Bounty Hunter's blog: "Quotes about the U.S. Marine Corps"

"Artillerymen believe the world consist of two types of people; other Artillerymen and targets." - Unknown "There is NO job in the Field Artillery for the weak, the timid or the indecisive." - Unknown "Artillery adds dignity, to what would otherwise be an ugly brawl" - Frederick the Great, king of Germany, 1740 to 1786 "Gunners will always fight together, drink together, laugh together, and morn together." - Unknown A Toast to the Guns By them we live, For them we would die. Whatever the Mission, We'll give it a try. We'll serve them with Honor For they are the ones; That make us Artillerymen, So here's to the Guns: TO THE GUNS!! - Unknown "You can't describe the moral lift, when in the fight your spirits weary hears above the hostile fire, Your own artillery. Shells score the air like wavy hair from a forward battery. As regimental cannon crack While from positions further back, in bitter sweet song overhead crashing discordantly Division's pounding joins the attack; Mother like she belches shell; Glorious it flies, and well, As, with a hissing screaming squall, A roaring furnace, giving all, she sears a path for the infantry...." - Aleksandr Tvardovskiy, from the poem "Vasily Tyorkin" 1943 "St Barbara of the Artillery Corp, Be at the bursting of the doors of doom, And in the dark deliver us, Amen." Irish field Artillery poem Cannon to the right of them, Cannon to the left of them, Cannon in front of them, Volley'ed and thundered. The Charge of the Light Brigade Ultima ratio regum. (The final argument of kings) - Inscription on french cannons, on order of Louis XIV "The artillery was my strongest tool. Often it was my only reserve .... I repeatedly said it was more a matter of the infantry supporting the artillery than the artillery supporting the infantry.... I wish I knew the countless times that positions were taken or held due solely to TOT's ...." Major General R. 0. Barton Commanding US 4th Infantry Division World War II (Reminiscing with his division artillery commander) CANNON, n. An instrument employed in the rectification of national boundaries. - Ambrose Bierce "The thanks of the infantry, in my opinion, must be treasured more by every artilleryman than all decorations and citations. " - Colonel Georg Bruchmuller, Imperial German Army Artillery Officer and Father of Modern Fire Support "If you don't have enough artillery, quit." -General Richard Cavasos The speed, accuracy and devastating power of American Artillery won confidence and admiration from the troops it supported and inspired fear and respect in their enemy. Gen Dwight D. Eisenhower Do not forget your dogs of war, your big guns, which are the most-to- be respected arguments of the rights of kings. Frederick the Great Artillery conquers and infantry occupies. J.F.C. Fuller Guns will make us powerful, butter will only make us fat. Hermann Goering "Too much praise cannot be bestowed on those who managed my artillery" - General Andrew Jackson after the Battle of New Orleans, 1815 "The Guns, Thank God, The Guns. . . - Rudyard Kipling No one accuses the gunner of maudlin affection for anything except his beasts and his weapons. He serves as least three jealous gods--his horse and all its sadlery and harness; his gun, whose least detail of efficiency is more important than men's lives; and, when these have been attended to, the never-ending mystery of his art commands him. -Rudyard Kipling In many situations that seemed desperate, the artillery has been a most vital factor. Gen Douglas MacArthur "Artillerymen have a love for their guns which is perhaps stronger than the feeling of any soldier for his weapon or any part of his equipment." Brigadier General S. L. A. Marshall The harder the fighting and the longer the war, the more the infantry, and in fact all the arms, lean on the gunners. Field Marshal Montgomery The first shot is for the Devil, the second for God, and only the third for the King." Napoleon Bonaparte Nothing is more destructive than the charge of artillery on a crowd. Napoleon Bonaparte The best generals are those who have served in the artillery. Napoleon Bonaparte God fights on the side with the best artillery. Napoleon Bonaparte With Artillery, War is made. Napoleon Bonaparte "Leave the Artillerymen alone, they are an obstinate lot. . ." Napoleon Bonaparte I do not have to tell you who won the war. You know, the artillery did. Gen George S. Patton The World War demonstrated the importance of Field Artillery. The majority of casualties were inflicted by the arm. Gen John J. Pershing "Where a goat can go, a man can go, where a man can go, he can drag a gun" - COL William Phillips 1777 "Our artillery . . . The Germans feared it almost more than anything we had." - Ernie Pyle "Brave Men", 1944 "If, -after the battle is over, your infantry don't like you, you are a poor artilleryman." Captain Henry Reilly The Field Artillery Journal, September-October 1940 A battery of field artillery is worth a thousand muskets. - General William Tecumseh Sherman "There is no other arm of the service whose efficiency is so directly dependent upon its officers as is the field artillery." Major General William J. Snow Letter in "The Shrapnel-1924" The Field Artillery School 1 March 1924 Artillery is the god of war. Stalin The work for giants...to serve well the guns! Walt Whitman Renown awaits the commander who first restores artillery to its prime importance on the battlefield. Winston Churchill

