Quotes about Marines: “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference, and our Marines don’t have that problem.” President Ronald Reagan, 1985 “By their victory, the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions and other units of the Fifth Amphibious Corps have made an accounting to their country which only history will be able to value fully. Among the Americans who served on Iwo Island, uncommon valor was a common virtue.” Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN “In the last and final analysis it is the guy with the rifle and machine gun who wins the war and pays the penalty to preserve our liberty. My hat is off to the Marines.” Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal “I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front, and there is not a finer fighting organization in the world.” General Douglas MacArthur, U.S. Army “The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle.” General J. Pershing, U.S. Army “There are two Marine rifle companies running roughshod over the northern two-thirds of that island and 2000 paratroopers sitting on their rear ends in the south. Tell them to get moving!” General Vessey, U.S. Army during the Grenada Invasion “The American Marines have it [pride] and benefit from it. They are tough, cocky, sure of themselves and their buddies. They can fight and they know it.” General Mark Clark, U.S. Army “I can’t say enough about the two Marine divisions. If I use words like ‘brilliant,’ it would really be an under description of the absolutely superb job that they did in breaching the so-called ‘impenetrable barrier.’ It was a classic-absolutely classic-military breaching of a very, very tough minefield, barbed wire, fire trenches-type barrier.” General Norman Schwarzkopf, Commander, U.S. Central Command, February 1991 “Panic sweeps my men when they are facing the American Marines!” Captured North Korean Major “I am convinced that there is no smarter, handier, or more adaptable body of troops in the world.” Prime Minister Winston Churchill Quotes by Marines: “I earned my stripes as a Marine, and the Corps gets the full credit for straightening me out. At 17, I was young, I was unhappy, and most of all, I was undisciplined. The Marine Corps was the right service in the right place at the right time.” Art Buchwald, syndicated columnist “Being in the Marine Corps was the best thing that ever happened to me. It can do a lot for a young guy. I owe a lot to the Marine Corps. If I had a son, I’d want him to be a Marine.” Tom Monaghan, owner & CEO, Domino’s Pizza “I liked being in the Marines. They gave me discipline I could live with. By the time I got out, I was able to cope with things on a more realistic level.” Steve McQueen “It’s a funny thing, but, as years go by, I think you appreciate more and more what a great thing it was to be a United States Marine… I am a U.S. Marine and will be one `till I die.” Ted Williams, Baseball Hall of Famer “I learned that Marines never leave their dead and wounded behind, officers always eat last, that the U.S. Army is chicken**** in combat, the Navy is worse, and the Air Force is barely even on our side.” Jim Lehrer, Newsman “In the Marines I never saw an officer take a drink before his men drank. Our lieutenant, Lieutenant Wells, would take heavy machine-gun ammo off the back of guys who were struggling. Mortar shells are heavy and Wells would take a couple from a guy to help. There was a loyalty between the men and the officers, between everyone. We knew our officers would go to hell with us.” Robert Leader, “Easy” Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines; Iwo Jima veteran and later a Notre Dame college professor
