“We found a water pipe, tied the flag to it and put it up. Then all hell broke loose below. Troops cheered, ships blew whistles, some men openly wept.”  ~ Cpl. Charles Lindbergh, flag raising on Iwo Jima

"I come in peace, I didn't bring artillery. But I am pleading with you with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I'll kill you all."  ~ Marine General James Mattis, to Iraqi tribal leaders

"I have only two men out of my company and 20 out of some other company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold." ~ 1stLt. Clifton B. Cates, USMC - in Belleau Wood, 19 July 1918

"This will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave" ~ Elmer Davis (1890-1958)

For a split second I was fearful because I knew I wasn't going to survive, but then I was OK because at least I was going out with a bang.

— Cpl Kyle Carpenter - MOH - answer to question "What's the moment that you feel most fearful on the battlefield and how did you overcome that" 06/16/2014

"Being ready is not what matters. What matters is winning after you get there." ~ LtGen Victor H. Krulak, USMC April 1965

"The United States Marine Corps, with its fiercely proud tradition of excellence in combat, its hallowed rituals, and its unbending code of honor, is part of the fabric of American myth. " ~ Thomas E. Ricks; Making the Corps, 1997

"For over 221 years our Corps has done two things for this great Nation. We make Marines, and we win battles." ~ Gen. Charles C. Krulak, USMC (CMC); 5 May 1997

"We are United States Marines, and for two and a quarter centuries we have defined the standards of courage, esprit, and military prowess." ~ Gen. James L. Jones, USMC (CMC); 10 November 2000

"In war, the chief incalculable is the human will." ~ B.H. Liddell Hart