"Battles are sometimes won by generals; wars are nearly always won by sergeants and privates." -F.E. Adcock, British classical scholar The purpose of all war is peace. - Saint Augustine, 354-430 "To have good soldiers, a nation must always be at war." - Napoleon Bonaparte "Laws are inoperative in war" - Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.): Pro Milone. "War is the continuation of policy(politics) by other means." - Karl von Clausewitz Or "It is clear that war is not a mere act of policy but a true political instrument, a continuation of political activity by other means" This is from a translated version of "On War" from 1976 "War is much too serious a matter to be entrusted to the military." - Georges Clemenceau "I don't know whether war is an interlude during peace, or peace is an interlude during war." - Georges Clemenceau "I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity." -General Dwight D. Eisenhower "War is delightful to those who have had no experience of it. " - Desiderius Erasmus, Dutch humanist, ca. 1466–1536 "The most disadvantageous peace is better than the most just war" - Desiderius Erasmus "The God of War hates those who hesitate." - Euripides, 480-406 b.c. Greek tragic dramatist "The essence of war is violence. Moderation in war is imbecility" -British Sea Lord John Fisher "It is war that shapes peace, and armament that shapes war." - Thomas Fuller "He who stays on the defensive does not make war, he endures it" - Field Marshal Colmar Baron von der Goltz, 1883 "If men make war in slavish obedience to rules, they will fail." - Ulysses S. Grant "War is the mother of everything." -Heraclitus, Greek philosopher (535-475BC) "In peace sons bury fathers, but war violates the order of nature, and fathers bury sons." -Heroditus, greek historian c. 484-425 B.C. "In war, only the simple succeeds." -Field Marshal Paul Von Hindenburg "It is well that war is so terrible, else we should grow too fond of it." - General Robert E. Lee "War is an art and as such is not susceptible of explanation by fixed formula" - General George Patton Jr Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. - General George Patton Jr "Si vis pacem, para bellum" ("If you want peace, prepare for war!") - Flavius Vegetius Renatus (ca 390 AD), Roman military strategist From "Epitoma rei militaris" (a summary of military matters) "Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the dogs of War." - William Shakespeare ("Julius Caesar") War is cruelty. There's no use trying to reform it, the crueler it is the sooner it will be over. -William Tecumseh Sherman So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak. -Sun Tzu, "The Art of War" "The art of war is, in the last result, the art of keeping one’s freedom of action" - Xenophon, Greek historian (c. 430-355 BC)

"There is nothing inevitable about military victory, even for forces of apparently overwhelming strength. The Greeks at Marathon, Alexander against the Persian Empire, the success of the colonists against the British in the American Revolution, Napoleon over the Austrians in Italy... all offer dramatic evidence to the contrary. In the absence of inspired military leadership... the more powerful side wears down the weaker." - Bevin Alexander "Never forget that no military leader has ever become great without audacity. If the leader is filled with high ambition and if he pursues his aims with audacity and strength of will, he will reach them in spite of all obstacles." - Karl von Clausewitz If the leader is filled with high ambition and if he pursues his aims with audacity and strength of will, he will reach them in spite of all obstacles. - Karl von Clausewitz "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it." -General Dwight D. Eisenhower "You don't lead by hitting people over the head-that's assault, not leadership." -General Dwight D. Eisenhower "There is no type of human endeavor where it is so important that the leader understands all phases of his job as that of the profession of arms." - Major General James Fry "To be a leader means to be able to move masses" - Adolf Hitler "The leader of genius must have the ability to make different opponents appear as if they belonged to one category." - Adolf Hitler "Struggle is the father of all things, virtue lies in blood, leadership is primary and decisive" - Adolf Hitler "How fortunate for leaders that men do not think." - Adolf Hitler I must follow them. I am their leader. - Andrew Bonar Law, 1858-1923 "I have to follow them. I am their leader." -Alexandre-Auguste Ledru-Rollin, Leader of the French Revolution of 1848 "The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on." - Walter Lippmann, 1889-1974 "Reason and calm judgment, the qualities specially belonging to a leader." - Tacitus, 55-177 "A leader is a man who had the ability to get other people to do what they don't want to do, and like it." - Harry Truman "You must love soldiers in order to understand them, and understand them in order to lead them." -Henri Turenne No leader should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no leader should fight a battle simply out of pique. But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life. Hence the enlightened leader is heedful, and the good leader full of caution. -Sun Tzu "A leader is a man who can adapt principles to circumstances." - General George S. Patton "Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way." - General George Patton

