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You can’t handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom.

You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives.

And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives...You don’t want the truth.

Because deep down, in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall.

We use words like honor, code, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use ‘em as a punchline.

I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I’d rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post.

Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you’re entitled to!

Indeed. I'm long out (Vietnam era out by late '70s) but without the rough men doing very unpleasant things to very bad people, the thin veneer of civilization would crack tuit suit and people would find their asses raped and/or enslaved. Evil exists. Evil within our own society can be dealt with playing by nicey nice rules almost all, if not all, of the time because it's relatively isolated are rare. Outside, in the big bad world, sometimes it has to be met with its own methods because it will stop at nothing and will use our own adherence to rules as a way to attack us. Make war against us by the rules, and we fight back by the rules. Make war ignoring the rules and be considered literally outside of -- and therefor not entitled to any protection from -- the law.