Notice: All quotes have been screened to be sure that the language is acceptable to our viewers of all ages., Some have been altered so they can appear on this site.
Characterizing Eisenhower's secretary of state, Mr. John Foster Dulles, as quote: "the only bull I know who carries his china cabinet around with him" (Winston Churchill said this).
"We must trade time for space, hold the high ground as long as possible. Defend in depth. Keep a reserve. Watch your flanks. Protect your artillery. Maintain communications as all costs. Don't get decisively engaged." (Gen. Walton Walker, Korea)
"We win here or lose everywhere; if we win here, we improve the chances of winning everywhere." (Gen. MacArthur in Korea)
A story with humor: General S,,,, told this story: One night Patton came in with a bottle of brandy and said, " Let's have a nightcap. " We drank and talked. Patton said. " Well, here we all are under Eisenhower and Bradley, both six years our junior. Hodges flunked out of West Point Class of ought-eight and had to enlist and now he commands First Army. I was turned back from ought -eight. and it took me five years to graduate- with ought-nine-but I command Third Army. You came out 2nd from the bottom in our class in ought-nine and you command Ninth Army. Isn't it peculiar that three old farts like us should be carrying the ball for those two son-of-b,,,,,?".
"The only way to judge a fight is to see the troops in action." (Gen. MacArthur in Korea)
"We are not retreating -- we are advancing in another direction. " (Gen. MacArthur).
"I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it." (Harry S. Truman said this)
"We must build a new world, a far better world -- one in which the eternal dignity of man is respected ".(Harry S. Truman said this)
"All my life, whenever it comes time to make a decision, I make it and forget about it " .(Harry S. Truman said this)
"Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die." (Joe Louis said this)
"I am not going to tremble like a psychopath before the Russians and I am not going to surrender our rights or the rights of the South Koreans." (Harry S. Truman)
"May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't. (Gen. George S. Patton Jr.)
"They"re vulnerable to the valor of ignorance." (Gen. George S. Patton Jr.)
"Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men." (Gen. George S. Patton Jr.)
"If you can't get them to salute when they should salute and wear the clothes you tell them to wear, how are you going to get them to die for their country?" (Gen. George S. Patton Jr.)
"Senior leaders must focus on where rather than how to defeat an enemy." (Gen. George S. Patton Jr.)
"Once you've decided, don't delay. The best is the enemy of the good... a good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan next week." (Gen. George S. Patton Jr.)
"Have your exec get your company ready to move on a moment's notice. You report to the battalion right away." (this was said many times in combat, to the CO. of a Co. or Bn.)
"No ground gained was ever relinquished." (Gen. Gavin's 82nd Airborne boast after Normandy WW2.)
"I cannot understand it, what has happened." (Hitler in the Crisis of 1943)
"It was now just a question of time-- and lives." (FM. Gerd Von Rundstedt)
"I strongly object to the fact that this stupid operation in the Ardennes is sometimes called the 'Rundstedt offensive'. This is a complete misnomer. I had nothing to do with it. It came to me as an order complete to the last detail. Hitler had even written on the plan in his own handwriting " not to be altered." (Field-Marshall Von Rundstedt)
"Don't give an inch until I approve it." (This was a Colonel giving an order to a line officer that was almost surrounded, then leaving.)
"I give you my word." (German Kampfgruppe Peiper statement to an American officer, who was a prisoner along with some 100 Americans still held by Peiper. That he would treat all prisoners of war according to the Geneva Convention, this was after the massacre at Malmedy, Belgium.)
"Make peace, you fools." (Runstedt called Hitler's headquarters, and reported the battle situation to a staff officer, he answered, What shall we do? this was Runstedt's answer.)
"Hold on as long as possible." (Hitler's orders to his armies on the Russian front.)
" Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate". Somebody said it.
"We fight and die here." (Major Gendron, 26th Infantry at Butgenbach, Belgium.)
" Rather, we thank God that such men lived " (Said by Gen. Patton 6 months before his death, in speech he gave in Boston, it was wrong to mourn the soldiers who die during war.)
" Victory will be decided by those possessing the highest attributes of courage and loyalty. I can promise that I shall never ask any man to undergo risks which I, myself do not incur." (Said by General Patton.)
Winston Churchill before the invasion of Italy in World War 2, Used this term to describe Italy, " The Soft Underbelly" meaning that it would not prove to be hard for the Allies to overrun Italy. This understatement would become a grim joke, Italy proved to be a hard fight and have a jagged edge.
22 June 1941: Hitler said over the German radio: " I have decided again today," is to place the fate and future of the Reich and our people in the hands of our soldiers". (what he did not tell them is that he was a poor military leader. He had a staff of great Generals, but would not take their advice on many occasions ).
In Roosevelt's address to Congress on 6 January 1941, he set forth the cause of the democracies in these immortal words: " In the future days which we seek to make secure, we look forward for a world founded upon the four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression-everywhere in the world, The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way-everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from what you want-which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peaceful life for its inhabitants-everywhere in the world. The fourth is freedom from fear-which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion, that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of aggression against any neighbor-anywhere in the world.
Good Question: Sgt. Kilroy you volunteered, would you do it if you had it all to do over.
Answer: Yes,
Why?