There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion. Gen. William Thornson, U.S. Army Freedom is not free, but the U.S. Marine Corps will pay most of your share. Ned Dolan We signed up knowing the risk. Those innocent people in New York didn't go to work thinking there was any kind of risk. Pvt. Mike Armendariz-Clark, USMC; Afghanastan, 20 September 2001 As reported on page 1 of the New York Times The safest place in Korea was right behind a platoon of Marines. Lord, how they could fight! MGen. Frank E. Lowe, USA; Korea, 26 January 1952 Marines know how to use their bayonets. Army bayonets may as well be paper-weights. Navy Times; November 1994 Why in hell can't the Army do it if the Marines can. They are the same kind of men; why can't they be like Marines. Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, USA; 12 February 1918 The United States Marine Corps, with its fiercely proud tradition of excellence in combat, its hallowed rituals, and its unbending code of honor, is part of the fabric of American myth. Thomas E. Ricks; Making the Corps, 1997 The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next five hundred years. James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy; 23 February 1945 (the flag-raising on Iwo Jima had been immortalized in a photograph by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal) I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front, and there is not a finer fighting organization in the world! General of the Armies Douglas MacArthur; Korea, 21 September 1950 We have two companies of Marines running rampant all over the northern half of this island, and three Army regiments pinned down in the southwestern corner, doing nothing. What the hell is going on? Gen. John W. Vessey Jr., USA, Chairman of the the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the assault on Grenada, 1983 The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps! Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States, 1945 Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem. Ronald Reagan, President of the United States; 1985 Marines I see as two breeds, Rottweilers or Dobermans, because Marines come in two varieties, big and mean, or skinny and mean. They're aggressive on the attack and tenacious on defense. They've got really short hair and they always go for the throat. RAdm. "Jay" R. Stark, USN; 10 November 1995 They told (us) to open up the Embassy, or "we'll blow you away." And then they looked up and saw the Marines on the roof with these really big guns, and they said in Somali, "Igaralli ahow," which means "Excuse me, I didn't mean it, my mistake". Karen Aquilar, in the U.S. Embassy; Mogadishu, Somalia, 1991 For over 221 years our Corps has done two things for this great Nation. We make Marines, and we win battles. Gen. Charles C. Krulak, USMC (CMC); 5 May 1997 Come on, you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever? GySgt. Daniel J. "Dan" Daly, USMC near Lucy-`le-Bocage as he led the 5th Marines' attack into Belleau Wood, 6 June 1918 Gone to Florida to fight the Indians. Will be back when the war is over. Colonel Commandant Archibald Henderson, USMC in a note pinned to his office door, 1836 Don't you forget that you're First Marines! Not all the communists in Hell can overrun you! Col. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, USMC rallying his First Marine Regiment near Chosin Reservoir, Korea, December 1950 Marines die, that's what we're here for. But the Marine Corps lives forever. And that means YOU live forever. GySgt. Hartman, USMC; portrayed by GySgt. R. Lee Ermey, a Marine Corps Drill Instructor using his own choice of words in Full Metal Jacket, 1987 You'll never get a Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me! Capt. Henry P. Crowe, USMC; Guadalcanal, 13 January 1943 We are United States Marines, and for two and a quarter centuries we have defined the standards of courage, esprit, and military prowess. Gen. James L. Jones, USMC (CMC); 10 November 2000 There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion. Gen. William Thornson, U.S. Army Freedom is not free, but the U.S. Marine Corps will pay most of your share. Ned Dolan I love the Corps for those intangible possessions that cannot be issued: pride, honor, integrity, and being able to carry on the traditions for generations of warriors past. Cpl. Jeff Sornig, USMC; in Navy Times, November 1994 I have only two men out of my company and 20 out of some other company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold. 1stLt. Clifton B. Cates, USMC in Belleau Wood, 19 July 1918 Courage is endurance for one moment more… Unknown Marine Second Lieutenant in Vietnam My only answer as to why the Marines get the toughest jobs is because the average Leatherneck is a much better fighter. He has far more guts, courage, and better officers... These boys out here have a pride in the Marine Corps and will fight to the end no matter what the cost. 2nd Lt. Richard C. Kennard, Peleliu, World War II A Marine should be sworn to the patient endurance of hardships, like the ancient knights; and it is not the least of these necessary hardships to have to serve with sailors. