Military Quotes and One-Liners

[DocWard]

I was reading a model magazine and there was an article about building an F6F Hellcat. This particular author based it on the aircraft flown by Wilbur "Spider" Webb, who attacked and shot down six Japanese aircraft over Guam after sending the following radio message:

 

"Any American fighter near Orote Peninsula, I have forty Jap planes surrounded and need a little help."

 

So, I know there are many military quotes, humorous, dramatic, tragic, or just strange. What ones do you like?

[Elk Creek LeMieux]

Young soldier: "Hey, that guy over there is shooting at us!"

 

Crusty old soldier: "Well, shoot back buddy..."

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

I remember this from Basic Training. "Sarge, an artillery shell just landed 100 yards in front of me and another 100 yards behind me, what do I do?" Sarge: "Son, repeat after me, 'Our Father who art in Heaven, . . .'"

[BONEYARD BILL, SASS #39,030]

I always liked "smoke 'em if you got 'em - if you don't got 'em - don't smoke 'em".

 

And - who can forget "No ass No brammo - Sir".

[Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663]

SFC Hooks responding to how well we were doing: "My God! I've been completely surrounded and overrun by incompetence!"

 

 

CW2 Wooden's response to my complaining after I came in off a parameter machine gun position all soaking wet and cold.

Me: "Chief, my mother taught me better than to sit out in the cold rain."

Mr. Wooden: "Your mother taught you well. But just remember, there was an American soldier sitting out in the cold rain so she could."

[Harvey Mushman]

May Day 1898, Spanish American War, Battle of Manila Bay. Famous quote from Commodore Dewey to Captain Gridley, the captain of the USS Olympia: "You may fire when ready, Gridley!".

 

In the mid 50's a aged (75+) friend of my father who claimed to have been on the Olympia at the time, said that their gunnery practice had been so limited (and poor) in the peacetime before the event, that the second half of the quote was lost to history when the Olympia proved herself fully capable in the battle, won by the US.

 

His claim was that the entire quote was: "You may fire when ready, Gridley..... and I hope to hell you hit something!".

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Speaking of Captain Gridley, who died a mere month later, I found this note:

 

On May 25, Gridley was to begin his journey home One crewmen recorded the event as follows:

"He came up out of his cabin dressed in civilian clothes and was met by the rear admiral [

Dewey

] who extended him a most cordial hand. A look of troubled disappointment flitted across the captain's brow, but vanished when he stepped to the head of the gangway and, looking, over saw, not the launch, but a twelve-oared cutter manned entirely by officers of the

Olympia

. There were men in the boat who has not pulled a stroke for a quarter of a century. Old Glory was at the stern and a captain's silken coach-whip at the bow; and when Captain Gridley, beloved alike by officers and men, entered the boat, it was up oars, and all that, just as though they were common sailors who were to row him over to the

Zafiro

. When he sat down upon the handsome boat-cloth that was spread for him, he bowed his head, and his hands hid his face as First-Lieutenant Reese, acting coxswain, ordered, 'Shove off; out oars; give away!'Later in the day the lookout on the bridge reported, '

Zafiro

under way sir,' and the deck officer passed on the word until a little twitter from Pat Murray's pipe brought all the other bo's'ns around him, and in concert they sang out, 'Stand by to man the rigging!'Not the

Olympia

alone, but every other ship in the squadron dressed and manned, and the last we ever saw of our dear captain he was sitting on a chair out on the

Zafiro

's quarter-deck, apparently listening to the [

OLYMPIA

's] old band play."

[Bull Skinner]

My favorite was in a 2/8, 1st Cav. latrine in Ankhe in 1966.


PAVE VIETNAM.

[Ramblin Gambler]

And - who can forget "No ass No brammo - Sir".

My dad told me that one. I'm kind of surprised it was so common.

 

I'd share some of the others he told me, but the only other one I can think of that doesn't have any cuss words is about someone who was barely qualified to be a low speed yoyo operator ... and that just seems mean.

[Harvey Mushman]

 

Speaking of Captain Gridley, who died a mere month later, I found this note:

 

On May 25, Gridley was to begin his journey home One crewmen recorded the event as follows:

 

