Discussing Military Quotes.

[GnyHwy]

I am huge fan of quotes in general, but more specifically for this site, military quotes.

I would like to see and opportunity for people to discuss, re butt, comment and ultimately learn from some of the great quotes; and not so great quotes that are posted on this site.  I would estimate that the majority of quotes might not get much attention, but some may; and will likely generate some excellent discussion. 

I am not sure how this could be accomplished from a site architecture or functionality perspective, but perhaps a side bar for quotes, and if good conversation is stimulated, it becomes a thread.  For less than active responses it could just disappear with time.

I believe this could be interesting from a philosophical perspective and would likely be humorous at the least.

 

[mariomike]

I enjoy them too.

"Thousands of airmen were shot out of the skies over Europe while engaged in operations against the Third Reich on targets in occupied territory.  A very large number,  sucessfully evaded capture.
An airman who gets away from his wrecked aircraft in enemy territory finds himself in a position which is unique among fighting men.  To continue his type of fighting against the enemy, he must first return home,  and to do this, he ussually begins his travels alone;  often in a state of shock,  and sometimes wounded.  He knows that the alternative to a long, difficult and nerve racking evasion will be captivity, interrogation and possibly death.
Above all, he wants,  and is constantly looking for help."
Carl A. "Tooey" Spaatz was an American World War II general and the first Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force.

"There are no words with which I can do justice to the aircrew who fought under my command. There is no parallel in warfare to such courage and determination in the face of danger over so prolonged a period, of danger that at times was so great that scarcely one man in three could expect to survive his tour of thirty operations... It was, furthermore, the courage of the small hours, of men virtually alone, for at his battle station the airman is virtually alone. It was the courage of men with long-drawn apprehensions of daily 'going over the top'."
    -- Sir Arthur Harris, from Bomber Offensive.

 

[GnyHwy]

My current fave is this one.  It's not military, but I remember someone on here having it in his signature block.  Kind of anti-army/establishment, but great nonetheless.

It is not worth an intelligent man's time to be in the majority. By definition, there are already enough people to do that.
G. H. Hardy

 

[Old Sweat]

Re your remark about blowing stuff up, a British corps commander (Horrocks, I think) wrote about how his CCRA, Commander, Corps Royal Artillery, used to sit with several hundred guns at the end of his radio antenna and do just that.

 

[Pusser]

One of my favourites:

"The Army isn't like it used to be... and never was."

 

[The Bread Guy]

"The purpose of all war is peace."
Saint Augustine

 

[Kat Stevens]

"Might as well go for a soda." - Kim Mitchell

 

[GnyHwy]

Re your remark about blowing stuff up, a British corps commander (Horrocks, I think) wrote about how his CCRA, Commander, Corps Royal Artillery, used to sit with several hundred guns at the end of his radio antenna and do just that.

Yes I remember you telling me about that in an earlier conversation.

I must say, that is the best thing about our (Arty FOO's) jobs.  How just a few seconds of voice procedure on the radio can bring so much impact and literal explosiveness to the fight.

 

[Brutus]

Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence. - Napoleon Bonaparte

An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. - Winston Churchill

 

[GnyHwy]

An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. - Winston Churchill

That's a very good antiliberal quote.

 

[Blackadder1916]

An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. - Winston Churchill

That's a very good antiliberal quote.

If one were to think of Churchill verbally taking an "appeaser" to task, it might be assumed that his target would be that most visible - the gentleman who waved a piece of paper in the air and declared that he had an undertaking from Mr. Hitler, none other than the Conservative Party Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain.

But Churchill is probably as oft misquoted as Shakespeare.  While the above is commonly attributed to Winston, it is not the exact quote and when taken in context with the rest of the speech, the sentiment was not aimed at an individual or group of individuals but at the neutral countries of the world (even those who might not be considered "appeasers").  Churchill was back in Chamberlain's Cabinet as First Lord of the Admiralty when he made a broadcast on the BBC January 20, 1940 that included this paragraph.

. . . . .