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery Lying offshore, ready to act, the presence of ships and Marines sometimes means much more than just having air power or ship's fire, when it comes to deterring a crisis. And the ships and Marines may not have to do anything but lie offshore. It is hard to lie offshore with a C-141 or C-130 full of airborne troops. Gen. Colin Powell, U. S. Army Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff During Operation Desert Storm This was the first time that the Marines of the two nations had fought side by side since the defence of the Peking Legations in 1900. Let it be said that the admiration of all ranks of 41 Commando for their brothers in arms was and is unbounded. They fought like tigers and their morale and esprit de corps is second to none. Lt Col. D.B. Drysdale, Commanding 41 Commando, Chosen Reservoir, on the 1st Marine Division Division The wonderful love of a beautiful maid, The love of a staunch true man, The love of a baby, unafraid, Have existed since time began. But the greatest of loves, The quintessence of loves. even greater than that of a mother, Is the tender, passionate, infinite love, of one drunken Marine for another. "Semper Fidelis" General Louis H. Wilson Commandant of the Marine Corps Toast given at 203rd Marine Corps Birthday Ball Camp Lejueune, N.C. 1978 You cannot exaggerate about the Marines. They are convinced to the point of arrogance, that they are the most ferocious fighters on earth- and the amusing thing about it is that they are. Father Kevin Keaney 1st Marine Division Chaplain Korean War There was always talk of espirit de corps, of being gung ho, and that must have been a part of it. Better, tougher training, more marksmanship on the firing range, the instant obedience to orders seared into men in boot camp. James Brady, columnist, novelist, press secretary to President Reagan, television personality and Marine The bended knee is not a tradition of our Corps. General Alexander A. Vandergrift, USMC to the Senate Naval Affairs Committee, 5 May 1946 By their victory, the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions and other units of the Fifth Amphibious Corps have made an accounting to their country which only history will be able to value fully. Among the Americans who served on Iwo Island, uncommon valor was a common virtue. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, U.S. Navy Being ready is not what matters. What matters is winning after you get there. LtGen Victor H. Krulak, USMC April 1965 The Marine Corps has just been called by the New York Times, 'The elite of this country.' I think it is the elite of the world. Admiral William Halsey, U.S. Navy I still need Marines who can shoot and salute. But I need Marines who can fix jet engines and man sophisticated radar sets, as well. General Robert E. Cushman, Jr., USMC Commandant of the Marine Corps, 17 May 1974 I can't say enough about the two Marine divisions. If I use words like 'brilliant,' it would really be an under description of the absolutely superb job that they did in breaching the so-called 'impenetrable barrier.' It was a classic- absolutely classic- military breaching of a very very tough minefield, barbed wire, fire trenches-type barrier. Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, U. S. Army Commander, Operation Desert Storm, February 1991 I am convinced that there is no smarter, handier, or more adaptable body of troops in the world. Prime Minister of Britain, Sir Winston Churchhill The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle. Gen. John "Black Jack" Pershing, U.S. Army Commander of American Forces in World War I Do not attack the First Marine Division. Leave the yellowlegs alone. Strike the American Army. Orders given to Communist troops in the Korean War; shortly afterward, the Marines were ordered to not wear their khaki leggings. The American Marines have it [pride], and benefit from it. They are tough, cocky, sure of themselves and their buddies. They can fight and they know it. General Mark Clark, U.S. Army They (Women Marines) don't have a nickname, and they don't need one. They get their basic training in a Marine atmosphere, at a Marine Post. They inherit the traditions of the Marines. They are Marines. LtGen Thomas Holcomb, USMC Commandant of the Marine Corps, 1943 I've always been proud of being a Marine. I won't hesitate to defend the Corps. Jonathan Winters, comic and Marine Every Marine is, first and foremost, a rifleman. All other conditions are secondary. Gen. A. M. Gray, USMC Commandant of the Marine Corps A Ship without Marines is like a garment without buttons. Adm. David Dixon Porter, USN in a letter to Colonel Commandant John Harris, USMC, 1863 The Marines have landed and the situation is well in hand. Attributed to Richard Harding Davis (1864-1916) If I had one more division like this First Marine Division I could win this war. General of the Armies Douglas McArthur in Korea, overheard and reported by Marine Staff Sergeant Bill Houghton, Weapons/2/5

Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world, but the Marines don't have that problem. Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front, and there is not a finer fighting organization in the world! General Douglas MacArthur, US Army The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his. General George Patton, US Army The battle of Iwo Jima has been won. Among the Americans who served on Iwo, uncommon valor was a common virtue. Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN The man who will go where his colors will go, without asking, who will fight a phantom foe in a jungle and mountain range, without counting, and who will suffer and die in the midst of incredible hardship, without complaint, is still what he has always been, from Imperial Rome to sceptered Britain to Democratic America. He is the stuff of which legions are made. His pride is his colors and his regiment, his training hard and thorough and coldly realistic, to fit him for what he must face, and his obedience is to his orders. As a legionary, he held the gates of civilization for the classical world...he has been called United States Marine. Lieutenant Colonel T.R. Fehrenbach, US Army in "This Kind of War" Marines are about the most peculiar breed of human beings I have ever witnessed. They treat their service as if it was some kind of cult, plastering their emblem on almost everything they own, making themselves up to look like insane fanatics with haircuts to ungentlemanly lengths, worshipping their Commandant almost as if he was a god, and making weird animal noises like a band of savages. They'll fight like rabid dogs at the drop of a hat just for the sake of a little action, and are the cockiest SOB's I have ever known. Most have the foulest mouths and drink well beyond man's normal limits, but their high spirits and sense of brotherhood set them apart and , generally speaking, of the United States Marines I've come in contact with, are the most professional soldiers and the finest men I have had the pleasure to meet. An Anonymous Canadian Citizen Old breed? New breed? There's not a damn bit of difference so long as it's the Marine breed. Lieutenant General Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, USMC People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. George Orwell The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle! General Pershing, US Army The more Marines I have around the better I like it! General Mark Clark, US Army You don't hurt 'em if you don't hit 'em. Lieutenant General Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, USMC Being ready is not what matters. What matters is winning after you get there. Lieutenant General Victor H. Krulak, USMC I still need Marines who can shoot and salute. But I need Marines who can fix jet engines and man sophisticated radar sets, as well. General Robert E. Cushman, Jr., USMC The morale of soldiers comes from three things: a feeling that they have an important job to do, a feeling that they are trained to do it well, and a feeling that their good work is appreciated and recognized. Unknown Come on you bastards, do you want to live forever? Gunnery Sergeant Dan Daly, USMC To ERR is human, to FORGIVE divine. HOWEVER, neither is Marine Corps Policy. Unknown The Marines have landed, and the situation is well in hand. Richard Harding Davis, war correspondent (1885) This will be the bloodiest fight in Marine Corps history. We'll catch seven kinds of hell on the beaches, and that will be just the beginning. The fighting will be fierce, and the casualties will be awful, but my Marines will take the damned island. (concerning the upcoming attack on Iwo Jima) Lieutenant General Holland M. "Howlin' Mad" Smith, USMC Victory was never in doubt. Its cost was...What was in doubt, in all our minds, was whether there would be any of us left to dedicate our cemetery at the end, or whether the last Marine would die knocking out the last Japanese gun and gunner. (In reference to the Battle of Iwo Jima) Major General Graves B. Erskine, USMC The raising of that flag means a Marine Corps for the next five hundred years. (concerning the flag raising at Mt. Suribachi) James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy A ship without Marines is like a garment without buttons. Admiral David Porter, USN Casualties many; Percentage of dead not known; Combat efficiency: we are winning! Colonel David M. Shoup, USMC I can never again see a United States Marine without experiencing a feeling of reverence. General Johnson, US Army We're not retreating, Hell! We're just attacking in different direction! General Oliver Smith, USMC We have two companies of Marines running all over this island and thousands of Army troops doing nothing! General John Vessey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Retreat hell! We just got here! Captain Lloyd Williams, USMC The safest place in Korea was right behind a platoon of Marines. LORD, how they could fight! Major General Frank Lowe, US Army Panic sweeps my men when they are facing the American Marines. A captured North Korean Major

