I believe forgiving them is God’s function. Our job is simply to arrange the meeting.
Norman Schwarzkopf (1934-2012) American military leader
(Attributed)
On the 9/11 terrorists. Repeated (regarding Osama bin-Ladin) on Meet the Press (8 Feb 2003). There's some question, though, as to whether he uttered the original.
Quotations by:
Schwarzkopf, Norman
A professional soldier understands that war means killing people, war means maiming people, war means families left without fathers and mothers. All you have to do is hold your first dying soldier in your arms, and have that terribly futile feeling that his life is flowing out and you can’t do anything about it. Then you understand the horror of war. Any soldier worth his salt should be antiwar. And still, there are things worth fighting for.