"...War is brutish, inglorious, and a terrible waste. Combat leaves an indelible mark on those who are forced to endure it. The only redeeming factors were my comrades' incredible bravery and their devotion to each other. Marine Corps training taught us to kill efficiently and to try to survive. But it also taught us loyalty to each other--and love. That esprit de corps sustained us. Until the millenium arrives and countries cease trying to enslave others, it will be necessary to accept one's responsibilities and to be willing to make sacrifices for one's country--as my comrades did. As the troops used to say, 'If the country is good enough to live in, it's good enough to fight for.' With privilege goes responsibility." --Professor Eugene Bondurant Sledge, 1981

"...So Okinawa was indeed decisive, for if the Japanese had won in this biggest battle of the Pacific War, the hold of the War Lords upon the nation of Nippon would have been so strengthened that even the influence of Hirohito could not have persuaded the Imperial Conference to accept the Allied surrender offer. Thus, the war would have been prolonged--hopelessly for Japan, of course--and only the production and use of more atomic bombs would have avoided that titanic clash of arms upon the Tokyo Plain." --author Robert Leckie, 1995

Absolute highest regards this day to the men of Sixth Marine Division.

Amen gentlemen. Wishing all the best to the Striking Sixth.