Answer: At that time all my friends were going, it was a time when most everyone was patriotic, of course there were some draft dodgers even then, and claims of problems to stay out of the service, but generally most wanted to serve, it was a different time. But there came a time, on our first combat mission, when I looked down into the valley that we were headed for and seen all the shooting down there, then I wondered " what the hell am I doing here" Those were not good days.
Questions: Have you heard that the 2nd Armored is being resurrected?
Answer: Yes it is, for use by the National Guard units. this reported in December that they will be a part of the III Corps at either Ft. Carson, CO. or Fort Riley, KA., both under the command of the III Corps. also the 24th Infantry is under similar orders. They will be under the command of a 2 Star General. This a new and changing army.
Question: Did you take basic training like the other men that entered the army ?
Answer: yes and no, I was immediately shipped to the Cavalry in Kansas and worked in the stables for 3 months, and done some close order drill and learned how to ride a horse.
Question: who do you consider to be the outstanding Allied General's of WW 2 ?
Answer: This is a hard question, there are so many that it would be an injustice to just name a few, and leave other's out that I consider to be just as good. I always wondered why nobody ever asked what are the names of some great privates, they were out there too, they were even up front fighting the enemy. (I said great, not somebody famous) When the enemy gets you in his sights he don't care if you are outstanding, or great, or famous, he shoots to kill.
Question: Did you like the food in the army ?
Answer: sometimes, but mostly no
Question: Did you like the British people ?. Did you think that Winston Churchill was a great leader of the English people during World War 2 ?
Answer: yes to both questions.
Question: Did you like the German people?
Answer: Not while we were in combat, they put Hitler in power, we didn't, so they must share the blame for the mistreatment and death of many Jewish people. Also for all the other lives that were lost in World War 2. Don't forget all the people that lost everything, homes, property, the lives of their loved ones. You can't bring back what we lost, its all gone, but we can be sure that this will not happen again for us and our children and their children.
Question: Do you think that the government of Switzerland has been forthright in the disclosure of their part in receiving stolen assets from the Nazi during WW 2?
Answer: No I do not, they have failed to convince me that they held an honorable position during the war years, too much underhanded maneuvering here. We need a full disclosure on all of the stolen assets that passed into that country, they should be held accountable. You can claim to be neutral, but then you must be neutral. Also our country should divulge, when they knew and what they knew about this.
Question: Did you like your army boots, issued to you overseas?
Answer: The raw rough ones, the leather was so stiff it rubbed your ankles, it never did get any softer. Whatever the army paid for these boots it was too much. They were miserable, they never got any better..
Question: Were you paid very good?
Answer: No, but then we had no place to spend it
Question: Was it cold in the Ardennes?
Answer: What do you think, it was December and January.
Question: Can you describe combat?
Answer: I do not think that anyone can do this, you have to live it to know what it is like.
Question: Do you think the Gulf War veterans are receiving fair treatment from the government?
Answer: No
Question: Do you think that women could serve in any branch of the service, even the infantry?
Answer: Yes
Question: Do you think that they should be placed in the draft in a wartime emergency?
Answer: Yes.
Question: do you think that women should take basic training with men?
Answer: No, trained, then assigned to whatever branch they are best suited for, just like the men.
Question: Why don't you have any Women's Army Corps. history listed on your 2nd Armored units page, surely there were women in the 2nd Armored Division.
Answer: No one has stepped forward, we welcome all, don't forget all the nurses, the Red Cross, the USO, and the women on the home front.
Question: Did they give you earplugs in basic training, when you were at the firing range?
Answer: No, that is why almost all WW 2 veterans have trouble hearing.
Question: When you were in the tank turret firing the 75 how. did they give you any ear protection?
Answer: No,
Question: Does your WW 2 Ike Jacket and OD trousers still fit, do the boots still fit?.
Answer: oh no. yes the boots still fit.
Question: Did you have training on the weapon you carried in combat?
Answer: No, but sure learned real quick in combat.
Question: Did you ever wonder what you were fighting for?
Answer: Sometimes, but who cares when you are being shot at by everything the enemy has including artillery, you name it. you're thinking about just surviving at that moment, the hell with tomorrow.
Question: Does all this come back to you at any time?
Answer: yes, yes, yes.
Question: Were you glad to get home?
Answer: sure was.
Question: Do you ever see your old army buddies?
Answer: Generally if I go to a battalion or company reunion, I will see them.
Question: Do you talk about the old times, and the times you were in combat ?
Answer: Yes we do sometimes, but it is sometimes hard to talk about those days, they were emotional periods of time, and we still have a very vivid memory of the events, where we lost members in combat, it is generally the case that we try to talk about some of the good times we had. And we had them.
Question: Did you ever go back , to the countries you went through on your advance to Berlin?
Answer: Yes a few times, the last in September of 1999. I dedicated that trip to the mission of seeing if I could get some of the towns and villages in France and Belgium and Holland to erect memorials to the men of our unit that gave their lives so that we could all enjoy the freedom we have today. I especially wanted their names to be known to all, even though they are not here, we must never forget, and especially the generations now and later will know that someone died to keep us free.
Question: Do you like war correspondents?
Answer: No.
Why? Mostly because I never seen many that were not all wrapped up in warm fur lined jackets and trousers and boots, we were freezing, they were warm and they got paid a lot more money than us and could stay in a warm place at night almost every night. So most of them, no I do not care for. You might say well that is way it goes, well it can go that way and I still don't like most of them.