Downrange: An Informal Report on a trip to Afghanistan with Marine Gen. James N. Mattis

Part One of Four

1. Jim Mattis is a four-star Marine general. He doesn't go out of his way to be quotable; he just can't help himself.  Here, from Iraq 2004, are his instructions to the Marines under his command on how to conduct themselves with the natives they will encounter.

Gen. Mattis in Marjah, Helmand province, 28 Feb 2010

Be polite.  Be professional.  But have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

In the first battle of Fallouja, Gen. Mattis commanded the Marines assigned to take the city...