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，只是逐渐凋零”。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·麦克阿瑟将军在1951年4月19日向美国国会发表的告别演说中使用了这句话（这场演说后来被称为“老兵永不死”演说）：^[3]

...“但我仍然记得那时最受欢迎的兵营民谣中的一句副歌，骄傲地宣称‘老兵不死，只是逐渐凋零。’
就像那首民谣中的老兵一样，我现在结束了我的军旅生涯，静静地消失，一位尽职尽责的老兵，因著上帝赐予他光明，看到他的职责。”

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

[1]

[2]

[3]