“It's fun to shoot some people,” said the Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James Mattis while speaking at a forum in San Diego. His comments though appeared funny to some at the forum, have led to annoyance of many including his higher officials.
Mattis was trying to portray the grim picture of war. The whole process of combating somehow appeared amusing to him when he said at a panel discussion hosted by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association that, ``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 upfront with you, I like brawling.''
He added, ``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.''
Mattis is at present the commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va., and deputy commandant for combat development. He is valued as a fighting general and an expert in the art of warfare. He owns a Bronze Star with a combat distinguishing device and a combat action ribbon, awarded for close-quarters fighting.
Gen. Hagee's in a statement about Mattis remark said, ``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.''
``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,'' Hagee's statement added.
Marine Gen. Peter Pace who is a vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff while speaking Pentagon press conference said, ``all of us who are leaders have a responsibility in our words and our actions to provide the right example all the time for those who look to us for leadership.''
