“Right off I got to like the idea that Marines weren’t big on griping about every little thing like some Joes in the Army who made complaining a second career. The bugs and the heat weren’t something to waste your… — Jim Proser Copy Share Image
“I was a specialist machine gunner so I had the privilege of humping a Browning water cooled over ten miles of jungle trails and back when it came time for duty. The only good thing about it was that my arms and shoulders got to be as hard as the steel I carried. I could crack a walnut in the… — Jim Proser Copy Share
“There are many qualities in a man, but one that is absolutely necessary in an infantry leader is stark courage.” — Jim Proser Copy Share Image
“Everybody hit the deck except for Chesty. It took him a few seconds to figure out nobody was shooting but us. He calmly walked down the line, talking to us while he looked for the targets we were imagining, until he was sure we had jumped the gun. He called off the firing and then personally pulled a few of… — Jim Proser Copy Share
“Anybody who has a feel for automatic weapons knows what I mean. You don’t want to be on the wrong side of a poontang-crazed… — Jim Proser Copy Share Image
“Letters found on the Japanese dead in the crater described us as monsters. “The Americans on this island are not ordinary troops, but Marines,… — Jim Proser Copy Share Image
“the CO came in. I made a move. “At ease,” he said. “Basilone, you are a bastard breaker of hearts and killer of men.… — Jim Proser Copy Share Image
“Death is lighter than a feather but duty is weightier than a mountain.” — Jim Proser Copy Share Image
“That was our first real look, up close, at the war. Seeing blood and wounds like that hit hard and put pictures in our… — Jim Proser Copy Share Image
“Right off I got to like the idea that Marines weren’t big on griping about every little thing like some Joes in the Army… — Jim Proser Copy Share Image
“They sucked it up and believed they were ready. They weren’t. What can I tell you about these young guys standing out on the… — Jim Proser Copy Share Image
“They weren’t even men anymore. They were dumb animals who wanted me dead and had killed all my friends.” — Jim Proser Copy Share Image
“Sgt. Basilone in his personal humility and unwavering dedication to the men who served with him, became a true hero of the American people… — Jim Proser Copy Share Image
