Real-world examples of people making quips in face of death?

[Brayne_Ded]

@Elendil_s_Heir

An infantry sergeant during World War II, urging his pinned-down men to keep moving, supposedly said, “Come on, you SOBs! Do you want to live forever?”

Are you sure that that is not a repeat or an incorrect naming of the quote by Frederick the Great at either the battle of Torgau or Liegnitz?

[Johnny_Bravo]

@Brayne_Ded

Are you sure that that is not a repeat or an incorrect naming of the quote by Frederick the Great at either the battle of Torgau or Liegnitz?

It’s attributed to both.

[CalMeacham]

I just read one over the weekend in Ronan Farrow’s book about our current diplomatic crisis, War on Peace. In writing about diplomat Richard Holbrooke’s eventually fatal heart attack (while in the midst of trying to wind up the war in Afghanistan):

When one of his doctors, Jehan El-Bayoumi, made him promise to relax, he quipped, “You have to promise me that you’re going to end the war in Afghanistan.”
…

Variations of the quote received so much coverage that P.J. Crowley, the State Department’s spokesperson, had to take to the podium in the press room and clarify that Holbrooke was joking. But the joke was only that he’d ever ask anybody else to do it.

p. 121

[Sailboat]

At the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, after being ordered to make a suicidal charge, Confederate General Patrick Cleburne argued with his commanding general, John Bell Hood. Unable to persuade Hood to call off the attack, which would involve more men and cost more lives than Pickett’s Charge had at Gettysburg, Cleburne returned to his unit and said:

Well, Govan, if we are to die, let us die like men.

He did in fact die there.

This led to another quote which, although not made in the face of imminent death, is an awesome obituary for a soldier.

William J. Hardee, Cleburne’s former corps commander, had this to say when he learned of his loss: “Where this division defended, no odds broke its line; where it attacked, no numbers resisted its onslaught, save only once; and there is the grave of Cleburne.”

[dorvann]

I would like to clarify one long standing urban legend:

Mel Blanc’s last word were not “That’s all, folks!!”; but it** is** the epitaph on his tombstone.

Also the anecdote about Peter Lorre asking Vincent Price “do you think you we should drive a stake through his heart, just in case?” at Bela Lugosi’s funeral is complete false as well. Neither Lorre or Price attended Lugosi’s funeral.

[carnivorousplant]

@dorvann

Also the anecdote about Peter Lorre asking Vincent Price “do you think you we should drive a stake through his heart, just in case?” at Bela Lugosi’s funeral is complete false as well. Neither Lorre or Price attended Lugosi’s funeral.

That is a shame. I can just hear Peter Lorre, “You-you’ve got to stake him, Vince!”

[Dinsdale]

In the book “We Were Soldiers Once, And Young”, Sergeant Major Plumley is described as one of the toughest conceivable SOBs while under withering fire.

Couple of examples from here :

Joseph Galloway, a civilian photographer … dove for cover and kept his head down as automatic weapons fire zipped past him from every direction. As he was lying there, he felt a sharp kick to the ribs from a steel-toed boot. He looked up to see Basil Plumley, standing tall like Colonel Kilgore, oblivious to danger. Plumley just yelled, “You can’t take no pictures lying on the ground, sonny!”

Later on in the battle Plumley found Galloway and handed him an M-16 and three mags of ammunition. Galloway said he was a photographer – a noncombatant. Plumely told him, “Ain’t no such thing, boy,” and walked away.

…

The unit’s commanding officer, Hal Moore, vividly recalls … that he was standing there with Plumley, looking at the piles of wounded and the untenable position they were in, and he was like, “Jesus Christ, it’s Little Bighorn all over again!”

Plumley just looked at him, no emotion at all, and said, “Custer was a pussy. You ain’t.”

That night, … the order went down the American battle line – fix bayonets. When some of the troops were like, “what the fuck is a bayonet?”, Plumley got pissed. Screaming over the din of mortars and machine guns, Plumley drew his pistol and said something to the effect of “You sons of bitches, take that pointy fucking thing you use to open your c-rations, stick it to the end of your rifle, and follow me!”

Everything I’ve heard about the guy, suggests he was an incredible hardass. Died recently of old age, in his 90s. And an amazing book about an amazing battle.

[mbh]

Sailboat’s post reminds me of Benjamin Guggenheim

Titanic survivor Rose Amelie Icard wrote in a letter, “The billionaire Benjamin Guggenheim after having helped the rescue of women and children got dressed, a rose at his buttonhole, to die.”[6][7][8] The two were seen heading into the Grand Staircase, closing the door behind them. He was heard to remark, “We’ve dressed up in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen.”[2] He also gave Etches, who survived the sinking, a message, which Etches wrote down: “If anything should happen to me, tell my wife in New York that I’ve done my best in doing my duty.”[2] Etches reported that “shortly after the last few boats were lowered and I was ordered by the deck officer to man an oar, I waved good-bye to Mr. Guggenheim, and that was the last I saw of him and [Giglio].”[2] Guggenheim and Giglio were last seen seated in deck chairs in the foyer of the Grand Staircase sipping brandy and smoking cigars, ready to accept their fate without fear or hesitation.[citation needed] Both men went down with the ship. Their bodies, if recovered, were never identified.

[Baker]

That’s in the movie Titanic, isn’t it?

[mbh]

@Baker

That’s in the movie Titanic, isn’t it?

Yes.

'But, we would like a brandy'

[Loach]

@Dinsdale

In the book “We Were Soldiers Once, And Young”, Sergeant Major Plumley is described as one of the toughest conceivable SOBs while under withering fire.

Couple of examples from here :

Everything I’ve heard about the guy, suggests he was an incredible hardass. Died recently of old age, in his 90s. And an amazing book about an amazing battle.

He also went into battle with only a .45 pistol saying By the time he would need a rifle there would be plenty of them laying around.

Unfortunately in recent years some of the claims about his service in others wars have come into question.