Quote

You don't need to be straight to fight and die for your country. You just need to shoot straight.

I guess if you're stupid enough to join the army without thinking about getting shot at, then you really are a fool.

I'm not saying everybody has to walk around with a six-shooter, but they have to be prepared. You don't have to be militarized, but you have to be ready.

But if you're going to go out on a military unit, you've got to allow yourself to be under the control of the commander because you really could put the troops in danger.

I was going to get drafted, but I didn't really want to go into the Army.

A military life has ever comported with my inclination.

If I have got to be a soldier, I must be a good one, anything else is unthinkable.

Joining the military is not to be taken lightly. You're putting every part of yourself at risk, not just your body but your moral and spiritual centre.

What you experience in the army, aged 18 to 21, is what you take through all your life. You cross invisible lines: you shoot someone, get shot, break into people's houses. It's naive to think you won't carry anything into your life.

After I was discharged from the military, it was difficult trying to become a civilian.