There are pre-game speeches, and then there are pre-game speeches.
Patton's address to the troops at (shucks... was it Bastogne? I think it was...) was magnificent.
Ike's note to the troops about to hit the beaches on D-Day.
But damn... the couple of places the LOTR that are guaranteed to make me tear up are the part where Theoden runs down the line of horsemen slapping his sword on the line of pikes. "Ride! Ride now! Ride for ruin! And a red dawn!!!" I'm pretty much gone at that point.
But nothing makes me wanna grab a sword and swing as much as Aragorn's "I have seen in you a fear that would take the very heart of me. There may come a day when the strength of men fails, but IT IS NOT THIS DAY." [snif] but by the time he gets to the "I bid you stand! Men of the West!" by then i'm already long gone.... :-)
It's a Man thing.
Just like I fret everytime I hear Merry say "There won't BE a Shire, Pippin." and choke up when Frodo says "I'm glad you're with me". That, my friend, it is Hobbit thing. ;-D
My Dad was with the IV infantry division in 1944, went ahore on D-Day at Utah, before the first wave, with a radio I think...then the Hedgerows, the liberation of Paris, Hurtgen Forest, finally the Bulge, where the IV(th) was attached to Patton. Later, right into Germany. The IV division had over 200% casualties by then, in less than 2 years. At that point, they were slated for the Pacific, but luckily the Japanese surrendered first.
Wish he was still around, would be interested in hearing his opinion of Mr Kerry's soldiering, don't think it would be flattering.
Yeah, I like those parts of ROTK, too.
DEATH!!! DEATH!!! DEATH!!!
*sniff*... just beautiful...
That one gets me every time, too. Aragorn's is good, but Theoden's still sends a shiver down my spine every time I view it.
You old softy!