Your Favorite Quote From a War Movie

[mickeyd]

Band of Brothers was not actually a movie, but a 10-part HBO series.

2nd Lt. George Rice: Looks like you guys are going to be surrounded.
Richard Winters: We're paratroopers, Lieutenant. We're supposed to be surrounded.

 

[bssc]

President Merkin Muffley: Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room

Major T. J. "King" Kong: Well, boys, I reckon this is it - nuclear combat toe to toe with the Roosskies. Now look, boys, I ain't much of a hand at makin' speeches, but I got a pretty fair idea that something doggone important is goin' on back there. And I got a fair idea the kinda personal emotions that some of you fellas may be thinkin'. Heck, I reckon you wouldn't even be human bein's if you didn't have some pretty strong personal feelin's about nuclear combat. I want you to remember one thing, the folks back home is a-countin' on you and by golly, we ain't about to let 'em down. I tell you something else, if this thing turns out to be half as important as I figure it just might be, I'd say that you're all in line for some important promotions and personal citations when this thing's over with. That goes for ever' last one of you regardless of your race, color or your creed. Now let's get this thing on the hump - we got some flyin' to do.

 

[IndependentlyPoor]

From Battleground (1949)

German Lieutenant: The major thinks General McAuliffle must have misunderstood. We have appealed to the well-known American humanity to save the people of Bastogne from further suffering. We have given you two hours to consider before raining destruction upon you. We do not understand General McAuliffe's answer.
American Colonel: I'd be glad to repeat it. The answer is "nuts".
German Lieutenant: [discusses with German major] Is that a negative or an affirmative reply?
American Colonel: Nuts is strictly negative.

Battleground (1949) - Memorable quotes

An obituary here:
WWII, Vietnam Action Highlighted Career - washingtonpost.com

 

[Leonidas]

I prefer quotes from people who fought in real wars, not the celluloid type. And I am single service centric:

"On board the GANGES, about 12 mos. ago, Lt. Gale, was struck by an Officer of the Navy, the Capt. took no notice of the Business and Gale got no satisfaction on the Cruise; the moment he arrived he call’d the Lieut. out and shot him; afterwards Politeness was restor’d” — c. 1802 Signed “Yr obdt. Svt, W. W. Burrows, LtCol Comdt, MC” (Second Commandant of the Marine Corps)

"Come on, you sons of bi****s! 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

"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

"Casualties many; Percentage of dead not known; Combat efficiency; we are winning." - Colonel David M. Shoup, USMC, Tarawa, 21 November 1943

The [1st] Marine Division has the highest combat effectiveness of the American armed forces. It seems not enough for our four divisions to surround and annihilate its two regiments. You should have one or two more divisions in reserve." - Premier Mao Tse Tung's December 1950 comments to the commander of People's [Chinese] "Volunteer" 9th Army Group, on his plans to attack UN forces in North Korea.

We’ve been looking for the enemy for several days now. We’ve finally found them. We are surrounded. That simplifies the problem of getting to these people and killing them.” - Colonel Lewis "Chesty" Puller, USMC, after the People's 9th Army Group had surrounded UN forces in North Korea.

"The safest place in Korea was right behind a platoon of Marines. Lord how they could fight! The Reds told us they were afraid to tangle with the Marines and avoided them when they could be located." - Major General Frank Lowe, U.S. Army

"[They are] Di Bo Chet (The Walking Dead)" - Ho Chi Minh, President, People's Republic of Vietnam, Radio speech from Hanoi, Spring 1966. Describing the Ninth Marines in the Au Shau Valley. In the same speech General Vo Nguyen Giap promised to kill all of the 9th Marines and "liberate" the valley as a birthday gift to the president.

"Does this mean that they'll be coming to us, and we won't have to keep looking for them little b******s?" Captain Hart, 9th Marines, USMC, May 1966, Au Shau Valley, South Vietnam. Question to General Lew Walt after being told of General Giap's promise to destroy the regiment.

The Walking Dead - Official unit nickname, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines.

"Wake up, lieutenant. We have the enemy near the hill. When they get closer, we are going to kill them. You need to see this." — SSgt Smotherman, USMC, 1969 Republic of Vietnam, impromptu "class" on defensive tactics

"The Marines don’t have any race problems. They treat everybody like they’re black." — General Daniel “Chappie” James Jr., USAF, circa 1970

"You shall not pass through this position." - Captain Charles B. Johnson, USMC, 1983 South of Beirut. Said to an Israeli Lt. Colonel who was leading a tank column toward a refugee camp the Marines were protecting. A few minutes later the colonel announced "I will pass", and Captain Johnson climbed onto the tank and pointed his pistol at the colonel. "If you come through, it will be over my dead body." The Israelis turned their tanks around.

