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My first thought at the great news was, "Victory!" My second was, "God be thanked, I'll never have to order another man out to die!" And my next was, "I am grateful for the honor of being in command of the Third Fleet on this day." Then plain joy took over. I yelled, "Yippee!" and pounded the shoulders of everybody within reach.

— William Halsey Jr. Admiral Halsey's Story (1947)

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More quotes by William Halsey Jr.

This is Blackjack himself. Your work so far has been superb. I expect even more. Keep the bastards dying!

Admiral Halsey's Story (1947)

Before we're through with them, the Japanese language will be spoken only in hell.

There are no great men, there are only great challenges, which ordinary men like you and me are forced by circumstances to meet.

Now that the fighting has ended, there must be no letdown. There must be watchful waiting. Victory is not the end, but the beginning. We must establish peace- a firm, a just, and an enduring peace.

Admiral Halsey's Story (1947)

All this was long ago. Nearly two-thirds of my classmates are dead, and not one of us is left on active duty. But there might be one if a close friend of mine received his justice. I refer, and will refer again, to Husband E. Kimmel.

Admiral Halsey's Story (1947)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: William Halsey Jr. (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.