Child soldier

“ The French soldier has a touch of the child in him—if we leave out the Parisians; a child who knows more than you do perhaps; a child who has lived many lives before this life; a wise child, who jumps to your moods and shows you his "sore fingers" readily when he feels that you want to see them. ”

“ When she looked on the manly and graceful soldier bending to her daughter's ear, and saw the pale cheek of the fair girl become red, and the face, lately sad and tearful, now beaming with happiness and content, she thought she had found a fitting protector for her child, and that to him it should be given to love her, comfort her, honour and keep her, in sickness and in health. ”

“ Child soldiers cannot cry out—but we can speak up for them, with clarity, compassion and resolve. That is why we are here today. As part of our commitment, let us also pledge ourselves to address the root causes of child soldiers, which is the absence of basic human rights and fundamental freedoms—a situation all too prevalent in the world today. I look forward to working with you to give these children back their future, and to bring them the hope and opportunity that is every child’s birthright. ”

“ But today, by our presence at this conference, we are telling the world in no uncertain terms that these horrors must end. The compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict is a barbaric practice condemned by the community of civilized nations. No child should have to experience the atrocities that child soldiers must face every day of their lives. ”

“ My dear child, you must show some of the courage of your parent and prove that you are a soldier’s daughter. Your blow is a severe one, but it has fallen upon thousands of others, and they have bravely met it. ”

“ Long after a slain soldier is laid to rest, that young man or woman's mother will remember her loss every day for the rest of her life. When a mother bids farewell to a child in uniform, she begins to serve her count in her own private way, worrying that her child will be in harm's way and that this young man or woman, in whom she has invested so much love and care, may pay the ultimate price on the battlefield. ”

“ Nor are such the greatest marks of tenderness in the soldier: oftentimes has it occurred, that an orphan has been left in a regiment, and the child has either been supported and domiciled with the company to which its father belonged, or a single soldier has undertaken the care of it. ”

“ In the third place, if we know our children's ideals we can make use of these as motive forces in helping us to carry out our larger plans. It is when the boy is in the military stage of his ambitions that we should try to make the virtues of the soldier habitual parts of his character. It is when the girl is ambitious to make a fine garden that we should try to make her fix the habits of orderliness, regularity, and attention to details. Of course, not every girl will want to have a garden, and many a boy never cares to be a soldier ”

“ But they—what are they doing with our little children? Here's a letter from a lady friend—a great musician. "My son-in-law, Lieutenant —— has been defending Verdun since August. He's all right. But when will these barbarians be entirely driven away? Lately my son-in-law had a German soldier who was very badly wounded picked up. When stripping him to give him aid they found a child's hand in his pocket. He was immediately shot."
Don't think it's a single case. The children who are mutilated, assassinated, burned, are counted by hundreds. ”

“ These are just a few of the terrible stories of the world’s 300,000 child soldiers. These young people are forced to fight by government-sponsored armed forces or by other armed groups in more than 30 conflicts around the globe. And we believe these numbers are conservative estimates.
The plight of child soldiers offends the world’s sense of decency and the code of conduct of civilized nations. These children are forced to become soldiers, spies, guards, human shields, human minesweepers, servants, decoys, and sentries. Young girls are forced into prostitution. ”

“ For this reason, parents, or some guardian friends, should carefully examine every volume they put into the hands of young people. In doing this, the disposition and character of the child should be considered. If a bold, ambitious boy is dazzled by the trappings of war, and you do not wish to indulge his disposition to be a soldier, avoid placing in his way fascinating biographies of military heroes; for the same reason do not strengthen a restless, roving tendency by accounts of remarkable voyages and adventures. ”

“ We are fortunate that 9 such courageous young people—former child soldiers—are with us today. These remarkable young people have traveled from all around the globe to present the reality of their experiences as only they can. ”

“ There are so many brave deeds to be done and so many cowardly things to fight, and so much dark to walk through courageously, and so many strange dogs and cats, and shy little girls to protect with all the gallantry of those old, old knights who lived in the story-book days. A soldier boy is never late for school, and he never, never forgets to do an errand. ”

“ Welcomes the initiatives taken by UNICEF and other United Nations entities to gather information on the recruitment and use of child soldiers in violation of applicable international law and on other violations and abuses committed against children in situations of armed conflict and invites the Secretary- General to take due account of these initiatives during the initial phase of implementation of the mechanism referred to in paragraph 3 ”

“ They have ridden long, they have ridden hard, They are travel-stained and battle-scarred; The hard ground shakes with their martial tramp, And coarse is the laugh of the men of the camp. They reach the spot where a mother stands With a baby shaking its little hands, Laughing aloud at the gallant sight Of the mounted soldiers, fresh from the fight. The captain laughs out, "I will give you this, A bright piece of gold, your baby to kiss." "My darling's kisses cannot be sold, But gladly he'll kiss a soldier bold." He lifts up the babe with a manly grace, And covers with kisses its smiling face. ”

“ Plump round-eyed children stand to watch us go down the narrow street, which runs between close rows of wattled, gable-ended stone or plaster cottages. Most of the little girls are minding babies; practically all of the little boys wear black pinafores belted in at their chubby waistlines, with soldier cap—always soldier caps—on their heads, and they love to stiffen to attention and salute the occupants of a military automobile.
There are but few men in sight, and these are old men or else they wear uniforms. ”

“ The boy,—it must have been a nervous impulse, without purpose, without thought, and betokening a sensitive and impressible nature rather than a hardened one,—the boy uplifted his axe and dealt the wounded soldier a fierce and fatal blow upon the head. ”

