MILITARY LEGEND: JAMES "MADDOG" MATTIS | “BE POLITE, BE PROFESSIONAL, BUT HAVE A PLAN TO KILL EVERYONE YOU MEET.”

General James Mattis, best known by the moniker given to him by his Marines "Maddog," is a 33 year veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Although his official military callsign was "CHAOS," he earned the affection of the Marines serving under his command through his direct way of speaking, attention to troop welfare in war, and his willingness to step in and get his hands dirty in the midst of battle as depicted in the HBO miniseries Generation Kill.

Also known as the "Warrior Monk" for his dedication to learning and the Marine Corps, Mattis never married as he saw his duty to the United States and Marine Corps as the supreme relationship in his life. He is purported to own over 7,000 books in his personal library and established the Center for Advanced Operational Cultural Learning, a training academy. He believed that in the modern asymmetrical warfare environments such as Iraq and Afghanistan, it was important to win the citizenry over through knowledge of their cultures and customs. But he was also realistic enough to understand that vigilance in such environments dictated that every person was a potential target.

Mattis led the Marine advance into Iraq during Operation Desert Storm, then into Afghanistan in 2001, and, once again into Iraq in 2003. In 2004, Mattis was the commanding officer that led the Marine Corps into the most notorious battle of the Iraq War in Fallujah. Following his military service, he was tapped as the Secretary of Defense by then-president Donald Trump. He honorable resigned that position when he no longer agreed with the command's decision to abandon our allies in Syria.

The DIA Maddog Mattis Military Legends T-Shirt honors this warrior for his legendary attitude and brilliant ability to produce memorable quotes. Grab one of these shirts and honor the legend who should be our next president if we as Americans knew any better!

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