The Last Lieutenant (Todd Ingram, #1)

by John J. Gobbell

"Do you know what the Chinese say about this?" "No." "It's one of their proverbs. 'He who strikes the first blow, loses the quarrel.'"

So, I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes a man who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by a man who did not toil for it. Ecclesiastes 2:20-23

When a man has nothing to do, it means that he has nothing in which to believe; and lacking belief, he has no will, or need for will; and lacking this, he ceases to be a man. John Keats, They Fought Alone Lippencott, 1963

"Todd, what's all this about brave? None of us are brave. We just do what we have to do."

The function of command is rightly considered a great honor. But command without the means or the authority to fulfill it, is a bitter cup. I think that our political leaders often fail to appreciate this. Brigadier General Bradford G. Chynoweth, Commander, Central Philippine Forces, Upon receiving General Wainwright's orders to surrender, May 6, 1942

Probably the most valuable thing I learned [from World War II] was that American lads wanted to know only three things: that the job they were given to do was worthwhile, that the sacrifices they made were appreciated, and that they had a fair chance of survival. General James H. Doolittle