"As I looked at the stains on the coral, I recalled some of the eloquent phrases of politicians and newsmen, about how 'gallant' it is for a man to 'shed his blood for his country,' and 'to give his life's blood as a sacrifice,' and so on. The words seemed so ridiculous. Only the flies benefited." - With the Old Breed by Eugene B. Sledge, pg. 146
"Of my battalion—a force of some fifteen hundred men—there remained but twenty-eight effectives when the command came for the last assault on that honeycomb of caves and pillboxes which the Japanese had carved into Bloody Nose Ridge—in men and blood and agony the most costly spit of land in the wide Pacific. When the command came, they rose from their holes like shades from sepulchers… and advanced. They could not run, they could barely walk—and they dragged their weapons. But they obeyed, and they attacked. They were taken from the line on the brink of collapse." - Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie, pg. 299
"For the men of K/3/5, their thirty days in hell not only cemented lasting friendships but became the catalyst for an almost spiritual fellowship—one that will endear them to one another for as long as any of them live. 'The Marines in my company were the finest men I've ever known,' recalled PFC Bill Leyden [...] 'Instead of counting sheep when I'm having trouble sleeping, I count the brave and wonderful men I was privileged to know and love as my comrades—forever. I see these men as clearly now as I saw them then, and I always will.'" - Brotherhood of Heroes by Bill Sloan, pg. 311
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