--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What concerned me was that [James Mattis]…" description: "\"What concerned me was that [James Mattis] played not only a critical role as a battlefield commander in Fallujah, but also, afterwards, when he was pro..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/james-mattis-9515_accused_what-concerned-me-was-that-james-mattis_1949662.png" --- # What concerned me was that \[James Mattis\] played not only… ![“What concerned me was that [James Mattis] played not only a critical role as a battlefield commander in Fallujah, but also, afterwards, when he was promoted to various other higher-ranking positions, he served as a convening authority in court-martial proceedings against various marines who had…” quote by James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/james-mattis-9515_accused_what-concerned-me-was-that-james-mattis_1949662.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/james-mattis-9515_accused_what-concerned-me-was-that-james-mattis_1949662.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/james-mattis-9515_accused_what-concerned-me-was-that-james-mattis_1949662.png) > “What concerned me was that \[James Mattis\] played not only a critical role as a battlefield commander in Fallujah, but also, afterwards, when he was promoted to various other higher-ranking positions, he served as a convening authority in court-martial proceedings against various marines who had been accused of atrocities - for example, in the Haditha massacre, where a group of marines went on a killing spree after one in their unit was killed.” [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mattis highlighted his dual role: leading troops in combat and later overseeing justice for war crimes, emphasizing accountability. **In simple terms:** He fought and later judged war crimes. Key Takeaway Leadership includes both action and accountability. Themes leadership accountability military justice war crimes Mood serious thoughtful Type historical inspirational When to use this quote - military courts - post‑combat leadership - ethical training Key Concepts ethics command responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How do leaders maintain moral clarity? - What systems ensure fair trials? A Different Perspective Balancing combat command with legal oversight can be emotionally taxing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accused/) [Atrocities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atrocities/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Battlefields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battlefields/) [Commanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commanders/) [Concerned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerned/) [Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) [Critical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critical/) [Critical Role](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critical-role/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Example Haditha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example-haditha-3156405/) [Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups/) [Haditha Massacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/haditha-massacre-3156404/) [Higher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/james-mattis/) [Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing/) [Marine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marine/) [Marines Accused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marines-accused-3156403/) [Massacres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/massacres/) [Mattis Played](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mattis-played-3156402/) [Position](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/position/) [Proceeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proceeding/) [Ranking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ranking/) [Roles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roles/) [Units](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/units/) [Various](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/various/) ## Related quotes > [ General \[James\] Mattis's primary experience - indeed, his only experience - is as a member of the United States Marine Corps, where he served… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/general-james-mattis-s-primary-experience-indeed-his-only-experience/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [ Since 9/11 we've been engaged in wars around the world, and General \[James\] Mattis has been a leading battlefield commander in many of those… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/since-9-11-we-ve-been-engaged-in-wars-around-the-world-and-general/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [The media that's having this hysterical reaction to James Mattis retiring is the same media in many cases, the same politicians in many cases,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-miller/the-media-that-s-having-this-hysterical-reaction-to-james-mattis/) [Stephen Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-miller/) > [General James Mattis is a storied and much-respected military leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-flournoy/general-james-mattis-is-a-storied-and-much-respected-military-leader/) [Michele Flournoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-flournoy/) > [ General \[James\] Mattis has got a really intellectual mindset about how the United States should go about protecting its national security. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-r-mansoor/general-james-mattis-has-got-a-really-intellectual-mindset-about-how/) [Peter R. Mansoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-r-mansoor/) > [“military figures like James Mattis, H. R. McMaster, and John Kelly: they found themselves working in an administration that was in every way inimical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/military-figures-like-james-mattis-h-r-mcmaster-and-john-kelly-they/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [ \[General James Mattis\] a very talented individual. He's - has a personal library of about 10,000 books and he's read most of them on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-r-mansoor/general-james-mattis-a-very-talented-individual-he-s-has-a-personal/) [Peter R. Mansoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-r-mansoor/) > [The thing that strikes me, from looking at the names so far in the Donald Trump's Cabinet on the foreign policy side, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/the-thing-that-strikes-me-from-looking-at-the-names-so-far-in-the/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [ \[ General James Mattis\] is a Marine's Marine who has served in combat in both Afghanistan and Iraq. