老兵永远不死

“老战士永不死”是英语的口号，完整版是“老兵不死，只是逐漸凋零”。它是由士兵的民俗歌曲《Old Soldiers Never Die》中的一段组成的：老兵永不死永不死，永不死，老兵永不死它们只是消失了。^[1]这首歌本身就是英国陆军对福音歌曲《 Kind Thoughts Can Never Die》的改编。^[2]

道格拉斯·麥克阿瑟將軍在1951年4月19日向美國國會發表的告別演說中使用了這句話（這場演說後來被稱為「老兵永不死」演說）：^[3]

...「但我仍然記得那時最受歡迎的兵營民謠中的一句副歌，驕傲地宣稱『老兵不死，只是逐漸凋零。』
就像那首民謠中的老兵一樣，我現在結束了我的軍旅生涯，靜靜地消失，一位盡職盡責的老兵，因著上帝賜予他光明，看到他的職責。」

参考资料

^ Soldiers’ Songs and Slang of the Great War, collected by Martin Pegler, ISBN 9781472804150, p. 123; an update of John Brophy and Eric Partridge's Songs and Slang of the British Soldier (1930)
^ 1894-1979., Partridge, Eric. A dictionary of catch phrases : British and American, from the sixteenth century to the present day. Beale, Paul. 2nd. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. 1985. ISBN 0203379950. OCLC 57445962.
^ Old Soldiers Never Die speech April 19, 1951

[1] Soldiers’ Songs and Slang of the Great War, collected by Martin Pegler, ISBN 9781472804150, p. 123; an update of John Brophy and Eric Partridge's Songs and Slang of the British Soldier (1930)

[2] 1894-1979., Partridge, Eric. A dictionary of catch phrases : British and American, from the sixteenth century to the present day. Beale, Paul. 2nd. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. 1985. ISBN 0203379950. OCLC 57445962.

[3] Old Soldiers Never Die speech April 19, 1951

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