"The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!" Eleanor Roosevelt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and those who have met them in battle. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion." Unknown -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "If I had one more division like this First Marine Division I could win this war." General of the Armies Douglas McArthur in Korea, overheard and reported by Marine Staff Sergeant Bill Houghton, Weapons/2/5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Do not attack the First Marine Division. Leave the yellowlegs alone. Strike the American Army." Orders given to Communist troops in the Korean War; shortly afterward, the Marines were ordered to not wear their khaki leggings. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The Marine Corps is the Navy's police force and as long as I am President that is what it will remain. They have a propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin's." Harry S. Truman -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "No one can say that the Marines have failed to do their work in handsome fashion." Major General Hagood, U.S. Army -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "There is no military body in our country of higher efficiency than the Marine Corps. They take great pride in their profession. They never let things slack a bit." Rear Admiral C.M. Wilslow, U.S. Navy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "They're on our right, they're on our left, they're in front of us, they're behind us; they can't get away from us this time." Chesty Puller, USMC, Chosin Reservoir, Korean War -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Marine Corps integrity is doing that thing which is right, when no one is looking" Col. Colin Lampard, USMC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Every Marine is, first and foremost, a rifleman. All other conditions are secondary General A. M. Gray, USMC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ensure that no Marine who honorably wore the eagle, globe and anchor is lost to the Marine Corps family. General James L. Jones Jr., Commandant of the Marine Corps -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "They (Marines) have given us our only real fight." Commanding Officer of the British, War 0f 1812 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The American Marines are terribly reckless fellows... they would make very good storm troopers." Unidentified German officer at Belleau Wood -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The US Air Force Chief-of-Staff would never be called -- Airman The Chief-of-Naval Operations would never be called -- Sailor The Commanding General of The US Army would never be called -- Soldier BUT the Commandant of the Marine Corps would be proud to be called a -- United States Marine -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Marines know how to use their bayonets. Army bayonets may as well be paper-weights." Navy Times; November 1994 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "We are United States Marines, and for two and a quarter centuries we have defined the standards of courage, esprit, and military prowess." Gen. James L. Jones, USMC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "My only answer as to why the Marines get the toughest jobs is because the average Leatherneck is a much better fighter. He has far more guts, courage, and better officers... These boys out here have a pride in the Marine Corps and will fight to the end no matter what the cost." 2nd Lt. Richard C. Kennard, Peleliu, World War II -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "It's a funny thing, but, as years go by, I think you appreciate more and more what a great thing it was to be a United States Marine... People will tell me what a shame it was I had to go back into the service a second time, but I'm kinda glad I did.. Besides, I am a U.S. Marine and I'll be one till I die." Ted Williams -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lying offshore, ready to act, the presence of ships and Marines sometimes means much more than just having air power or ship's fire, when it comes to deterring a crisis. And the ships and Marines may not have to do anything but lie offshore. It is hard to lie offshore with a C-141 or C-130 full of airborne troops. Gen. Colin Powell, U. S. Army Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff During Operation Desert Storm You cannot exaggerate about the Marines. They are convinced to the point of arrogance, that they are the most ferocious fighters on earth- and the amusing thing about it is that they are. Father Kevin Keaney 1st Marine Division Chaplain Korean War -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Marine Corps has just been called by the New York Times, 'The elite of this country.' I think it is the elite of the world. Admiral William Halsey, U.S. Navy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am convinced that there is no smarter, handier, or more adaptable body of troops in the world. Prime Minister of Britain, Sir Winston Churchhill -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The American Marines have it [pride], and benefit from it. They are tough, cocky, sure of themselves and their buddies. They can fight and they know it. General Mark Clark, U.S. Army -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- They (Women Marines) don't have a nickname, and they don't need one. They get their basic training in a Marine atmosphere, at a Marine Post. They inherit the traditions of the Marines. They are Marines. LtGen Thomas Holcomb, USMC Commandant of the Marine Corps, 1943 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “We have two companies of Marines running rampant all over the northern half of this island, and three Army regiments pinned down in the southwestern corner, doing nothing. What the hell is going on?” Gen John W. Vessey, Jr.