Anything you do can get you shot - including doing nothing. Make it too tough for the enemy to get in, and you can't get out. The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire. If you take more than your fair share of objectives, you will have more than your fair share to take. When both sides are convinced they are about to lose, they're both right.
Professional soldiers are predictable, but the world is full of amateurs.
Murphy was a grunt. There you have it, a phenomenal amount of wisdom and combat savvy on one page. I think so, and in fact I stand in awe of Marine Reserve Major Mark Caneian, who now directs studies on defense matters at Havard's Kennedy School of Government. David Evans is a former Marine who is now the Washington-based Military Affairs correspondent for the Chicago Tribune. Sentinel and is reprinted with permission.