General's fun-to-fight comments draw fire
Audience applauds; Marine Corps winces
By Rick Rogers
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
February 4, 2005
A Marine Corps general with ties to Camp Pendleton has sparked global debate by saying "It's fun to shoot some people" and poking fun at the manhood of Afghans during a speech Tuesday in San Diego.
Lt. Gen. James Mattis made his comments at the San Diego Convention Center amid an exposition sponsored by the U.S. Naval Institute and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.
A career infantry officer, Mattis until recently commanded the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton. Now stationed in Quantico, Va., he is in charge of developing better ways to train and equip Marines.
Reaction to Mattis' remarks from his commanding officer, Muslim organizations and Internet bloggers has fallen into two camps of thought.
One is that Mattis has fomented more hatred of Americans among Iraqis and other Middle Easterners. The other is that he simply speaks a military man's professional truth, something hard-won on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq.
On Tuesday, Mattis responded to a question about fighting Iraqi insurgents by saying: "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. ... It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling."
His comments were recorded on tape.
Mattis went on to take a not-so-subtle poke at the purported treatment of women in the Middle East.
He said: "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 that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."
His comments were met with laughter and applause from the audience.
Yesterday, Gen. Mike Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps, issued a statement saying, "Lt. Gen. Mattis often speaks with a great deal of candor. I have counseled him concerning his remarks, and he agrees he should have chosen his words more carefully."
Hagee also said, "While I understand that some people may take issue with the comments made by him, I also know he intended to reflect the unfortunate and harsh realities of war."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil liberties group, called on the Pentagon to discipline Mattis for his comments.
"We do not need generals who treat the grim business of war as a sporting event," said the council's executive director, Nihad Awad. "These disturbing remarks are indicative of an apparent indifference to the value of human life."
Discussion of Mattis' statements also filled several Web logs. Here are two excerpts taken yesterday:
"Somehow, after nearly three decades in the (Marine) Corps, Lt. Gen. Mattis has somehow not learned that there are some things you aren't supposed to say when civilians are present. They can only be spoken before military audiences."
"This guy's a soldier. He's trained to, well, kind of, sometimes, kill the enemy. The guy didn't say he enjoyed killing pregnant women, did he?"
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Find this article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20050204-9999-1n4marine.html
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT, HE'S A GENERAL, NOT A POLITICIAN.
Audience applauds; Marine Corps winces
By Rick Rogers
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
February 4, 2005
A Marine Corps general with ties to Camp Pendleton has sparked global debate by saying "It's fun to shoot some people" and poking fun at the manhood of Afghans during a speech Tuesday in San Diego.
Lt. Gen. James Mattis made his comments at the San Diego Convention Center amid an exposition sponsored by the U.S. Naval Institute and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.
A career infantry officer, Mattis until recently commanded the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton. Now stationed in Quantico, Va., he is in charge of developing better ways to train and equip Marines.
Reaction to Mattis' remarks from his commanding officer, Muslim organizations and Internet bloggers has fallen into two camps of thought.
One is that Mattis has fomented more hatred of Americans among Iraqis and other Middle Easterners. The other is that he simply speaks a military man's professional truth, something hard-won on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq.
On Tuesday, Mattis responded to a question about fighting Iraqi insurgents by saying: "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. ... It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling."
His comments were recorded on tape.
Mattis went on to take a not-so-subtle poke at the purported treatment of women in the Middle East.
He said: "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 that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."
His comments were met with laughter and applause from the audience.
Yesterday, Gen. Mike Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps, issued a statement saying, "Lt. Gen. Mattis often speaks with a great deal of candor. I have counseled him concerning his remarks, and he agrees he should have chosen his words more carefully."
Hagee also said, "While I understand that some people may take issue with the comments made by him, I also know he intended to reflect the unfortunate and harsh realities of war."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil liberties group, called on the Pentagon to discipline Mattis for his comments.
"We do not need generals who treat the grim business of war as a sporting event," said the council's executive director, Nihad Awad. "These disturbing remarks are indicative of an apparent indifference to the value of human life."
Discussion of Mattis' statements also filled several Web logs. Here are two excerpts taken yesterday:
"Somehow, after nearly three decades in the (Marine) Corps, Lt. Gen. Mattis has somehow not learned that there are some things you aren't supposed to say when civilians are present. They can only be spoken before military audiences."
"This guy's a soldier. He's trained to, well, kind of, sometimes, kill the enemy. The guy didn't say he enjoyed killing pregnant women, did he?"
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Find this article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20050204-9999-1n4marine.html
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT, HE'S A GENERAL, NOT A POLITICIAN.
