“The Japanese fought to win - it was a savage, brutal, inhumane, exhausting and dirty business. Our commanders knew that if we were to win and survive, we must be trained realistically for it whether we liked it or not. In the post-war years, the U.S. Marine Corps came in for a great deal of undeserved criticism in my opinion, from well-meaning persons who did not comprehend the magnitude of stress and horror that combat can be. The technology that developed the rifle barrel, the machine gun and high explosive shells has turned war into prolonged, subhuman slaughter. Men must be trained realistically if they are to survive it without breaking, mentally and physically.”

E.B. Sledge

E.B. Sledge - “The Japanese fought to win - it was a...” 1

Similar quotes

“To be in a war, you must learn the rules of survival… to win a war, you must break every fucking one of those rules.”

A.J. Vega
Read more

“we train for war and fight to win.”

Marcus Luttrell
Read more

“But, like all metaphoric wars, the copyright wars are not actual conflicts of survival. Or at least, they are not conflicts for survival of a people or a society, even if they are wars of survival for certain businesses or, more accurately, business models. Thus we must keep in mind the other values or objectives that might also be affected by this war. We must make sure this war doesn't cost more than it is worth. We must be sure it is winnable, or winnable at a price we're willing to pay.”

Lawrence Lessig
Read more

“To win a war, we must kill our enemies.”

Ernest Hemingway
Read more

“We know how to win wars. We must learn now to win peace...”

Stephen E. Ambrose
Read more