April 21, 2004

Kilt Stories

The Maximum Leader informs us that he has been known to wear a kilt,* then links to this story about a Marine who plays the bagpipes.

[1st Sgt. Dwayne] Farr, an African-American from Detroit, was inspired to learn when he saw another player who didn't match the Scotsman stereotype.

'I was at a funeral and I saw a Marine playing the bagpipes, and I thought, this isn't a big, burly, redheaded guy with a ponytail and a big stomach. He's a small Hispanic Marine. I said if he can learn to play the bagpipes, I can learn,' he said, chuckling.

When he is not on the front-line, Farr wears a kilt when playing, and some Marines have been skeptical about a member of one of the toughest fighting forces in the world donning what looks like a skirt.

But Farr is unfazed. . . .

'Kilts are something that fighting men wore many years ago, and we know that the Marines are fighting men. So real men wear kilts. And they are pretty comfortable too,' he said.

This story reminded me of an amusing vignette from the book i'm reading called Intimate Voices from the First World War. Here's the excerpt, written by a twenty-four year old German recruit at the western front shortly after the battle of Ypres Salient. Apparently it was the first time he'd ever seen a Scotsman:
There are lots of Scots amongst all the dead and wounded. Instead of trousers they wear a sort of short, warm skirt that only reaches halfway down their thighs. Well itÂ’s not really a skirt, itÂ’s more of a sort of folded wrap-around thing. It is a strange sight. IÂ’m amazed the boys donÂ’t freeze their bums off, walking around half-naked like that, because they donÂ’t wear any underwear either.

That said, they do have a warm, heavy coat like the other English soldiers. The colour of their uniform is much more suited to the terrain than ours. ItÂ’s a sort of dirty brownish green. Their hats and wrap-around things are the same colour. The English soldier can move much more freely than we can. With their practical clothing and light packs, they can run like hares. This really is an advantage when under fire. But weÂ’re still going to win.

Pretty funny, eh? That was written in 1914. i love the irony of the last line.


* Permalink doesn't seem to work, scroll down to April 16, 2004.

Posted by: annika at 12:30 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 Yesterday I gave a value measured by poetry to a local personnel the evening, really popular TO my poetry the people so-called that I remind her Kerouac early. Sometimes, if I read, you can swallow my hand my adjusted trousers, and far away of little thrust it is difficult to read and press at the same time. If to be read hard and the simultaneous vibration is, I that the slaves receive above with me, mean to say average cock which can be painted to that, there I the poetry want read and during Erscheinenender I her in the face chisel, let my trousers and more chier you then over its face and mésanges completely fall. My Mamma safe it likes, if I am chie before him, but on the other hand him a Muselman, and it knows the safe Muselmanen into merde around rolling and in the opening, which is taken off by merde, bumsen. It is not my Geburtsmamma, I was accepted, after my family members, around which jump at the enclosed participants of the grade of Juniorhigh, mean safe dad to treat these young girls liked, if you know, what I mean. So much sometimes, if I think farting I on the average slaves, and how much a safe I would like on its mésanges in fron my merde he covers moslemischen merdes of Mammas. Here is a poetry for you..., When to us into, which garden merde of love I ice concerning my trousers in the ocean of your eyes And if we can eat you in the bath bumsen That very my cock keeps, Which thinks of your donkey And my Weihnachtsscheisse To explain to me the fact That they are merry and becomes green However, is to you my slave, And I am its foutue machine merde. [Google translated from Engl.-->Fr.-->Engl.-->Germ.-->Fr.-->Engl. for clarity. an.]

Posted by: Isitstinky at April 21, 2004 09:02 AM (urH/g)

2 Kilts, aye. Nothing beats the courage of celt in battle. Why before they had kilts they'd fight naked. Magnificent crazy bastards they are. "many of the warriors were also known to eschew everything and rush headlong and stark-naked into battle. Their courage was legendary and most of them were very tall and sturdy, with wild, bleached-blond hair and enormous mustaches. They usually heightened their daunting appearances with blue woad dye and horned bronze helmets, and then further unnerved the enemy before battle by issuing weird, spine-chilling screams while clanging up a fearsome cadence with their swords against their shields. Working themselves into a terrible fury in this way and certainly disheartening the enemy also, they charged into battle and fought with incredible savagery."

Posted by: Scof at April 21, 2004 09:11 AM (XCqS+)

3 Just so you'll know, and I hope the aforementioned piper was properly attired, there are registered Tartan Setts (the pattern of the plaid) for kilts for the US Marines, Air Force and Navy. Check http://www.scottishclansman.com/finder.html and scroll the pull-down under the district headings. Charlie32

Posted by: charlie32 at April 22, 2004 11:15 AM (5f8b3)

4 great site, thanks Charlie!

Posted by: annika at April 22, 2004 01:25 PM (zAOEU)

5 The feared weapon of the British Black Watch: the Pipes! Nothing makes you look better than wearing scottish garb, kilt, and Pipes (and I'm asian!)!

Posted by: Charles Hammond Jr. at April 22, 2004 03:52 PM (/FXjU)

6 I'm pleased to announce that 1st Sgt Farr is now properly kilted. You can see his photos at: http://www.kiltmen.com/forums/cgi-bin/kiltmen.pl?read=1104

Posted by: Oakdancer at July 15, 2004 04:33 AM (TFaGT)

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