“ Every morning, at an early hour, a troop of poorly, though neatly clad children, bare-headed and barefooted, aged from three to seven, assembled at the gate, the little ones holding the hands of their elders, or in some cases led by their mothers--wretched, prematurely faded creatures, bowed to the earth with the double burden of work in the fields and child-bearing. ”

“ To the soldier it must continually afford the most pleasing prospects for the comfort and support of his infant children, and it will induce him to serve, if possible, with greater confidence and energy, feeling assured that if he falls in battle his country has provided a home for his helpless children. ”

“ THE BOY SOLDIER IN CAMP. BY RICHARD BARRY.
In every boy's heart—I am sure in every American boy's heart—there lies a love for martial things. The sound of a fife and drum, the sight of a soldier's uniform, stir him and set his blood a-tingling. Does there exist anywhere a boy or a man who has not "played soldier" at some time in his life? No; I judge not in this country.
Everyone who witnessed the Columbian parades in New York remembers the march of the city school-boys. With shoulders and heads erect they kept their well-formed lines ”

“ And the children are devoted to your soldiers. I have a dear little girl in the school, nine years old. Sometimes from the window she sees a man in the street, a soldier who lodges with her mother. Then I cannot hold her. ”

“ I know your son, and I know what makes the soldier; and this twofold knowledge convinces me that your son has not the disposition of a warrior, and that he is too full of his birth to leave the country a hope of his ever rendering it any important service. ”

“ From a boy in such a position is required something far more difficult than personal courage. If we praise the boy soldier for his smile in the face of shells and machine guns, don't let us forget to praise still more the boy officer who, in addition to facing death on [pg 104] his own account, has to bear the responsibility of the lives of a hundred other men. There is many a man of undoubted courage whose nerve would fail to bear that strain. ”

“ April marks the Month of the Military Child, when our Nation pays tribute to the resilience and tenacity of our military children; over 2 million active duty, National Guard, Reserve and children of veterans who did not make the choice to serve, but live each day supporting their brave parents. These young people live out the words of the poet John Milton, “they also serve who only stand and wait.” We see their service and thank them for it.
From a young age, children of service members sometimes endure long separations from their parents and shoulder the burdens of service. ”

“ Once he saw the Kid standing before the sergeant in charge in an attitude of complete exhaustion, and caught a glint of his blue eyes as he looked up appealingly, looking like a child begging out of a spanking. The sight amused him, and he said to himself: “If I had pink cheeks and cupid's bow lips, I might be able to go through life on my blue eyes”; and he pictured the Kid, a fat, cherubic old man, stepping out of a white limousine, the way people do in the movies, and looking about him with those same mild blue eyes. ”

“ Everywhere the story of the boy's heroism had preceded him.
"One day as he lay in his cot, now well on the road to recovery, some officers, guided by an orderly, entered the ward where he lay and halted at his cot. The officer in charge of the party, who proved to be a general, made a little speech to the wounded boy, then pinned the Cross of War on his breast and finished by kissing him on both cheeks.
"Mattia had won his reward, and though he would never fight again, he was a happy boy. He had served his country well and had bled for her and had won an honor that comes to few." ”

“ To be a perfect soldier was the great point, so boys were taught that no merit was greater than bearing pain without complaint; and they carried this so far, that a boy who had brought a young wolf into the hall, hidden under his tunic, let it bite him even to death without a groan or cry. ”

“ The Little Army Little women, little men, Childhood never comes again. Live it gayly while you may; Give your baby souls to play; March to sound of stick and pan, In your paper hats, and tramp just as bravely as you can To your pleasant little camp. Wooden sword and wooden gun Make a battle splendid fun. Fine the victories you win Dimpled cheek and dimpled chin. Little women, little men, Hearts are light when years are ten; Eyes are bright and cheeks are red When life's cares lie all ahead. Drums make merry music when They are leading children out ”

“ A pleasant device to encourage young children to work is to denominate them as “soldiers,” “watchmen,” or “little partners.” The addition of a paper cap or a wooden sword or a policeman’s club will carry many a small youngster through a task which would otherwise seem intolerable. One mother has strengthened her family discipline by assigning each of her children in turn to be “the captain of the day,” giving each in turn special privileges and the responsibility of keeping the other children in order. ”

“ The officers look very stern, and the soldiers themselves seem thoroughly impressed at the importance of their duty, although the boy nature will crop out at times, and there are occasionally ebullitions of sheer good nature and animal spirit which would hardly do in the regular army. Of course each boy intends fully to be a soldier, and if a war should break out it is to be feared that a number of young recruits would insist upon being of service to their country. ”

“ All male children are sent to school, where, by the method of reciprocal education, they are taught to read, write, and cipher, alternately with their military studies. They are taught to recite a kind of catechism, setting forth the duties of the soldier; they learn the use of the sabre; are practised in riding, and, when they have attained the age of seventeen years, are mustered in the headquarters of the regiment, and divided into corps, those who distinguish themselves by attention and diligence being appointed officers. ”

“ Born, many of them, to enlighten the world with new discoveries, to cure the afflicted, to bring joy, they have perished as surely or a cause which they could not understand as have the soldiers in the trenches.
When great nations are falling, and men are being mowed down like grass, in numbers beyond the counting, the lives of little babies can only be held precious by mothers who guard them with their every breath.
The poor little bit of humanity found by the boys would soon have closed its little eyes in the death which had so suddenly overtaken the mother and sister. ”