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 09
November 2001
Mt. Fuji Marine Ball, Japan
New Sanno Hotel, Tokyo
Good evening Col. Donigan, Mayor Nagishi, (list of eight
distinguished guests), and Friends of our Corps,
17 November 2001
U.S. Embassy Marine Ball, Shanghai, China
Good Evening Mr. Ambassador, Gen Ghromley, distinguished
guests, and friends of our Corps,
Happy Birthday, Marines! I'm very honored and humbled that you would ask
Stephanie and I [sic] to join you tonight as we celebrate 226 years of
honorable and distinguished service of our Corps.
For our guests that have never worn the uniform of a U.S. Marine, I ask
your forgiveness in advance. Although we are delighted that you have
chosen to share this occasion with us, the next few minutes will be
addressed primarily to my fellow Marines. You see, for the better part of
two and a quarter centuries, wherever so many as two Marines are gathered,
they take the opportunity to toast the Corps and to reflect upon our rich
heritage.
Marines know, remember and celebrate their birthday unlike any other
service. Tradition is important to us. There is not a single Marine on
earth today that can't tell you the birth date of our Corps. It is
ingrained from the first weeks of Boot Camp, OCS, and The Basic School.
This is a tradition we will proudly carry forward.
Several months ago when I was asked to speak here, I had already begun to
formulate notes of what I wanted to tell you. I had planned to tell you of
the sacrifices Marines I've known that allows us to call America, the
greatest nation on earth today, "home." I planned to have you
quietly reconfirm your commitment to your God, Country, and Corps.
The attack on America has changed that and I feel the need to focus my
remarks in a different direction. As Commander of the Anti-Terrorism/Force
Protection Group for Seventh Fleet, I am briefed extensively everyday
regarding the threat we now face both at home as well as abroad. I feel
that it is important for me to take this opportunity to discuss some of
the issues that will have impact on you as Marines. Most of the
information and intelligence we receive is classified, but not so much as
for what is said, but rather to protect its source. What I'll share with
you this evening is "open source" information, and is not
classified, but I believe necessary for you to know and understand.
Some of what I will say to you tonight may make you uncomfortable. I make
no apologies for that.
In a war such as we find ourselves now, it is critically important that we
"know our enemy." Because of our gross lack of direct
involvement and language skills in the mid-East, we know little about this
threat except what we have heard directly from them. What we have heard
from them is disturbing.
Much of the Moslem world was dancing in the streets when they saw the twin
towers of WTC fall and the Pentagon ablaze. You wonder why there could be
such a burning hatred in a people against a country that has helped all
other countries with aid and assistance more than any other, bar none. You
wonder why the terrorist's dedication is so complete, that there are many
waiting in line to give their lives in suicidal attacks to attain
martyrdom?
Many have studied the history, interests, goals and mindset of these
people. I doubt that we could ever fully understand the WHY of these acts
and the perverted thought process that caused them to do these things. At
this point, trying to understand "why" is not nearly as
important as understanding that, unless stopped, they will do it again and
again and again. The threat is real and continuing. Although we are now
enjoying military successes in much of Afghanistan, the threat has spread
world-wide and we have not begun to see the end of such acts on American
soil and icons of American presence or interests thorough out the rest of
the world.
The media often refers to the terrorists as cowards. I disagree. A coward
would not knowingly conduct a suicidal act just to harm you and your
beliefs. Would you commit suicide to kill some of them? These terrorists
are street smart, they have a clear mission, and they will readily give
their lives if they can take you with them.
In order for us to ensure that it doesn't happen again, we must understand
their goals. Their desired end-state is to have a singular Moslem world,
led by them. Clearly stated, they will not rest until all non-believers
(in their eyes, that means you and me and our families and friends) have
been killed and totally eradicated from the earth. They don't want to try
to change your hearts and minds - they want you DEAD.
It is hard to imagine how such a small, barren "nothing" of a
country could have had such a huge impact on the United States and the
entire free world. They have little commerce or natural resources. They
have a system of government that only a very small percentage of the
world's population would ever want to live under. They want only the men
educated, and they want absolute control of everyone's daily routines,
actions and even thoughts. They want to subordinate women to a role in
which nothing but their eyes can ever be shown and they have no employment
or social status other than to bear children for their husbands. Their
end-state is absolutely contrary to the life style we enjoy in the Western
world. They have a twisted way or rationalizing their deeds and are trying
to convince themselves and others that they are doing this in the name of
"God."
They have no great well-trained, highly organized army or large stockpiles
of high tech weapons. To accomplish their goals, they have found the seams
in our country that has been so open, receptive and available to all
people of different colors, faiths, beliefs and cultures. They have used
our own resources as weapons of mass destruction against us.