But what would happen if all these neutral nations I have mentioned-and some others I have not mentioned-were with one spontaneous impulse to do their duty in accordance with the Covenant of the League, and were to stand together with the British and French Empires against aggression and wrong? At present their plight is lamentable; and it will become much worse. They bow humbly and in fear to German threats of violence, comforting themselves meanwhile with the thought that the Allies will win, that Britain and France will strictly observe all the laws and conventions, and that breaches of these laws are only to be expected from the German side. Each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough, the crocodile will eat him last. All of them hope that the storm will pass before their turn comes to be devoured. But I fear-I fear greatly-the storm will not pass. It will rage and it will roar, ever more loudly, ever more widely. It will spread to the South; it will spread to the North. There is no chance of a speedy end except through united action; and if at any time Britain and France, wearying of the struggle, were to make a shameful peace, nothing would remain for the smaller States of Europe, with their shipping and their possessions, but to be divided between the opposite, though similar, barbarisms of Nazidom and Bolshevism.

. . . . .

The full text of the speech is at http://www.leesaunders.co.uk/html/world_war_II/ww2_speeches/winston_churchill10.php

 

[Sythen]

Quote #1241 of 1568:

He who smiles during war is the first to die and he who saves another soldier will get the same in return.
- matt

Dunno if you mean this thread to be a place to complain about some of the "quotes" posted here, but this one annoys me to no end. Who the hell is Matt? And why is this particular piece worth quoting?

 

[canada94]

If we are going to ask people to leave the best places on earth, to go the worst places on earth and keep the peace and do it in the name of Canada, the least we can do is back them up with the gold card – Rick Mercer

My fav

 

[Michael OLeary]

Dunno if you mean this thread to be a place to complain about some of the "quotes" posted here, but this one annoys me to no end. Who the hell is Matt? And why is this particular piece worth quoting?

It's been removed. This is the risk taken by not having a process of review of submissions and confirmation of sources. We get to them when someone notices and brings them to our attention.

 

[Sythen]

It's been removed. This is the risk taken by not having a process of review of submissions and confirmation of sources. We get to them when someone notices and brings them to our attention.

Didn't mean it as a bash to the admins, just wish people would put a little actual thought into the submissions..

 

[Retired AF Guy]

Three of my favourites:

[When asked what is best in life] “To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.”

Conan of Cimmeria

 
"Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships
And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?
Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss."

The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe .

" The only war that I approved of was the Trojan War; it was fought over a woman and the men knew that they were fighting for."

William Lyon Phillips , sermon, 25 Jun 1933.

 

[mariomike]

Another of my favorites.
"Bomber Harris bounded up on the platform and his very first words were, "Most of you people won't be here in a few months. We are about to begin a series of raids that will demand the best from all of you. We know there will be tremendous losses, but it has to be done."
"The direct honest way Harris had answered brought a roar of approval from the crowd, and he went down in our books as a man you could trust."
RCAF 6 Group Stn Linton-on-Ouse, England. 408 Goose and 426 Thunderbird Squadrons . The 426 Squadron history confirms the date of the visit as 14 Sept 1943.
"Boys, bombs and Brussel sprouts: Flying for Canada with Bomber Command" 1981 by Doug Harvey, RCAF. pg 71-72.

 

[frank1515]

This next quote has been my favorite for a while.

"Never was so much owed, by so many, to so few."

-Sir Winston Churchill

Talking about the the pilots who won the Battle of Britain, which was also a turning point in the War.

 

[mariomike]

I am currently reading a biography of Oscar Levant.
He received his wartime draft notice and was sent to Governor's Island in New York for mental observation for three days, undergoing several sessions with a battery of psychiatrists.
"Do you think you can kill?", one of the brain specialists asked.
"I don't know about strangers, but friends, yes."

 

[Pusser]

For those interested, a good book on this subject (Dictionary of Military and Naval Quotations by Robert Debs Heini) can be found here:  http://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Military-Naval-Quotations-Robert/dp/0870211498