“In the American Civil War it was a matter of principle that a good officer rode his horse as little as possible. There were sound reasons for this. If you are riding and your soldiers are marching, how can you judge how tired they are, how thirsty, how heavy their packs weigh on their shoulders? I applied the same philosophy in Vietnam, where every battalion commander had his own command-and-control helicopter. Some commanders used their helicopter as their personal mount. I never believed in that. You had to get on the ground with your troops to see and hear what was happening. You have to soak up firsthand information for your instincts to operate accurately. Besides, it’s too easy to be crisp, cool, and detached at 1, 500 feet; too easy to demand the impossible of your troops; too easy to make mistakes that are fatal only to those souls far below in the mud, the blood, and the confusion.”
―
We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young: Ia Drang-The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam
Share this quote:
Friends Who Liked This Quote
To see what your friends thought of this quote, please sign up!
9 likes
All Members Who Liked This Quote
This Quote Is From
We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young: Ia Drang-The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam
by
Harold G. Moore
31,511 ratings, average rating, 918 reviews
Open Preview
31,511 ratings, average rating, 918 reviews
Open Preview
Browse By Tag
- love (97329)
- life (75837)
- inspirational (72551)
- humor (43655)
- philosophy (29455)
- inspirational-quotes (26840)
- god (25971)
- wisdom (23532)
- truth (23523)
- romance (22978)
- poetry (22010)
- death (19939)
- happiness (18613)
- life-lessons (18528)
- hope (17804)
- faith (17788)
- quotes (16692)
- inspiration (16473)
- spirituality (15068)
- religion (14834)
- motivational (14801)
- writing (14738)
- relationships (14414)
- life-quotes (14133)
- love-quotes (13788)
- success (13388)
- time (12318)
- motivation (11894)
- science (11615)
- knowledge (11224)