I joined the Corps not because I couldn't make it elsewhere or because I needed money to go to school. No signing bonus was going to turn me into a soldier. I became a Marine because I wanted to be among the best, just as I applied to Columbia because I wanted to be among the brightest. I knew both required a high price.

Patterson, Robert (February 26, 2008). War Crimes. Three Rivers Press. p. 39. ISBN 0307338274.