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.
James MattisIt is mostly a matter of wills. Whose will is going to break first? Ours or the enemy's?
James MattisThere are hunters and there are victims. By your discipline...you will decide if you are a hunter or a victim.
James MattisI don't lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word.
James MattisISIS is a threat to all civilized nations. America's intention is that the foreign fighters do not survive the fight to return home to North Africa, to Europe, to America, to Asia, to Africa. We're not going to allow them to do so. We're going to stop them there and take apart the caliphate.
James Mattis