link: https://coffeeordie.com/wp-content/u...0w_q95-3-1.jpg
A UH-1D Iroquois helicopter climbs skyward after inserting soldiers near Ia Drang. Photo by Katie Lang, courtesy of DVIDS.

The song’s namesake, Sgt. Charles Stuart MacKenzie, served with the Seaforth Highlanders — a Scottish regiment of the British Army — during World War I. He was reportedly wounded and briefly sent back to Scotland to recover. While recuperating, he was asked what killing Germans was like, to which he responded, “What a waste of a fine body of men.”

Sgt. MacKenzie soon returned to his unit, and in 1917, the Seaforth Highlanders were engaged in the Battle of Arras: the same battle Siegfried Sassoon famously referenced in “The General.” There, Sgt. MacKenzie chose to remain by the side of a wounded comrade rather than leave him to the advancing Germans. According to his great-grandson, Joseph Kilna MacKenzie, Sgt. MacKenzie was then bayoneted to death in the ensuing struggle.

The nature of his great-grandfather’s death touched Joseph MacKenzie, spurring him to eventually write the moving melody. Joseph MacKenzie was the founding member of the percussion band Clann An Drumma and first sang the tribute on their 2000 album, Tried & True.

Knowing the fate of the real Sgt. MacKenzie makes the song’s lyrics all the more meaningful.

Lay me down in the cold cold ground / Where before many more have gone / When they come / I will stand my ground / Stand my ground, I’ll not be afraid / Thoughts of home take away my fear / Sweat and blood hide my veil of tears / Once a year say a prayer for me / Close your eyes and remember me / Never more shall I see the sun / For I fell to a German’s gun.

1st Video link: https://youtu.be/WIAjoTes_lQ (Tough to hear again - Boats)

When the song caught the ear of Randall Wallace — the writer behind Braveheart and We Were Soldiers — he convinced MacKenzie to rerecord the song for his Vietnam war film, this time with the addition of a full orchestra and backup vocals from West Point’s choir. The result is the hauntingly beautiful ode we’ve all heard on the big screen.

“The response to ‘Sgt MacKenzie’ has been overwhelming. […] It’s very humbling to hear stories of how the song has moved, touched and inspired people all over the world,” Joseph MacKenzie stated following the release of We Were Soldiers.

2nd Video link: Listen: The Sounds That Make ‘Saving Private Ryan’ a Masterpiece
Though Joseph Kilna MacKenzie died in 2009 and never got to see his song used in another film, the impact of his touching tribute to his great-grandfather has evolved from an ode to the fallen of World War I to an homage to all those who sacrifice in service to others.
-
https://youtu.be/X-bogN0V8RM
Re: https://coffeeordie.com/sounds-of-saving-private-ryan/

The 20 minutes of unrelenting noise is graciously broken up twice. First, as men stumble through the surf to get ashore, the camera bobs underneath the water, creating an eerie silence that’s immediately shattered when the camera reemerges. The second time occurs when Capt. John Miller — played by Tom Hanks — experiences a moment of shock. When he finally crawls out of the water onto Omaha Beach, his senses are momentarily overwhelmed, and his hearing is diminished.

To create the effect for the audience, Rydstrom recorded ocean sounds, then recorded the playback with a microphone placed at the end of a long tube. The result is a clever way of giving the audience a taste of what Miller is experiencing. The technique is so effective that the filmmakers use it a second time during the movie’s climactic battle.

Another; Ranger Who Landed at Normandy and Inspired Generations Dies Before D-Day Anniversary
Video link: https://youtu.be/Gx_ta6C7nTs

About this writer: Mac Caltrider is a staff writer for Coffee or Die Magazine. He served in the US Marine Corps and is a former police officer. Caltrider earned his bachelor’s degree in history and now reads anything he can get his hands on. He is also the creator of Pipes & Pages, a site intended to increase readership among enlisted troops. Caltrider spends most of his time reading, writing, and waging a one-man war against premature hair loss.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Personal note: Maybe a movie but the reality is there - and the cost of lives is tremendous
- put yourself into one of those conditions or the landing crafts and running across a large
open beach to cover. It's gut's and the will to live or die for a purpose not of your doing!
Costly it is to be an American Soldier. God be with them always - Amen.
NEVER FORGET -
-
Boats
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 12:53 AM.


Powered by vBulletin, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.