(ONN) Immediately after being confirmed by the US Senate as President Donald Trump’s Defense Secretary, James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis published an open letter to all of America’s military. Read the full announcement below, followed by some of the new Defense Secretary’s more memorable past quotes.

Eligibility Requirements

There’s a foreshadowing unease when the first acts by a newly seated US President are to undo the protections that guarantee America will never be ruled by a dictator or the military. Yet, last week President Trump used an Executive Order to nullify a law that forbids the appointment of recently-retired military personnel as the Secretary of Defense.

The law, enacted at the end of World War 2, requires that the Secretary of Defense be a civilian. And to protect the government from a military coup, the law insists that if the nominee is a member of the military, they must be retired for a minimum of seven years. One other time in 1950, the US President appointed someone who violated that law. President Truman appointed Army General George Marshall who served less than one year as Defense Secretary.

The new Defense Secretary

That being said, last week the US Senate granted President Trump a waiver from the law and voted to approve retired Marine Corps General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense even though he has only been out of the military for four years, three years short of the required seven years. Immediately upon taking office, General ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis published the below open letter to all of America’s fighting men and women:

“It’s good to be back and I’m grateful to serve alongside you as Secretary of Defense. Together with the Intelligence Community we are the sentinels and guardians of our nation. We need only look to you, the uniformed and civilian members of the Department and your families, to see the fundamental unity of our country. You represent an America committed to the common good; an America that is never complacent about defending its freedoms; and an America that remains a steady beacon of hope for all mankind.

Every action we take will be designed to ensure our military is ready to fight today and in the future. Recognizing that no nation is secure without friends, we will work with the State Department to strengthen our alliances. Further, we are devoted to gaining full value from every taxpayer dollar spent on defense, thereby earning the trust of Congress and the American people. I am confident you will do your part. I pledge to you I’ll do my best as your Secretary.”

Who is James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis?

Defense Secretary Mattis enjoys bipartisan support in Congress and was one of the first two Trump cabinet nominees to be confirmed by the US Senate. Interestingly, he is a political independent who openly entertained the idea of running for US President in 2016 against the nominees of the two major parties.

It’s also reassuring to see that Mattis wasted no time proving he’s not a puppet of the Trump administration by publically criticizing the President for not giving him any input in choosing the people who will serve under him at the Dept of Defense. He’s already on record with positions differing from President Trump on issues of torture, Russia, Iran and the NATO Alliance.

Memorable Quotes

Below are past quotes by James Mattis that give some insight into how the former Marine Corps General earned the nickname ‘Mad Dog’.

“I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes, if you fuck with me, I’ll kill you all.”

“There is nothing better than getting shot at and missed. It’s really great.”

“Actually, it’s a lot of fun to fight. I’ll be right up front with you, I like brawling. 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.”

“The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some assholes in the world that just need to be shot.”

“I’m going to plead with you, do not cross us. Because if you do, the survivors will write about what we do here for 10,000 years.”

“Demonstrate to the world, there is no better friend, no worse enemy, than a US Marine.”

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