Quotes

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army2021

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What's your favorite patriotic/military quote?

Heard this golden one the other day:

"A pledge a day keeps the commies away"

Practically my life motto now
 
"There are only four types of officer. First, there are the lazy, stupid ones. Leave them alone, they do no harm…Second, there are the hard- working, intelligent ones. They make excellent staff officers, ensuring that every detail is properly considered. Third, there are the hard- working, stupid ones. These people are a menace and must be fired at once. They create irrelevant work for everybody. Finally, there are the intelligent, lazy ones. They are suited for the highest office."

Attributed to Erich Von Mannstein, though it may have been another General Staff officer
 
Setting aside my favorite serious, inspiring, uplifting quotes for the moment, I went to my bookshelf for a book given to me by a British RN officer, then -"Leftenant" Clive (naturally) [Surname] some years ago.

Officers the world over get fitness reports, officer evaluations, performance reports, which go by various names. The language can be straightforward, oblique, florid or boilerplate, but that British dry humor - see below:

StrategyPage's Military Jokes and Military Humor

British Officer Fitness Reports
The British Military writes EPRs which are officer fitness reports.

The form used for Royal Navy and Marines fitness reports is the S206. The following are actual excerpts taken from people's "206s"....


His men would follow him anywhere, but only out of curiosity.
I would not breed from this Officer.
This Officer is really not so much of a has-been, but more of a definitely won't-be.
When she opens her mouth, it seems that this is only to change whichever foot was previously in there.
He has carried out each and every one of his duties to his entire satisfaction.
He would be out of his depth in a car park puddle.
Technically sound, but socially impossible.
This Officer reminds me very much of a gyroscope - always spinning around at a frantic pace, but not really going anywhere.
This young lady has delusions of adequacy.
When he joined my ship, this Officer was something of a granny; since then he has aged considerably.
Since my last report he has reached rock bottom, and has started to dig.
She sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them.
He has the wisdom of youth, and the energy of old age.
This Officer should go far - and the sooner he starts, the better.
In my opinion this pilot should not be authorized to fly below 250 feet.
This man is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot.
The only ship I would recommend this man for is citizenship.
Works well when under constant supervision and cornered like a rat in a trap.
Source: "Jackspeak: The Pusser's Rum Guide to Royal Navy Slanguage" by Rick Jolly, 1989.
 
I always thought this one related to USMC OCS was really true, at it's core, everywhere in life...

“The best back home may be just good enough to barely make it here. When you come here you have to manage your expectations both for success and for failure. You will fail. You will succeed. How you handle success and how you handle failure is a demonstration of character as to whether or not you have what it takes to be a Marine Officer.” -- OCS Sergeant Instructor
 
  • "This Officer fails to achieve the abysmally low standards he sets for himself ".
  • " I don't expect much from a 2LT other than that you show up, are honest and don't keep doing the same stupid things over and over again" (Guidance to me and the other 4 new Second Lieutenants when welcomed to the Brigade by the Brigade Commander in the first unit I reported in to.)
  • "Better to be silent and thought a fool then speak up and remove all doubt"
 
We used to have a guy who we called the Used Car Salesman because he could talk some poor LT on the ground into letting him shoot a missile at anything. "What's it gonna take for me to get you in this shiny Hellfire today?"

I have always preferred this one, in a serious sense...

“In the final analysis, you should never forget that the airplanes don’t fly, the tanks don’t run, the ships don’t sail, the missiles don’t fire unless the sons and daughters of America make them do it. It's that simple.

The mothers and fathers of America will give you their sons and daughters. And they will hand you their sons and daughters...with the confidence in you that you will not needlessly waste their lives. And you dare not. You absolutely dare not. That’s the burden the mantle of leadership places upon you. You could be the person who gives the orders that will bring about the deaths of thousands and thousands of young men and women whose lives have been placed in your hands. It is an awesome responsibility...You cannot fail. You dare not fail. Because this entire nation will depend upon you at that time.”
 
scoutpilot said:
I have always preferred this one, in a serious sense...

“In the final analysis, you should never forget that the airplanes don’t fly, the tanks don’t run, the ships don’t sail, the missiles don’t fire unless the sons and daughters of America make them do it. It's that simple.

