Can we all just talk for a minute about our incoming Secretary of Defense? What a great pick Mad Dog Mattis was for this position. Recall President-Elect Donald Trump’s pledge to “put America first” in his policy speech outlining his plan for his first 100 days in office. The appointment of General Mattis to his cabinet certainly reflects that desire. Here’s my list of five reasons why Mattis is the man for the job.
He’s a U.S. Marine
This is probably the most important reason that General Mattis is fit to serve as Secretary of Defense. The last three Secretaries of Defense under Barack Obama have been in politics for their entire adult lives, including Leon Panetta who, before being director of the CIA, was a chief of staff for the Clinton administration. General Mattis, however, has been a Marine since the age of 19. The Marine Corps mottos is Semper fidelis, which translates from Latin to “always faithful.” The motto means many things to Marines, including being faithful to their countr’s interests, and espousing the USMC’s core values of honor, courage, and commitment. Marines eat, sleep, and breathe Semper fi from the very moment they alight at MCRD Parris Island or San Diego. If appointing a career Marine to a cabinet position isn’t “draining the swamp,” I don’t know what is.
Extensive combat experience
It’s important that we mention General James Mattis’s impressive history of combat experience. As a first-lieutenant just out of college at George Washington University, Mattis commanded many smaller units until he became a major and took command of a recruiting station in Portland. Later, he participated in Operation Desert Shield. Mattis would later lead 1st Battalion 7th Marine Regiment, known as Task Force Ripper, into Kuwait—one of the first in the region. Mattis commanded Task Force 58 during the Afghanistan war, and was the first Marine to do so. During this time, then-Brigadier General Mattis negotiated with the Pakistani government for access to a landing spot for Task Force 58’s amphibious transport, and later played a large part in the capture of Kandahar. During the Iraq War, Mattis presided over “the longest sustained overland advance in Marine Corps history” and led the USMC’s assault on Fallujah. After his role in the Iraq war, Mattis was sent to Quantico where he founded the Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning, which sought to educate Marines and accompanying personnel about the cultures they would encounter. In 2007 Mattis became part of the Joint Forces command, and in 2010 replaced General Petraeus as Central Command until his retirement in 2013.
Representative of modern career servicemen
As decorated as General Mattis is, his experiences are also representative of modern career soldiers. His earliest combat experiences were in the beginning of the slew of conflicts in the Middle East, which began 25-30 years ago. James Mattis was seasoned in a war against religious fundamentalism, and his “hearts and minds” initiatives reflected the importance of understanding the culture in order to effectively strategize in the area. This is crucial, especially since Donald Trump has not served in the armed forces (though he did attend military school and was well-liked). Mattis's experience will be a great asset to the Trump administration.
Proponent of education
The media may focus extensively on Mad Dog Mattis’s career as a badass. But it’s also important to note that General Mattis has also been called “Warrior monk” for his commitment to learning from history. Mattis has often said that he does “care deeply about those 18- and 19-year-old Lance Corporals out on the frontlines”. His respect and compassion for young Marines is manifest in his work on initiatives to pass “lessons learned” from combat onto younger, greener Marines. General Mattis is credited with expanding access to combat-oriented education for lower-ranked Marines through the Center for Lessons Learned, well as his contribution to the compilation of the U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual. He often quotes Eccliastes 1:9, “there’s nothing new under the sun”, which to Mattis seems to suggest that learning from history saves you from repeating it. For Mattis, a well-schooled Marine is a well-trained Marine, and that saves lives in the field.
All-around badass
In case you weren’t already convinced, here are some more of Mad Dog Mattis’s most memorable quotes.
I was both surprised and excited for this cabinet pick, and I’m looking forward to see who else will be joining the Trump administration’s cabinet.
