Men Against Fire Quotes

“And so the final and greatest reality, that national strength lies only in the hearts and spirits of men. The Army, Navy, and Air Force are not the guardians of the national security. The tremendous problem of the future is beyond their capacity to solve. The search begins at the cradle where the mother makes the decision, either to tie her child to her apron strings or to rear him as a man. It continues through the years of schooling when children are taught either to place personal interests uppermost or to think in terms of their responsibility toward their society, their country, and all of mankind. It carries into the halls of government where our lawmakers may vote either to awaken our youth to a new understanding of duty or to continue the indulgent course which is more likely to find favor with the majority of their constituents.”
― S.L. A. Marshall, Men Against Fire: The Problem of Battle Command

“It is never a waste of time for the commander to talk to his people about their problems; more times than not, the problem will seem small to him, but so long as it looms large to the man, it cannot be dismissed with a wave of the hand. He will grow in the esteem of his men as he treats their affairs with respect.”
― S.L. A. Marshall, Men Against Fire: The Problem of Battle Command

“thinking initiative.” This is its meaning: It is the soldier acting on his own to advise others of his tactical situation or conveying any other information which may be of general benefit in furthering the tactical situation of the company or in enlisting the aid of others in carrying out any action which will benefit the tactical situation of the company.”
― S.L. A. Marshall, Men Against Fire: The Problem of Battle Command

“Now I would point out that the long-range jockeying of the lower echelons is not a genuine quest for information in the majority of cases. It is simply a search for mental easement via the telephone. It contributes little or nothing to understanding of the actual situation and it rarely contributes anything to tactical progress. In operations the object of any valid quest for information from the top down is to see what may be done to help. The application of a senseless pressure — and by that I mean a pressure which is at variance with the odds of the contest along the fighting line — serves only to destroy the confidence and wear the nerves of subordinates.”
― S.L. A. Marshall, Men Against Fire: The Problem of Battle Command

“The greater becomes the emphasis on weapons whose destructive power is aimed at the civil society, the more certain it is that the battlefield will continue as the area of final decision in war.”
― S.L. A. Marshall, Men Against Fire: The Problem of Battle Command