The mothers and fathers of America will give you their sons and daughters. And they will hand you their sons and daughters...with the confidence in you that you will not needlessly waste their lives. And you dare not. You absolutely dare not. That’s the burden the mantle of leadership places upon you. You could be the person who gives the orders that will bring about the deaths of thousands and thousands of young men and women whose lives have been placed in your hands. It is an awesome responsibility...You cannot fail. You dare not fail. Because this entire nation will depend upon you at that time.”
Click to expand...

I sat through that speech almost 27 years ago and as a young 18 y/o kid didn't comprehend the enormity of my choice to attend the academy. Last year I made my DD and her boyfriend who was applying to USAFA watch it. I wanted them to have a clear understanding what officers in the armed forces are responsible for and make sure they understood that in a few years they would be leading these same sons and daughters. The Mantle of Leadership is an incredible privilege not to be taken lightly.
 
To the parents of the incoming Citadel class of 2014:

"Your sons and daughters are members of the most pampered generation to live in this country. We will protect them. We will not pamper them." --Lt. General USAF (Ret.) John Rosa, President of The Citadel (Citadel '73, Superintendent of the USAFA, 2003-2005).


My response: "He's yours. Take him now."
 
Veni, Vidi, Vici

Retreat, hell we're not retreating, we're just advancing in a different direction. General Oliver Smith

We've been looking for the enemy for some time. Now we've finally found him. We are surrounded. That simplifies things. "Chesty" Puller.

Casualties many; Percentage of dead not known; Combat efficiency; We are winning.

Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem. Ronald Reagen.
 
scoutpilot said:
We used to have a guy who we called the Used Car Salesman because he could talk some poor LT on the ground into letting him shoot a missile at anything. "What's it gonna take for me to get you in this shiny Hellfire today?"

I have always preferred this one, in a serious sense...

“In the final analysis, you should never forget that the airplanes don’t fly, the tanks don’t run, the ships don’t sail, the missiles don’t fire unless the sons and daughters of America make them do it. It's that simple.

The mothers and fathers of America will give you their sons and daughters. And they will hand you their sons and daughters...with the confidence in you that you will not needlessly waste their lives. And you dare not. You absolutely dare not. That’s the burden the mantle of leadership places upon you. You could be the person who gives the orders that will bring about the deaths of thousands and thousands of young men and women whose lives have been placed in your hands. It is an awesome responsibility...You cannot fail. You dare not fail. Because this entire nation will depend upon you at that time.”
Click to expand...

There are a few times in my life this quote hit me like a ton of bricks... my first convoy in Iraq and the first time I walked up to a door for a casualty notification.
 
"Take a stand and make a mark." - John Jakes in The Kent Family Chronicles

"Uncommon valor was a common virtue." - Chester Nimitz

"The relation between officers and enlisted men should in no sense be that of superior and inferior nor that of master and servant, but rather that of teacher and scholar. In fact, it should partake of the nature of the relation between father and son, to the extent that officers, especially commanding officers, are responsible for the physical, mental, and moral welfare, as well as the discipline and military training of the young men under their command who are serving the nation in the Marine Corps." - Maj. Gen. John A. Lejeune

And finally, nearly anything General "Mad Dog" Mattis said to his Marines including "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."
 
"If you're not living on the edge you're taking up too much space." My Commanding Officer, Captain David M. Crocker, said to us in the hanger bay onboard USS Carl Vinson circa 1997. Yes, he quoted it from someone else.
 
scoutpilot said:
We used to have a guy who we called the Used Car Salesman because he could talk some poor LT on the ground into letting him shoot a missile at anything. "What's it gonna take for me to get you in this shiny Hellfire today?"

I have always preferred this one, in a serious sense...

“In the final analysis, you should never forget that the airplanes don’t fly, the tanks don’t run, the ships don’t sail, the missiles don’t fire unless the sons and daughters of America make them do it. It's that simple.

The mothers and fathers of America will give you their sons and daughters. And they will hand you their sons and daughters...with the confidence in you that you will not needlessly waste their lives. And you dare not. You absolutely dare not. That’s the burden the mantle of leadership places upon you. You could be the person who gives the orders that will bring about the deaths of thousands and thousands of young men and women whose lives have been placed in your hands. It is an awesome responsibility...You cannot fail. You dare not fail. Because this entire nation will depend upon you at that time.”
Click to expand...

Inspiring. I am new to this journey. May I ask the source?
 
"Come on you sons of *****es do you want to live forever" Sgt Major Daniel Day. Proudly displayed at the Marine Corps museum at Quantico. Two time Medal of Honor recipient.
 
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