He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose
There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to meet.
That's an amusing myth, lots of Marines had Garands on Iwo right from the start.
Real men measure once and cut.
I forget the exact reference, but I'm thinking it was in "Shots fired in anger" - an eyewitness story of Marines sneaking into the army supply dump and swapping rifles.