Sgt. Stryker Quotes in Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)

Sgt. Stryker: You gotta learn right and you gotta learn fast. And any man that doesn't want to cooperate, I'll make him wish he had never been born.

[During live fire training a Marine recruit accidently lets a grenade slip out of his hand and it rolls toward an unsuspecting platoon waiting their turn]

Sgt. Stryker: Grenade. Hit the deck.

[the platoon runs, except for Conway, who is reading a love letter and has to be tackled to safety by Stryker when the grenade goes off]

Sgt. Stryker: You idiot. When are you gonna wake up? You wanna see that dame again, keep your mind on your work.

Al Thomas: You may not know this, boy, but you just got your life saved.

[During the night the squad is guarding a trenchline amid word that the Japanese may launch an attack. From out of the night a faint voice can be heard calling "Corpsman."]

Pfc. Benny Regazzi: [his voice hushed] Stryker!

Sgt. Stryker: [hushed] Get down! Stay down! You have your orders, don't move!

Pfc. Peter Conway: [hushed] There's somebody wounded out there. Let's go get him!

Sgt. Stryker: Stay down, it might be a Jap trick, they pulled it off plenty of times at Guadalcanal.

Pfc. Peter Conway: That doesn't sound like a Jap to me!

Sgt. Stryker: I don't care what it sounds like to you! You stick your head up, you'll tip our position.

[the voice resumes, and now we can recognize it]

Pfc. Charlie Bass: [unseen in the night] Stryker!

Pfc. Peter Conway: That's Bass. How many Japs know your name, Stryker?

Pfc. Charlie Bass: Don't do it. Just this once, don't do it.

Sgt. Stryker: Don't do what?

Pfc. Charlie Bass: Don't get blind, staggerin' stinkin' falling down drunk.

Sgt. Stryker: Charlie, nobody sets out to get blind, staggerin' stinkin' falling down drunk.

Pfc. Charlie Bass: Yeah, some people do.