“We will modernize, we will remain the most lethal fighting force in the world. We will take care of each other as family. We will remain ready, and when called upon, we will win.”
Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy
Wisdom we know is the knowledge of good and evil — not the strength to choose between the two.
John Cheever,
writer
”War is the greatest evil Satan has invented to corrupt our hearts and souls. We should honor our soldiers, but we should never honor war.”
Dean Hughes
”Word to the Nation: Guard zealously your right to serve in the Armed Forces, for without them, there will be no other rights to guard.”
John F. Kennedy
“No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.”
Gen. Douglas MacArthur
“Do me a favor, okay? Tell my parents that I fought well today. And tell them that I… that I… that I fought hard.”
Mark Bowden, Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War
“I wanted that future officer to weigh decisions with a supple mind and to be comfortable with nuance and uncertainty. ”
Craig M. Mullaney, The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier’s Education
“Take your time.
Stay away from the easy going.
Never take the same way twice.
Gunny Arndt’s rules for successful reconnaissance; Guadalcanal 1942”
GYSGT Charles C. Arndt
“What you don’t know going in is that when you come out, you will be scarred for life. Whether you were in for a week, a month, or a year—even if you come home without a scratch—you are never, ever going to be the same.
When I went in, I was eighteen. I thought it was all glory and you win lots of medals. You think you’re going to be the guy. Then you find out the cost is very great. Especially when you don’t see the kids you were with when you went in. Living with it can be hell. It’s like the devil presides in you. I knew what I sighed up for, yes, and I would do it again. But the reality of war—words can’t begin to describe it.”
William Guarnere