"He came up out of his cabin dressed in civilian clothes and was met by the rear admiral [Dewey] who extended him a most cordial hand. A look of troubled disappointment flitted across the captain's brow, but vanished when he stepped to the head of the gangway and, looking, over saw, not the launch, but a twelve-oared cutter manned entirely by officers of the Olympia. There were men in the boat who has not pulled a stroke for a quarter of a century. Old Glory was at the stern and a captain's silken coach-whip at the bow; and when Captain Gridley, beloved alike by officers and men, entered the boat, it was up oars, and all that, just as though they were common sailors who were to row him over to the Zafiro. When he sat down upon the handsome boat-cloth that was spread for him, he bowed his head, and his hands hid his face as First-Lieutenant Reese, acting coxswain, ordered, 'Shove off; out oars; give away!'Later in the day the lookout on the bridge reported, 'Zafirounder way sir,' and the deck officer passed on the word until a little twitter from Pat Murray's pipe brought all the other bo's'ns around him, and in concert they sang out, 'Stand by to man the rigging!'Not the Olympia alone, but every other ship in the squadron dressed and manned, and the last we ever saw of our dear captain he was sitting on a chair out on the Zafiro's quarter-deck, apparently listening to the [OLYMPIA's] old band play."

 

IIRC, Gridley had lost something like 100lbs in the couple months preceding and the doc's nowdays think he had liver cancer?

 

He stayed up something like 48hrs straight preceeding/during the battle.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

According to legend, when Chesty Puller was informed that his Marines were surrounded by Chi-Coms in Korea, he said,

"Good! We've got them right where we want them; we can shoot in any direction and hit them!"

[Branchwater Jack SASS #88854]

Forrest found himself and his troops completly surrounded at the battle of Parker's Crossroads when he gave the command to...

 

Charge 'em both ways!

[Elk Creek LeMieux]

What's that other old quote?

 

"My center is giving way. My left is in retreat. Situation excellent. I am attacking."

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

"Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes"

 

From Wikipedia

 

The famous order "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes" was popularized in stories about the battle of Bunker Hill. It is uncertain as to who said it there, since various histories, including eyewitness accounts,^[79] attribute it to Putnam, Stark, Prescott, or Gridley, and it may have been said first by one, and repeated by the others. It was also not an original statement. The idea dates originally to the general-king Gustavus Adolphus (1594 – 1632) who gave standing orders to his musketeers: "never to give fire, till they could see their own image in the pupil of their enemy's eye".^[80] Gustavus Adolphus's military teachings were widely admired and imitated and caused this saying to be often repeated. It was used by General James Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham, when his troops defeated Montcalm's army on September 13, 1759.^{[81][page needed]} The earliest similar quote came from the Battle of Dettingen on June 27, 1743, where Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw warned his Regiment, the Royal Scots Fusiliers, not to fire until they could "see the white of their e'en."^[82] The phrase was also used by Prince Charles of Prussia in 1745, and repeated in 1755 by Frederick the Great, and may have been mentioned in histories the colonial military leaders were familiar with.^[83] Whether or not it was actually said in this battle, it was clear that the colonial military leadership were regularly reminding their troops to hold their fire until the moment when it would have the greatest effect, especially in situations where their ammunition would be limited.^[84]

[Ruff]

If it moves salute it. If it don't move paint it.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

I once stopped over at Offutt AFB in Omaha. They had the world's best Officers Club and didn't seem to care that I was an Army officer.

 

In the lobby were posted tow items, one official and one less so.

 

"If there is another aircraft crashes on this base the pilot had better hope he dies in the wreckage." It was signed by Curtis LeMay.

 

Below it was,

 

"Don't give me an 86D

 

With rockets, radar, and AD.

 

It goes fast, I don't care.

 

It blows up in the air.

 

Don't give me an 86D."

[Backslidin']

I always liked "smoke 'em if you got 'em - if you don't got 'em - don't smoke 'em".

 

And - who can forget "No ass No brammo - Sir".

 

They always told us a little different version: "smoke 'em if you got 'em, bum 'em if you don't."

[Dusty Sometimes]

And don't forget:

 

To the German Commander,

Nuts

The American Commander

[Trailrider #896]

"Nuts!" - BGEN Anthony McCauliff, commanding the "Battling Bastards of Bastogne" when presented with a demand for surrender by Nazi forces surrounding Bastogne.

 

"Does the General want that airplane to burn?!" asked an incredulous airman when he saw Gen. Curtis Lemay with a cigar in his mouth near an aircraft on the ramp. The reply from another officer, "It wouldn't dare!" (Probably apocraphal, but oft repeated. Lemay wouldn't have had the cigar lit...I think!)

 

Variously attributed to a Marine general during WWI, when French troops were fleeing attacking Germans, or to Chesty Puller in Korea: "Retreat Hell! We just got here!" Also attributed to Puller at the Chosin Resevoir: "Don't forget, we're the First Marines, and no Chinese are going to overrun us!"

 

"There are two kinds of people on this (Omaha) beach... Those who are dead and those are going to be! Let's get the hell off the beach!" BGEN "Dutch" Kota.

 

Attributed to a Marine sergeant at Belleau Woods in WWI: "Comeon, you sonsabitches! Do you want to live forever?!"

