Sgt. Stryker: You gotta learn right and you gotta learn fast. And any man that doesn't want to cooperate, I'll make him wish he had never been born.
Officer giving the preinvasion briefing: Now, nobody knows exactly what they've got on this island, but they've had forty years to put it there
Pfc. Al Thomas: That's war.
Pfc. Charlie Bass: What's war?
Pfc. Al Thomas: Trading real estate for men.
[During live fire training a Marine recruit accidently lets a grenade slip out of his hand and it rolls toward an unsuspecting platoon waiting their turn]
Sgt. Stryker: Grenade. Hit the deck.
[the platoon runs, except for Conway, who is reading a love letter and has to be tackled to safety by Stryker when the grenade goes off]
Sgt. Stryker: You idiot. When are you gonna wake up? You wanna see that dame again, keep your mind on your work.
Al Thomas: You may not know this, boy, but you just got your life saved.
Sergeant Stryker: SADDLE UP.
[During the night the squad is guarding a trenchline amid word that the Japanese may launch an attack. From out of the night a faint voice can be heard calling "Corpsman."]
Pfc. Benny Regazzi: [his voice hushed] Stryker!
Sgt. Stryker: [hushed] Get down! Stay down! You have your orders, don't move!
Pfc. Peter Conway: [hushed] There's somebody wounded out there. Let's go get him!
Sgt. Stryker: Stay down, it might be a Jap trick, they pulled it off plenty of times at Guadalcanal.
Pfc. Peter Conway: That doesn't sound like a Jap to me!
Sgt. Stryker: I don't care what it sounds like to you! You stick your head up, you'll tip our position.
[the voice resumes, and now we can recognize it]
Pfc. Charlie Bass: [unseen in the night] Stryker!
Pfc. Peter Conway: That's Bass. How many Japs know your name, Stryker?
Pfc. Al Thomas: You know, my natural dislike for you is turning into a great hatred, Bass.
Pfc. Charlie Bass: Don't do it. Just this once, don't do it.
Sgt. Stryker: Don't do what?
Pfc. Charlie Bass: Don't get blind, staggerin' stinkin' falling down drunk.
Sgt. Stryker: Charlie, nobody sets out to get blind, staggerin' stinkin' falling down drunk.
Pfc. Charlie Bass: Yeah, some people do.
Sergeant Stryker: Well I guess, into each life a little rain must fall.
Pfc. Al Thomas: I got a great future for the next couple of hours.
[Last Line]
Pfc. Peter Conway: All right, saddle up. Let's get back into the war.
