Trump's Defense Secretary Pick Gen. 'Mad Dog' Mattis Has a Way With Words: Here Are 5 Incredible Quotes

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor Saturday, December 03, 2016

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (L) and Vice President-elect Mike Pence (R) greet retired Marine General James Mattis for a meeting at the main clubhouse at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., November 19, 2016. | (Photo: Reuters/Mike Segar)

President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to run the Pentagon, Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, is known for his blunt, terse statements he made during his 44-year military career in the Marine Corps.

During his service, Mattis was considered to be an intellectual among the upper ranks, with his personal library numbering more than 7,000 volumes. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969, and later went on to serve as the 11th commander of U.S. Central Command until 2013. The 66-year-old former general has served during the first Gulf war, and also in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Most recently, Trump said the four-star general convinced him that the controversial torture method of waterboarding did not work. The president-elect had earlier vowed to bring back waterboarding. However, Trump quoted Mattis as saying, "I've never found it (torture) to be useful … [g]ive me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers, and I'll do better."