One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer

Do nothing but be prepared to do anything.

Strong combat leadership is never by committee. Platoon commanders must command, and command in battle isn't based on consensus. It's based on consent. Any leader wields only as much authority and influence as is conferred by the consent of those he leads. The Marines allowed me to be their commander, and they could revoke their permission at any time.

Complex ideas must be made simple, or they'll remain ideas and never be put into action.

Tell me what to do, not how to do it.' Decentralize command and allow subordinates to operate freely within the framework of the commander's intent. Train them as a team. Develop trust, loyalty, initiative.

You can’t volunteer to go to war and then bitch about getting shot at.

Great Marine commanders, like all great warriors, are able to kill that which they love most -- their men.

I thought I was losing my mind. The only way I knew I was still sane was that I thought I might be going crazy. Surely, that awareness meant I was sane. Crazy people think they're sane. Only sane people can thing they're crazy. I was reduced to taking comfort in a tautology.

VJ had gone to the Naval Academy, where he competed as a powerlifter and developed a distaste for military customs such as short hair and addressing people by rank.

The rule of captivity is to bend, not break.

Worst of all were the accolades and thanks from people "for what you guys did over there." Thanks for what, I wanted to ask—shooting kids, cowering in terror behind a berm, dropping artillery on people's homes?

Marine training is essentially a psychological battle against the instinct for self-preservation.

Tactical catastrophes are rarely the outcome of a single poor decision. Small compromises incrementally close off options until a commander is forced into actions he would never choose freely.

Safety is paramount.” “If safety were paramount,” Whitmer declared, “we’d stay in the barracks and play pickup basketball. Good training is paramount.

You’re quoted as saying, ‘The bad news is, we won’t get much sleep tonight; the good news is, we get to kill people.’” She paused, as if waiting for me to disavow the quote. I was silent, and she went on. “We have a retired Army officer on our staff, and he warned me that there are people who enjoy killing, and they aren’t nice to be around. Could you please explain your quote for me?” “No, I cannot.” “Well, do you really feel that way?” Her tone was earnest, almost pleading. “You mean, will I climb your clock tower and pick people off with a hunting rifle?” It was her turn to be silent. “No, I will not. Do I feel compelled to explain myself to you? I don’t.

We learned that indecision is a decision, that inaction has a cost all its own. Good commanders act and create opportunities. Great commanders ruthlessly exploit those opportunities

The Marines,' my dad said, 'will teach you everything I love you too much to teach you.

Infantry Marines live only and forever in the real world.

The Marine transformation is one of American life's storied tests.