Be the Hunter
Saddam has been defeated but there are enemies within our own borders. A war not only of military might but of a spiritual nature. Apply this speech as you will to the fight we now face.
Here is the "message to all hands" that then-Major General Mattis issued to his troops as they prepared to enter Iraq in March 2003:
For decades, Saddam Hussein has tortured, imprisoned, raped and murdered the Iraqi people; invaded neighboring countries without provocation; and threatened the world with weapons of mass destruction. The time has come to end his reign of terror. On your young shoulders rest the hopes of mankind. When I give you the word, together we will cross the Line of Departure, close with those forces that choose to fight, and destroy them. Our fight is not with the Iraqi people, nor is it with members of the Iraqi army who choose to surrender. While we will move swiftly and aggressively against those who resist, we will treat all others with decency, demonstrating chivalry and soldierly compassion for people who have endured a lifetime under Saddam's oppression. Chemical attacks, treachery, and the use of the innocent as human shields can be expected, as can unethical tactics. Take it all in stride. Be the hunter, not the hunted: never allow your unit to be caught with its guard down. Use good judgment and act in the best interest of our Nation. "You are part of the world's most feared and trusted force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon. Share your courage with each other as we enter the uncertain terrain north of the Line of Departure. Keep faith with your comrades on your left and right and Marine Air overhead. Fight with a happy heart and strong spirit. For the mission's sake, our country's sake, and the sake of the men who carried the Division's colors in past battles — who fought for life and never lost their nerve — carry out you mission and keep your honor clean. Demonstrate to the world that there is 'No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy' than a U.S. Marine.
J.N. Mattis Major General,
US Marines Commanding
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Comment by Burns— 2008/07/01 @ 05:21 AM — (Reply)
SO inspiring, Elbro. Thanks for posting this......"No better friend, no worse enemy" FANTASTIC!
"Be a hunter, not the hunted"
sometimes I wonder if the journalist embeds made them feel like both, but I don't want to cast a negative on this terrific message. It seems especially right this week, for the 4th. great.
Comment by Z— 2008/07/01 @ 05:24 AM — (Reply)
Fight with a happy heart and strong spirit.
Words to fight by.
Comment by Elmers Brother— 2008/07/01 @ 05:36 AM — (Reply)
Comment by Brooke— 2008/07/01 @ 06:06 AM — (Reply)
That's movie trailer worthy. Like Patton's speech or William Wallace.
Comment by kevin— 2008/07/01 @ 10:03 AM — (Reply)
hey aza...I'll trade for the plowshare when it's time
Comment by Elmers Brother— 2008/07/01 @ 03:51 PM — (Reply)
Comment by aza spade— 2008/07/01 @ 04:11 PM — (Reply)
Comment by Elmers Brother— 2008/07/01 @ 10:28 AM — (Reply)
Comment by Elmers Brother— 2008/07/01 @ 10:29 AM — (Reply)
Comment by Elmers Brother— 2008/07/01 @ 10:30 AM — (Reply)
Gen. Mattis was seeking to stir the martial soul of his Marines by invoking the spirit of the St. Crispin’s Day speech that Shakespeare’s King Henry delivers to his soldiers before the battle of Agincourt:
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.
And like Henry V, Gen. Mattis always led from the front. During the march up to Baghdad, Mattis had prepared his command well and it responded to his style of leadership.
There is something about Gen. Mattis’s remarks that most commentators have missed. He was not saying it is "a hoot" to kill everyone, but those kinds of people who, as they say in Texas, "needed killin’." Ask yourself this question: If you came face to face with Osama bin Laden or Abu Musab al- Zarqawi, you might smile as you put a round though his head? Be honest. I would.
The Marines that Gen. Mattis led on the road to Baghdad made the sort of distinctions that their commanding general directed them to make. They encountered Iraqi soldiers of all kinds: soldiers of regular units, some of whom fought and some of whom didn’t; militia, who preferred not to fight but sometimes did because they were intimidated by Saddam’s fedayeen; and foreign jihadis.
The jihadis asked no quarter and the Marines gave them none.
According to The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the 1st Marine Division by "Bing" West and Major General Ray "E-tool" Smith, USMC (ret),
The Marines knew the difference between these jihad fighters and the militia. Consequently the Marines shot them in the ditches and in the field. They threw grenades into the bulrushes and shot the fighters when they ran out. They threw grenades into the drainage pipes running under the road… A few of the foreign fighters surrendered, but most did not—they had come to Iraq to die, and die they would. As one Marine put it, this was the perfect war. "They want to die, and we want to kill them."
This is a distinction we once made without compunction: between those who are entitled to the rights of legitimate combatants and those who are not. This distinction was first made by the Romans and subsequently incorporated into international law by way of medieval European jurisprudence. As the eminent military historian, Sir Michael Howard, wrote right after 9/11, the Romans distinguished between bellum, war against legitimus hostis, a legitimate enemy, and Guerra, war against latrunculi—pirates, robbers, brigands, and outlaws—"the common enemies of mankind."
The former, bellum, became the standard for interstate conflict. It is here for instance that the Geneva Conventions were meant to apply. They do not apply to the latter, Guerra—indeed, punishment for latrunculi traditionally has been summary execution. While not employing the term, many legal experts agree that al Qaeda fighters are latrunculi—hardly distinguishable by their actions from pirates and the like. Who knows what some silly judge might rule in the future, but at least so far, no terrorist organization has been deemed a combatant under the laws of armed conflict.
Comment by Elmers Brother— 2008/07/01 @ 11:19 AM — (Reply)
Comment by 48 miles— 2008/07/02 @ 12:19 AM — (Reply)
Comment by aza spade— 2008/07/01 @ 02:35 PM — (Reply)
Comment by aza spade— 2008/07/01 @ 03:05 PM — (Reply)
Your post is timely and right on the mark. So true.
Thank you also for the kind words of encouragement.
Comment by Layla— 2008/07/01 @ 05:00 PM — (Reply)
love it..so comforting to see that some still remember the meaning of courage my friend!!!
Comment by Angel— 2008/07/01 @ 06:39 PM — (Reply)
Comment by 48 miles— 2008/07/02 @ 12:22 AM — (Reply)
Roger that Major General!
Comment by EDGE— 2008/07/02 @ 04:20 AM — (Reply)