The sword is pulled from the scabbard, it is
Not put back unless smeared with blood.
I turned by blood to milk to make you grow
Not for myself but for the country
My brave, brilliant soldier son
Leaving home to defend the motherland
That act of merit is enough
To reach Nirvāna in a future birth.
Written by a Buddhist monk... in Sri Lanka as I recall. An essay titled "Monks With Guns: A History of Buddhist Violence" by Michael Jerryson pretty well puts to rest the myth of non-violence associated with that persuasion.
From monks taking up arms and marching in the Russo-Japanese War, or earlier messianic battles in China when they thought killing people would bring them closer to enlightenment (a Ten Stage Process), Buddhists have fought against non-Buddhists, or other Buddhists. Japanese Buddhists fought to cleanse the impure Buddhist lands in China and Korea, Thai and Burmese fought for centuries against each other, each claiming religious authority as Cakravartins to the present Sri Lankan terrorism, Buddhists are on equal footing with Muslims, Christians, atheists and others when the core beliefs are co-opted by State or personal perogatives.
This doesn't negate the true, base teachings of each's philosophy, in my opinion...