The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event.

What concerned me was that [James Mattis] played not only a critical role as a battlefield commander in Fallujah, but also, afterwards, when he was promoted to various other higher-ranking positions, he served as a convening authority in court-martial proceedings against various marines who had been accused of atrocities - for example, in the Haditha massacre, where a group of marines went on a killing spree after one in their unit was killed.

Be the hunter, not the hunted: Never allow your unit to be caught with its guard down.

Ultimately, a real understanding of history means that we face NOTHING new under the sun.

It is mostly a matter of wills. Whose will is going to break first? Ours or the enemy's?

A country that armed Stalin to defeat Hitler can certainly work alongside enemies of al-Qaida to defeat al-Qaida.

There is nothing better than getting shot at and missed. It's really great.