Now comes the problem of how deal with the Al Quata, the Taliban, Osama
Bin Laden, and like minded terrorist groups. They deal in threats and
violence. Violence is one of the few things they understand. Our job
within the U.S. military, especially as Marines, is tough and going to be
tougher. If we want to continue to live our lives with the freedoms we
have enjoyed for so many years, we must destroy these terrorists. They
have made that task more difficult by hiding combatants and weapons of war
in and amongst innocent civilians.
It bothers them not in the least if we kill civilians while trying to
destroy them. In fact, when that occurs, it follows along with their
overall plan. They are always calculating how to use any action we take
against them to their own advantage.
As our Commander in Chief has so frequently stated, routing them out is
not an easy task. It will take time, coordinated efforts of many, and use
of the full spectrum of our military power from the air, sea, and
certainly the use of ground forces. All of which will require the efforts
of U. S. Marines.
It is often asked if America has the stomach for a protracted war and the
potential loss of American servicemen. I'll tell you that we have no other
option. We have to be in this for the long haul. Unlike any other war we
have participated in within the last century, if we don't win, the end
state they plan to accomplish is to have your home town be just like one
of the many towns in Afghanistan or any of the other towns or countries
that end in "stan" today. They will continue to perform such
terrorists acts as they did on 11 Sept until they have accomplished their
goal, or they are no longer in existence.
As we look back on that fateful day of 11 September, I can't help but
believe that there would be more than 5000 Americans alive today if there
had been so much as a single Marine aboard each of those flights that hit
the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. You see, all of us are products
of our training. Marines are trained to be swift, violent and
overwhelmingly deadly. I just CAN NOT imagine a Marine sitting in his seat
and simply hoping that the terrorists would not kill him or his fellow
passengers. Marines are trained to be observant and pro-active.
What I CAN imagine is the resourcefulness of any Marine confronted with
such a situation. From telephone calls received from the planes during the
high-jacking, the terrorist simply had box cutters for weapons. BOX
CUTTERS! From close combat training and much practical application,
Marines are taught to lose a finger or two if necessary to take weapons
away from the assailant in order to save lives of others, their own life
and kill the aggressor.
Lack of a gun or a knife does not mean that Marines are without weapons.
Marines know how to make weapons out of whatever resources are available.
A guitar string, boot lace, medical tape, plastic closing line can be used
as a garrote; a pot of hot coffee over the head, a match or lighter under
a can of hair spray as a flame thrower, a chemical fire extinguisher used
as a club or to freeze the assailant's face. A ballpoint pen driven into
the enemies' eyes or ears. The list could go on and on and is only limited
by one's imagination. The point is, if a Marine identifies danger, by his
training experience he has both the right and responsibility to take
immediate action.
Yes, if a Marine was on each of those flights, they still might have
crashed, but I just don't believe that they would have ever reached their
intended targets.
Unfortunately, not even all American's love the Marine Corps, its mission,
and what it has done and can do for the American people. Over the past
years, there has been a concerted effort of non-Marines to make our Corps
more Politically Correct. These people have a social agenda that they feel
is more important than national security. I ask you to fight this to the
end. Political correctness is more than partly responsible for many of the
problems we have today.
When I say we should steer clear of political correctness, I'm not
advocating that we should be anything but fair and courteous to all of our
fellow citizens and mankind. Everybody should be treated with kindness and
respect -- until they have proven to be unworthy of it. My concern is that
in the name of political correctness, we just don't "call 'em as we
see 'em." Marines should never be trained to accommodate the weakest
or those that just can't "hack" it. We should always strive to
be harder, smarter, and more lethal than our adversaries. Marines should
not be taught to "feel good" because they have achieved the
minimum of anything, they should only feel good when they have
accomplished what was thought to be impossible by others.
On the 13th on November 1997, Sara E. Lister, the Army's top personnel
official and the Pentagon's most ardent advocate of women in combat, in a
public forum called the Marines "extremists" and "a little
dangerous."
Mrs. Lister, the assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve
affairs also belittled the Marine Corps uniform and even the way we wear
our hair.
"I think the Army is much more connected to society than the Marines
are." Mrs. Lister told an Oct. 26 seminar. "The Marines are
extremists." "Whenever you have extremists, you've got some
risks of total disconnection with society, and that's a little
dangerous."
Then Commandant Charles Krulak immediately inquired if her statements were
correctly quoted and if she stood behind them. She acknowledged that they
were. Gen Krulak made a public statement saying that such a statement
"would summarily dismiss 222 years of sacrifice and dedication to the
nation. It would dishonor the hundreds of thousands of Marines whose blood
has been shed in the name of freedom. Honor, Courage, and Commitment are
NOT extreme."
