Making the Corps

Thomas E. Ricks

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Semper Fi. The few, the proud. From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli. Once a Marine, always a Marine. The United States Marine Corps, with its fiercely proud tradition of excellence in combat, its hallowed rituals, and its unbending code of honor, is part of the fabric of American myth. No other group in America leaves so deep and permanent a mark on its members. Today, though, the Marine Corps feels increasingly besieged, at war with a new kind of enemy the vast social and political forces that it feels threaten to destroy its values. "Making the Corps" visits the front lines of that war: boot camp, Parris Island, South Carolina, "where the difference begins." Here, old values are stripped away and new, Marine Corps values, forged. Acclaimed military journalist Thomas E. Ricks follows sixty-three raw recruits, the men of recruit platoon 3086, from their hometowns to Parris Island, through boot camp, and into their first year as Marines. As three fierce drill instructors fight a battle for the hearts and minds of this unforgettable group of young men, a larger picture emerges, brilliantly painted, of the growing gulf that divides the military from the rest of America.

Book Details

Publisher: Scribner Book Company
Publish Date: Jul 31st, 2007
Pages: 336
Language: English
Edition: Anniversary - 0010
Dimensions: 8.41in - 5.63in - 0.85in - 0.73lb
EAN: 9781416544500
Categories: • Military - United States• Wars & Conflicts - General

About the Author

Ricks, Thomas E.: - Thomas E. Ricks is The Washington Post's senior Pentagon correspondent. A member of two Pulitzer Prize-winning teams for national reporting, he has reported on U.S. military activities in Somalia, Haiti, Korea, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Kuwait, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq and A Soldier's Duty.

Praise for this book

"A thousand years from now, a historian looking at the U.S. military will do well to cite Ricks's book." --USA Today

"An important book...essential reading for anyone who cares about the role of the military in America." --The Washington Post Book World

"Anyone reading this book cannot help but think that America has many lessons to learn from the Marines." --Chicago Tribune

"The most unique aspect of the Marine Corps -- its enduring culture -- has made it a renowned fighting force and endearded it to generations of alumni. Thomas E. Ricks has captured the essence of this legendary organization." --Frederick W. Smith, Captain, USMC 1966-1970, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Federal Express

"More vividly than any outsider in recent memory, Tom Ricks has given us an acutely analyzed look at how the Marines have sustained themselves as the finest organization this country has ever produced. This is a book filled with insight and compassion, marked by respect for those who serve, and yet told from the questioning perspective of a first-rate reporter." --James Webb, Former Secretary of the Navy and author of Fields of Fire