Yeller,
I cannot help but suspect that you are fishing. Surely you would not want to be led/inspired/motivated by this neanderthal?
Do not get me wrong, we should not be ashamed of the violent side of our profession - as I recall, George Orwell said:
Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
I even have sympathy with what I think the general is trying to say. Indeed, I must concur with Winston Churchill who said:
Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.
HOWEVER - we are paid to represent our Nation - and the values that we purport to hold dear. Sometimes, restraint requires more conviction - and courage.
Our cousins are generally very good at soundbites but comments like this lack judgement. Sometimes a moment to reflect is more effective than just blasting. You can, after all, win every fight and still lose the war. In a crunch, I would rather have a Brit senior officer 9 times out of 10.
Sorry if I took the bait, I just happened to look in after a glass of rather nice wine...which I shall now get back to...
Last edited by Captain Kirk; 6th Feb 2005 at 09:22.