Alfred M. Gray Jr. Quotes

Growing up, I had military members in my family.

As a former officer in the U.S. Navy, I understand the importance of a strong national defense and our enduring obligations to all the women and men who serve in uniform to secure our freedom.

I love the military. They don’t get nearly enough credit for all the hard work they do to protect us, keep us in a safe place so we can enjoy ourselves every day.

I am not asking for 60 months to sit and enjoy power, but to be the Chowkidaar of the country.

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!?

National defense is the sacred duty of the young and all other people.

I am proud that the Republican Party stands for strong support for the military, and I am sure we will consistently support our men and women serving in dangerous places around the world and their families.

Freedom is a right ultimately defended by the sacrifice of America's servicemen and women.

I don't want any romantics to go into the military. I'm not a pacifist. I think we need a military, and the better one we have, the better off we are. I don't want kids going in there thinking that it's John Wayne on Iwo Jima. That's not healthy.

We’re a democracy and we’re defended by volunteers.

I don't run a democracy. I train troops to defend democracy.

What we depend upon in a political leader is the fact that if necessary he will kill for us…. If he is not willing to shed blood we are afraid of him. He must protect us.

If I accept the job, you will still interfere. I don’t want to fall out with you, as I believe that you are the right man to save the nation at the head of the army.

I feel that a period of service to the nation would be good for all of us, though I hope it will not be a purely military period. I have a great appreciation for the need for discipline and basic training in military methods, but above all, I believe we must develop the realization of every individual's responsibility in a democracy for his government. To me any period of training should stress this very clearly and should include service to the community. I believe both boys and girls should receive such training.

Less than one percent of our population is fighting our country’s wars, so the promises we make to our soldiers must be kept

I grew up during a time of peace, and my friends weren't joining the military - it wasn't something on my radar. But if you asked me whether I could go back and do it all over again now, and it meant I wouldn't go into filmmaking, there's a part of me that would have loved to try to be a Navy SEAL.

As governor of my country, I have been an enemy to its enemies.

I don't support the troops, America, and neither do you.

We Marines believe that God gave America the greatest gift He could bestow to man while he lived on this earth -freedom. We also believe He gave us another gift nearly as precious - our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Coast Guardsmen, and Marines - to safeguard that gift and guarantee no force on this earth can ever steal it away.

I'm a strong supporter of the military.

Our heroes in the armed forces and our first responders are all essential to the freedom and safety of our great nation.

Both my grandfathers were in the Navy, and I have cousins and uncles in the military, so it's something that I've always respected.

May God bless our troops.

Above all, our freedom endures because of the men and women in uniform who defend it.

[James Mattis] also has real passion for the care of the men and women in the U.S. military and their families. So, you know, I think he would be an outstanding candidate.