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-r-mansoor/general-james-mattis-is-a-marine-s-marine-who-has-served-in-combat-in/) [Peter R. Mansoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-r-mansoor/) > [ \[James Mattis\] also has real passion for the care of the men and women in the U.S. military and their families. So, you know,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-flournoy/james-mattis-also-has-real-passion-for-the-care-of-the-men-and-women/) [Michele Flournoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-flournoy/) > [ So in his very politically-incorrect way, I think \[James Mattis\] is a good counterpart to Donald Trump, who doesn't read books. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-r-mansoor/so-in-his-very-politically-incorrect-way-i-think-james-mattis-is-a/) [Peter R. Mansoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-r-mansoor/) > [ I think what you're going to get from President-elect \[ Donald\] Trump is all of his folks together - Rex Tillerson, James Mattis, John… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reince-priebus/i-think-what-you-re-going-to-get-from-president-elect-donald-trump-is/) [Reince Priebus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reince-priebus/) > [I think this does show that there will be some changes, not so much in Europe or Asia but certainly in the Middle East.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-r-mansoor/i-think-this-does-show-that-there-will-be-some-changes-not-so-much-in/) [Peter R. Mansoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-r-mansoor/) > [ We've learned something about President-elect \[Donald\] Trump's choice for secretary of defense. Lawmakers in Congress intend to proper debate over whether retired General James… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-inskeep/we-ve-learned-something-about-president-elect-donald-trump-s-choice/) [Steve Inskeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-inskeep/) > [Brothers and sisters, white people will come in to chastise us. But since we are no longer forsaken, and are the people of God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/brothers-and-sisters-white-people-will-come-in-to-chastise-us-but/) [Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/) ## More by James Mattis > [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [An untrained or uneducated Marine ... deployed to the combat zone is a bigger threat to mission accomplishment ... than the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/an-untrained-or-uneducated-marine-deployed-to-the-combat-zone-is-a/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some \*\*\*\*\*\*\*s in the world that just need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/the-first-time-you-blow-someone-away-is-not-an-insignificant-event/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [With respect to the outlines of what's in the Army Field Manual, there's no doubt in my mind about the limitations it places not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/with-respect-to-the-outlines-of-what-s-in-the-army-field-manual-there/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [We can kill lots of people. We do kill lots of people. We can destroy virtually anything we choose to destroy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/we-can-kill-lots-of-people-we-do-kill-lots-of-people-we-can-destroy/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [I just hope we can find our way back to engaging with one another, arguing strongly with one another, and then going down and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-just-hope-we-can-find-our-way-back-to-engaging-with-one-another/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [We've backed off in good faith to try and give you a chance to straighten this problem out. But I am going to beg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/we-ve-backed-off-in-good-faith-to-try-and-give-you-a-chance-to/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [You've been told that you're broken. That you're damaged goods ... there is also Post-Traumatic Growth. You come back from war stronger and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/you-ve-been-told-that-you-re-broken-that-you-re-damaged-goods-there/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [It's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/it-s-quite-fun-to-fight-them-you-know-it-s-a-hell-of-a-hoot-it-s-fun/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, it's going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/you-cannot-allow-any-of-your-people-to-avoid-the-brutal-facts-if-they/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [You can overcome wrong technology. Your people have the initiative, they see the problem, no big deal ... you can't overcome bad culture. You've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/you-can-overcome-wrong-technology-your-people-have-the-initiative/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/you-go-into-afghanistan-you-got-guys-who-slap-women-around-for-five-2/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [We have the most skillful, firecest, and certainly the most ethical ground forces in the world... I'm not saying we have to commit right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/we-have-the-most-skillful-firecest-and-certainly-the-most-ethical/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [I don't see lethality as the problem. I mean, the lethality of US forces is quite remarkable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-don-t-see-lethality-as-the-problem-i-mean-the-lethality-of-us/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [The United States has been essentially engaged in an ongoing war that most people date from 2001. That war has taken us to