“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?” - 1983 (Grenada Invasion) General John W. Vessey US Army, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

"I come in peace, I didn't bring artillery. But I am pleading with you with tears in my eyes: If you f*** with me, I'll kill you all." General James Mattis USMC 2004 to Iraqi tribal leaders

"Hell these are Marines. Men like them held Guadalcanal and took Iwo Jima, Baghdad ain't sh**." - Major General John F. Kelly, USMC to a reporter who asked him if he ever contemplated defeat

“This is the Perfect War. They want to die, and we want to kill them.” -Sgt. Major Henry Bergeron, 1st Marine Division, Iraq 2003

 

[CuppaJoe]

Shortly after intermission in "Lawrence of Arabia":

Jackson Bentley: [on his interest in Lawrence and the Arab Revolt] I'm looking for a hero.
Prince Feisal: Indeed, you do not seem a romantic man.
Jackson Bentley: Oh, no! But certain influential men back home believe the time has come for America to lend her weight to the patriotic struggle against Germany... and Turkey. Now, I've been sent to find material that makes this war seem more...
Prince Feisal: Enjoyable?
Jackson Bentley: Oh, hardly THAT, sir. But to show it in its more... adventurous aspects.
Prince Feisal: You are looking for a figure that will draw your country towards war?
Jackson Bentley: All right, yes.
Prince Feisal: Lawrence is your man.

YouTube - Lawrence of Arabia（1962） - Overture Part II

I love the scenes with Bentley because they remind me of dad in his war photo-reporting days. Bentley witnesses a battle and says he never saw a man decapitated with a sword before. Someone (Lawrence?) asks him why he didn't photograph it, and he replies he wished he had.

 

[Nords]

Does "Highlander" count as a war movie?

I prefer quotes from people who fought in real wars, not the celluloid type. And I am single service centric:

For some reason this one caught on in the submarine force:

A famous saying is attributed to Captain Williams, who was serving as a company commander in the 5th Marines. When advised to withdraw by a French officer at the defensive line just north of the village of Lucy-le-Bocage on June 1, 1918 [at Chateau-Thierry], he is said to have replied: "Retreat? Hell, we just got here!"

Every submarine in the U.S. Navy has several logbooks tucked away in the wardroom, chief's quarters, and mess decks. Labeled "Famous Naval Sayings", they preserve timeless prose uttered at moments of great stress (or great inebriation). Unfortunately they'll never become part of the Navy's official records. My two favorites from that collection are:
1. The officer of the deck on a surfaced submarine, over the sub's general-announcing system: "SECURE BLOWING SANITARY TANKS!!", and
2. The contact report of a junior officer of the deck at periscope depth: "Holy #$%^, I see a periscope"...

 

[Purron]

Saigon, sh*t, I'm still only in Saigon

YouTube - Re-Cut of Sheen's Opening Scene in Apocalypse Now... (additional material)

 

[calmloki]

Kelly's Heroes (1970)

Oddball: Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?


Kelly: Well Oddball, what do you think?
Oddball: It's a wasted trip baby. Nobody said nothing about locking horns with no Tigers.
Big Joe: Hey look, you just keep them Tigers busy and we'll take care of the rest.
Oddball: The only way I got to keep them Tigers busy is to LET THEM SHOOT HOLES IN ME!
Crapgame: Hey, Oddball, this is your hour of glory. And you're chickening out!
Oddball: To a New Yorker like you, a hero is some type of weird sandwich, not some nut who takes on three Tigers.
Kelly: Nobody's asking you to be a hero.
Oddball: No? Then YOU sit up in that turret baby.
Kelly: No, because you're gonna be up there, baby, and I'll be right outside showing you which way to go.
Oddball: Yeah?
Kelly: Yeah.
Oddball: Crazy... I mean like, so many positive waves... maybe we can't lose, you're on!

 

[Khan]

"Apocalypse Now"

Willard: Hey soldier, do you know who's in command here?
Soldier: Ain't you?

 

[harley]

“Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.” - Patton (1970)