When Ben Carson was busted for lying about meeting General William Westmoreland, we stumbled upon a treasure trove of Westmoreland-isms that prove exactly why a presidential hopeful would want to meet him at all.

Unlike Carson, Westmoreland actually did attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in the 1930s. After graduating, he immediately went to war as an artillery officer and served in Europe for the remainder of World War II. He quickly ascended the ranks, and by the Vietnam War he was the commander of the Military Assistance Command in Vietnam. After his contentious leadership during the Vietnam War ended, he served as the Army Chief of Staff.

Thanks to his vast military experience, Westmoreland never stopped empathizing with the men under his command.

1. “Whenever possible, feed the troops a hot meal. Make sure they have dry socks, and check their feet. Stress getting the troops their mail.”

2. “The military lead turbulent lives, but they are people like everybody else.”

3. “I don’t think I have been loved by my troops, but I think I have been respected.”

4. “A disregard for human life may make a formidable adversary, but it does not make a military genius.”

Westmoreland experienced the full brunt of the Vietnam war both abroad and at home. Some of the General’s most notable Westmoreland-isms involve defending the Americans who fought in the war and accepting responsibility for his military missteps.

5. “The last man in the world who should have been criticized was the American soldier. They should have criticized me.”

6. “I do not believe that the men who served in uniform in Vietnam have been given the credit they deserve. It was a difficult war against an unorthodox enemy.”

7. “The Vietnam memorial is a masterpiece. The names of the dead are listed there, chronologically. Just the names.”

Even though the general faced a lot of opposition during the Vietnam War as public opinion swayed against him, Westmoreland was still able to drop some wisdom about war.

8. “The military don’t start wars. Politicians start wars.”

9. “War is fear cloaked in courage.”

Share your favorite military quotes (or Westmoreland-isms we missed) in the comments.