I came here to tell you the truth, the good, the bad and the ugly.

I would not trade you a billion dollars for the kids I led to combat in Vietnam or in fact any of the Marines that I served with for a quarter of a century.

A Commander-in-Chief needs to do two things. One - tell us who the enemy is. And two - say we are fighting to win.

I haven't, in the 23 years that I have been in the uniformed services of the United States of America, ever violated an order - not one.

As a Marine officer in combat, I was responsible for the lives and safety of all the Marines who served with me.

I know the difference between right and wrong, and I can tell good from bad. But I also know that the more difficult decisions come when we have to choose between good and better. The toughest calls of all are those we have to make between bad and worse.

I don't think there is another person in America that wants to tell this story as much as I do.