The next day, the Speaker of the House sent a letter to the President
demanding Lister's immediate dismissal.
24 hours later, Lister, whom insiders had expected would one day be the
next choice for Secretary of the Army, resigned and has to this day not
been a representative of any military organization or institution.
I tell you this story because although defined much differently, I believe
that Marines are indeed extremists. They are EXTREMELY proud of their
Country and Corps. They will fight to the death to defend them. They are
also EXTREMELY well trained. They have chosen a life that is not easy. A
life that few would seek. A life of EXTREME public service. It is for
these extreme reasons that Corps is what it is today.
The Marine Corps is not the place for social experimentation. Let others
do that. Doing so runs great risk of fracturing our war fighting
capability.
With that said, due to the events of 11 September, I think the American
public in general and even many of those special interest groups are
rethinking what they want their military to be and do. Marines are in
uniform for one reason. That is to defend the America and our way of life.
That often means being very violent in a very ugly business. We CAN NOT
become soft when there is not an urgent pressing of conflict. We must be
even stronger when others are cutting forces and capabilities. America
demands it of us.
We shouldn't be surprised at the events over the last couple of months.
Much too often in our not so distant past, we have elected officials that
put self above nation. We sacrificed a strong intelligence community. Our
armed forces were diminished both in size and capability. We were force
fed programs to "feel good about ourselves" rather than prepare
for war, causing an environment in which we were caught off guard. We
became an easy target.
We are a country awakened now. We have been attacked in our homeland. We
have now felt the reality of just what a dangerous and unstable world it
is in which we live. But, even now, after all we have endured in the past
couple of months, there are those who choose to take this opportunity to
protest our actions of retaliation and retribution and even burn our flag.
Yes, Marines, we are charged with protecting these people too. They are
weak and cowardly, and when the enemy comes crashing through the front
door, they will cower in the back room, counting on better men than
themselves to make and keep them free. Well, the enemy is at our door now,
and isn't it interesting that those who cry loudest and most often for
their rights, are usually those least willing to defend it.
There was a student interviewed on one of the major news networks shortly
after we began to strike Afghanistan. He said that war simply wasn't in
his plans and if the draft was re-instated he would head to Canada.
Defending his country just wasn't in his plans. I wonder if it was in the
plans of the young men and women that went to Vietnam, Korea, the European
Theater, China, Burma, India and the Pacific Campaigns? I guess all that
did not come back home had their plans re-arranged. The people working in
the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the terrifically brave
fire-fighters, and policemen that tried to rescue them had their plans
more than a bit changed.
Marines know that Freedom isn't free. It requires vigilance, sacrifice,
and sometimes war, to preserve life as we have come to know it.
I'm also concerned that there are people, American citizens, who feel that
it is inappropriate to wear a flag on their lapel because they are on the
news or in a public position. There are school officials that want to
remove pro-American stickers and signs in order not to offend anyone. I'm
offended that these people call themselves American. I'm offended that
thousands of innocent Americans, as well as other citizens of the world,
were killed in a mass attack on unspeakable proportions.
Even with all our warts, America is still the greatest nation on earth
today.
I'm pleased with the way our Commander in Chief is handling the response
to the attack. The response is not a "knee jerk" reaction of
throwing a few missiles into Afghanistan and declaring victory. I'm glad
that he has refused to negotiate with the Taliban and any known
terrorists. The only way we should negotiate with such terrorists is with
our knee in their chest and a K-Bar at their throat.
Many people are unfamiliar with this way of thinking, and shrink from its
ramifications. Not U.S. Marines. War is a messy business, and there are
many that want no part of it, but yet will rush to bask in the security
blanket of its victory. There has been pressure from several nations
urging us to halt combat operations during Ramadan? ABSOLUTELY NOT! We
would be a fool to do so. Past conflicts have taught us the importance of
not accepting partial victory.
You know, I pity those poor souls that live their entire lives in our
great country and grow old without ever contributing to our countries
collective well being. Fortunately for you Marines and our country, you
are not among them.
History will judge us. How we confront this chapter of American history
will be important for the future of this great nation. This will be a war
like none other we have endured. The combatants will not just be the
soldier on the battlefront, but will be fought by the citizens as well.
The outcome of this war will be determined by how well we remain vigilant,
how patient we are with tightened security, how well we support the
economy, and most importantly, the resolve we show the enemy. There are
some things worth fighting for. Our country is one of them.
We have much to do, Marines. Train hard, take care of your fellow Marines,
and proceed at best speed.
Happy Birthday, Marines
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