mickeyd
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Band of Brothers was not actually a movie, but a 10-part HBO series.
"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
For some reason this one caught on in the submarine force:I prefer quotes from people who fought in real wars, not the celluloid type. And I am single service centric:
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!"