“Actually, it’s quite a lot of fun to fight; you know, it’s a hell of a hoot. I like brawling; it’s fun to shoot some people,” claimed Lt. Gen. James Mattis of the U.S. Marine Corps, speaking about shooting people in Iraq.

Mattis was speaking about his experiences in Iraq at a recent panel discussion at the San Diego Convention Center in California, attended by about 200 people. Mattis went even further to state: “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.”  

According to Gen. Mike Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps, Mattis has been “counseled” about his statements, but it appears that he will face no disciplinary action.  

Mimi Hanaoka