The National Security Council's real role is to coordinate the various activities of the government of the United States in the furtherance of American foreign policy.

The terrorists that we are up against today do not rely upon cell phones and SAT phones and emails. They rely on couriers. You cannot intercept what a courier is telling somebody.

Without any intended hubris, I've lead a pretty exciting life. What I've tried to do in Mission Compromised is draw on those experiences to create a sense of excitement and realism within the story.

I'm trusting in the Lord and a good lawyer.

I would not trade you a billion dollars for the kids I led to combat in Vietnam or in fact any of the Marines that I served with for a quarter of a century.

I came here to tell you the truth, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Bill Clinton is not my commander-in-chief.

In my first book, Under Fire, I wrote that I revered Ronald Reagan. That was a dozen years ago. I still feel that way. I think he changed the world for the better for my children and my children's children.

I am here to accept responsibility for that which I did. I will not accept responsibility for that which I did not do.

I was authorized to do everything that I did.

I was provided with additional input that was radically different from the truth. I assisted in furthering that version.

I think as a rifle platoon and company commander your view is about 1,000 meters in front of you and you hope you can cover that ground and not have to back up and give it up again.

Today, only 2 percent of the people know the name of someone serving in uniform. That means 2 percent of your listeners can actually conjure up the image of someone wearing the uniform of the military of the United States.

And of course there is so much of World War II that is documented that we never have seen.

God knows, we don't want prayer.

I can remember as a young lieutenant being sent into the DMZ in the divided Vietnam, from North Vietnam.

I don't think there is another person in America that wants to tell this story as much as I do.

I haven't, in the 23 years that I have been in the uniformed services of the United States of America, ever violated an order - not one.

I never considered myself a fall guy. I know what I did. I know why I did it. I'm not ashamed of it.

I thought using the Ayatollah's money to support the Nicaraguan resistance was a neat idea.