Why do Marines love General Mattis so much?
The phrases that he often coined resonated with many of the ideas they believed the Marine Corps should exemplify
December 24, 2015
Why do Marines love General Mattis so much?
U.S. Marines photo via Wikimedia Commons
A question posted recently on Quora asked, "Why do Marines love General Mattis so much?" Check out these answers and add your own experiences below.
By Jon Davis, USMC veteran
General Mattis had a way with combat centric one-liners that motivated Marines. For his complete lack of political correctness and common sense approaches in his personal and leadership philosophy, he was loved by many who served under him. The phrases that he often coined resonated with many of the ideas they believed the Marine Corps should exemplify. My personal favorite:
“Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.” – General Mattis
He started becoming a household name in the Marine Corps around the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. There, he had a major role in the command of Marine invasion forces. One of his major contributions was in changing the way the Marines used their LAR - Light Armored Reconnaissance. LAR units traditionally were unarmored vehicle units whose primary role was to observe and report back to higher commands. They were members of the Recon community, which was at the time, were the Marine's only Special Forces arm. He saw them as having a unique capability that other units didn't have: speed.
He used the LARs in an unorthodox manner, sending them far, far forward of the larger invasion forces, and maneuvering behind the enemy forces to break-up and disrupt them, so that larger follow on forces would be able to smash them later. It was pretty good Generalship and was a very Marine thing to do. This usage of extremely light and fast units, armed to teeth, to cause general havoc, while larger forces had the final word is also reminiscent of Marine Corps history, echoing the Raiders of World War II's Pacific Theatre. The ideas and methodology also contributed heavily towards the creation of the modern Raiders, (formerly the Marine Special Operations Command, or MARSOC.)
From that point on, his leadership as one of the "iconic" Marines of our era, has inspired many young Marines.
“You are part of the world’s most feared and trusted force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon.”
https://www.military1.com/enlist/article/1569249014-why-do-marines-love-general-mattis-so-much
