Marine general "counseled" for remarks

**TheRemote** · Posted On: 2/03/2005 1:46pm

By Scott Foster
NBC News
Updated: 11:44 a.m. ET Feb. 3, 2005
The head of the Marine Corps on Thursday said he had counseled a Marine general who "often speaks with a great deal of candor" — a reference to comments in which the general said "it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot" the enemy in Afghanistan. The commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Michael Hagee, issued a written statement in response to those comments, praising Lt. Gen. James Mattis' bravery and military experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying that Mattis was trying to reflect the "unfortunate and harsh realities of war."
Mattis, who is now based in Quantico, Va., where he is in charge of the Marine Corps combat development, made the comments Tuesday at a panel discussion in San Diego attended by 200 defense personnel and experts.
Mattis, a former commander of the First Marine Division known for his "off the cuff" remarks, talked about operations in Afghanistan, saying, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil ... you know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."
Near the beginning of his speech, which covered military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mattis said, "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know it's a hell of a hoot. I like brawling."
Hagee stated that "I have counseled him concerning his remarks and he agrees he should have chosen his words mare carefully ... I remain confident that he will continue to serve this nation with dedication and distinction."

MSNBC article

I don't see a problem. Its alot more fun to do the shooting.

**Zing!** · Posted On: 2/03/2005 2:32pm

They're punishing someone for being a product of the structure they've created. Sweet irony.

**Zing!** · Posted On: 2/03/2005 2:43pm

I understand that they're punishing him for making the army look like a bunch of crazy people who enjoy violence. I'm saying that it's a problem that the armed forces systematically train people to abandon human compassion and kill without remorse. He (probably) said those things because he is a product of that training system.

And for people who are going to inevitably spit this back in my face: no, I can't think of a better way to train a group of people to kill.

**TheRemote** · Posted On: 2/03/2005 2:49pm

The only punishment here is a public statement about a tongue lashing that probably never happened.

**Hawkeye** · Posted On: 2/03/2005 7:20pm

****, I know the man is a General but this sounds like the response of an enlisted man. I bet the enlisted Marines under him probably love, fear and respect him. This is one of the reasons why I like Marines more than the majority of the regular Army.

Thank God for the United States Marine Corps.