 

Written under a cartoon carricature of a head with a big nose, looking down: "Kilroy was here!" Generally appeared all over the ETO and aboard ships. Originally attributed to an inspector at a naval shipyard in the days before QC stamps and horsepucky showing inspection of a job.

[SGT. QUINCANNON, SASS #32999]

Come on you Sons of B!tche$- do you want to live forever?

Dan Daily, Argonne Forest, 1918

[DocWard]

Attributed to a Marine sergeant at Belleau Woods in WWI: "Comeon, you sonsabitches! Do you want to live forever?!"

 

 

Come on you Sons of B!tche$- do you want to live forever?

Dan Daily, Argonne Forest, 1918

 

I had learned in European History a similar quote attributed to Frederick the Great of Prussia, variously as "Dogs / Rogues / Rascals, do you want to live forever?"

[DocWard]

"They hate the cans! Stay away from the cans!" Attributed to SGT Tim Wilkinson during the Battle of Mogadishu, quoting "The Jerk."

[Ramblin Gambler]

"any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed."

"If it wasn't for those damn Yanks, we could have kept the war going another 10 years."

 

-Jack Churchill. I bet he had a lot of good quotable quotes, but I can't find them. He fought in WW2 and went into battle with a longbow and claybeg. He was the last one known to have killed someone in action with a bow and arrow, and he led his troops into battle playing a bagpipe.

[DocWard]

"any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed."

"If it wasn't for those damn Yanks, we could have kept the war going another 10 years."

 

-Jack Churchill. I bet he had a lot of good quotable quotes, but I can't find them. He fought in WW2 and went into battle with a longbow and claybeg. He was the last one known to have killed someone in action with a bow and arrow, and he led his troops into battle playing a bagpipe.

 

That's John "Mad Jack" Churchill, no relation to the PM. When he was captured by Germans, he was sitting, playing his bagpipes.

 

There's a picture of him coming ashore, sword in hand:

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=mad+jack+churchill&es_sm=91&tbm=isch&imgil=u1xwnGTMgJAunM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcSIn_ieWt6scAR55G96CmzbEk65aDMxdnWEvJ6OV7cb5OB_NskLAQ%253B1003%253B643%253BYKHQtOpDL910iM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fen.wikipedia.org%25252Fwiki%25252FJack_Churchill&source=iu&usg=__tkjJcJI2HmAg-K6-ogv5VvlQdGc%3D&sa=X&ei=1n5qU7eoGsGbyATWyoEQ&ved=0CD4Q9QEwAg#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=u1xwnGTMgJAunM%253A%3BYKHQtOpDL910iM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fupload.wikimedia.org%252Fwikipedia%252Fcommons%252Fd%252Fd2%252FJack_Churchill_leading_training_charge_with_sword.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fen.wikipedia.org%252Fwiki%252FJack_Churchill%3B1003%3B643

[Elk Creek LeMieux]

"Run away! Save yourselves!"

 

Courtesy of an EOD guy as he crouched behind a ballistic shield laughing hysterically. There were grenades cooking off inside a burning vehicle.

[Sparky Nelson]

"Run away! Save yourselves!"

 

Courtesy of an EOD guy as he crouched behind a ballistic shield laughing hysterically. There were grenades cooking off inside a burning vehicle.

 

From The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries:

 

Maxim 2: A Sergeant in motion outranks a Lieutenant who doesn't know what's going on.

 

Maxim 3: An ordnance technician at a dead run outranks everybody.

[Branchwater Jack SASS #88854]

Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead!

[Elk Creek LeMieux]

 

 

From The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries:

 

Maxim 2: A Sergeant in motion outranks a Lieutenant who doesn't know what's going on.

 

Maxim 3: An ordnance technician at a dead run outranks everybody.

Outstanding!

[Elk Creek LeMieux]

 

 

From The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries:

 

Maxim 2: A Sergeant in motion outranks a Lieutenant who doesn't know what's going on.

 

Maxim 3: An ordnance technician at a dead run outranks everybody.

Also from your link...

 

Maxim 22. If you can see the whites of their eyes, somebody's done something wrong.

 

Win!

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

If you find yourself in a fair fight, you've done something wrong.

[Noz]

Frequently posted around big gun units.

"Artillery lends dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl!"

[Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663]

"NUTS!"

[Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795]

" There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today". British commander at the Battle of Jutland after a couple of battle cruisers blew sky high. (Not protected from plunging shells)

[El Sabre]

From a fellow fighter jock, but it has cross service applicability: "Don't never pass up an opportunity to keep yer mouth shut."

[Sparky Nelson]

"Don't never pass up an opportunity to keep yer mouth shut."

 

I think we have a winner.