[AFPhys]

"We go to liberate, not to conquer. We will not fly our flags in their country. We are entering Iraq to free a people, and the only flag that will be flown in that ancient land is their own. Show respect for them. There are some who are alive at this moment who will not be alive shortly. Those who do not wish to go on that journey, we will not send.

"As for the others, I expect you to rock their world. Wipe them out, if that is what they choose. But if you are ferocious in battle, remember to be magnanimous in victory.

This is one of the most stirring pieces of prose I have ever had the honor to read. There are so many quoteable parts of it, I have had to really prune it down. I wonder if he wrote this, or if he did this extemporaneously. Thanks so much for the ping.

[mrustow]

"We go to liberate, not to conquer. We will not fly our flags in their country. We are entering Iraq to free a people, and the only flag that will be flown in that ancient land is their own. Show respect for them. There are some who are alive at this moment who will not be alive shortly. Those who do not wish to go on that journey, we will not send.

"As for the others, I expect you to rock their world. Wipe them out, if that is what they choose. But if you are ferocious in battle, remember to be magnanimous in victory.

This is one of the most stirring pieces of prose I have ever had the honor to read. There are so many quoteable parts of it, I have had to really prune it down. I wonder if he wrote this, or if he did this extemporaneously. Thanks so much for the ping.

Recalling Sam Clemens' saying that nothing takes more time than a good, "extemporaneous" speech, and the thought that went into Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," I doubt it was off the cuff. But it's possible the commander, who is obviously a highly literate man, and gave much forethought to this speech, had sketched out some notes, and filled in the rest on the spot.