Apocalypse Now Warfare Quotes

How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Apocalypse Now.

Quote #1

WILLARD: I'd wake up and there'd be nothing. I hardly said a word to my wife, until I said "yes" to a divorce. When I was here, I wanted to be there; when I was there, all I could think of was getting back into the jungle. I'm here a week now...waiting for a mission...getting softer. Every minute I stay in this room, I get weaker, and every minute Charlie squats in the bush, he gets stronger. Each time I looked around the walls moved in a little tighter.

Willard's been at war so long that he's more adjusted to being in the war than in normal life. Makes you think of all the vets who struggle to adjust to civilian life after what they've witnessed.

Quote #2

KURTZ: We must kill them. We must incinerate them. Pig after pig...cow after cow...village after village...army after army...

This is Kurtz's whole philosophy of war: total annihilation. The key to success is complete ruthlessness. Holding back just enables the enemy and extends the war. You can't keep doing this and hang on to your sanity.

Quote #3

KILGORE: Charlie don't surf!

It's this mentality that allows Kilgore to be so casually destructive. He dismisses the value of another culture and figures that the Americans have the rights to this particular beach even if they have to destroy the adjacent village.