He was so proud to be there doing what he was doing. Not just the war part ... but the Marines and all the military people that are there have restored power, built schools, built hospitals and they have running water. Those are the things that nobody talks about and that nobody hears about.

He laid down his life so other Marines would be safe, and he did it willingly. Every EOD tech that is over there does the same thing a hundred times a day, and they don't think about themselves. They think about the Marines . . . They think about the children that are over there.

War is always seductive, ... 'Full Metal Jacket' didn't make me want to join the Marines. I already had fallen in love with the idea of combat. I think whether somebody feels that about our movie is subjective. It depends on the viewer. I got letters from people who said 'I was thinking about joining up and I read your book and now I can't wait' and I got letters from people who said 'I was thinking about joining up and I read your book and now I'm going to go to college.'

The fact is, these Marines have probably prevented another war with the mission they've accomplished.

We are the ones responsible to determine whether the war that our marines, soldiers and airmen are fighting in is worth the cause.

(The military) wanted to give him the Bronze Star for his injury, and he wouldn't accept it. He said what he was doing was what he was supposed to be doing and what everyone else was doing.