Afghanistan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/the-united-states-has-been-essentially-engaged-in-an-ongoing-war-that/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) [Explore all 72 James Mattis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) ## More Accused quotes > [We resent being faced with facts we'd prefer to ignore as much as being wrongly accused of doing something we haven't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/we-resent-being-faced-with-facts-we-d-prefer-to-ignore-as-much-as/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) > [Jesus Himself was criticized. He wasn't a glutton and drunkard, but He was accused of being those things. Why? Because He went to parties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/jesus-himself-was-criticized-he-wasn-t-a-glutton-and-drunkard-but-he/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [You're lying through your fangs," Iggy accused. Fang tried to play innocent--but "innocent Fang" is an oxymoron, so it didn't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/you-re-lying-through-your-fangs-iggy-accused-fang-tried-to-play/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [The big story today, Barack Obama was accused of insulting Sarah Palin when he criticized Republican policies by saying, you can put lipstick on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/the-big-story-today-barack-obama-was-accused-of-insulting-sarah-palin/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [I've been accused of humanizing the Nazis, to which I can only say, you can't blame me for that. God did that. Go talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-d-snodgrass/i-ve-been-accused-of-humanizing-the-nazis-to-which-i-can-only-say-you/) [W. D. Snodgrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-d-snodgrass/) > [Something very unique about Germany is that once you are suspected or accused of having worked for the Stassi, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-schwochow/something-very-unique-about-germany-is-that-once-you-are-suspected-or/) [Christian Schwochow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-schwochow/) > [You can make a very good argument that society would be much worse off if you let 10 rapists and murderers free rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/you-can-make-a-very-good-argument-that-society-would-be-much-worse/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [Here, I am looking for a document issued by a public attorney. I don't find. He is accused by the political leaders of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-verges/here-i-am-looking-for-a-document-issued-by-a-public-attorney-i-don-t/) [Jacques Verges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-verges/) > [For although Claudius had been accused of gambling and drunkenness, not only were no worse sins laid to his charge, but he had successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-although-claudius-had-been-accused-of-gambling-and-drunkenness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A man may be accused of cowardice for fleeing away from all manner of physical dangers but when things supernatural, insubstantial and inexplicable threaten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hill/a-man-may-be-accused-of-cowardice-for-fleeing-away-from-all-manner-of/) [Susan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-hill/) > [When Hillary Clinton was in the Clinton White House as first lady, the left - the right accused her of being wide eyed radical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/when-hillary-clinton-was-in-the-clinton-white-house-as-first-lady-the/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) > [I've been accused of trying too hard to rescue people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-edwards/i-ve-been-accused-of-trying-too-hard-to-rescue-people/) [Kim Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-edwards/) > [“Looks sure can be deceiving: not every ‘ugly’ person is a ‘bad’ person (or is guilty of whatever it is that they are accused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/looks-sure-can-be-deceiving-not-every-ugly-person-is-a-bad-person-or/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I have been accused of never saying no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-have-been-accused-of-never-saying-no/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) [Browse all 618 Accused quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accused/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What concerned me was that [James Mattis] played not only a critical role as a battlefield commander in Fallujah, but also, afterwards, when he was promoted to various other higher-ranking positions, he served as a convening authority in court-martial proceedings against various marines who had been accused of atrocities - for example, in the Haditha massacre, where a group of marines went on a killing spree after one in their unit was killed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Mattis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/what-concerned-me-was-that-james-mattis-played-not-only-a-critical/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accused" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/what-concerned-me-was-that-james-mattis-played-not-only-a-critical/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/james-mattis-9515_accused_what-concerned-me-was-that-james-mattis_1949662.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/james-mattis-9515_accused_what-concerned-me-was-that-james-mattis_1949662.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/james-mattis-9515_accused_what-concerned-me-was-that-james-mattis_1949662.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What concerned me was that [James Mattis] played not only a critical role as a battlefield commander in…” — James Mattis", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "James Mattis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What concerned me was that [James...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/what-concerned-me-was-that-james-mattis-played-not-only-a-critical/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/what-concerned-me-was-that-james-mattis-played-not-only-a-critical/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```