Show frederick the great knew how to rebuke a grumbling officer eric it t is a story they tell of frederick ic the great how at one of his levees toward the end of his reign an old field officer came up and prayed a word with his majesty why not says frederick who loved his soldiers step over to the window with me good herr heri oberst you were saying majesty says the oberst 1 I have spent ny my life I 1 in n your service my hair has grown gray following your standard my health is broken my old body is covered with wounds from your campaigns and your battles and majesty all these hard years all this toil all these battles and marches count as nothing when I 1 see younkers promoted over my head chil dren who were cadets cabets when I 1 led a company in in your grenadiers grena diers look at so and so look at that one lieutenant generals and 1 I am still a major majesty I 1 grow to the end of my mortal term for all my years of service if for nothing else grant me promotion the prussian king took his arm and pointed to the window where a picket line 0 of f artillery mules munched their straw major you see those mules you see the old flea bitten mule at this end they have made many campaigns the old one this way has made 20 campaigns but my good herr oberst they are still mules john W thomason jr in american mercury |