Product Description

Making the Corps visits the front lines of boot camp, Parris Island, South Carolina. Here, old values are stripped away and new, Marine Corps values are forged. Acclaimed military journalist Thomas E. Ricks follows these men from their hometowns, 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61452 in Books
• Published on: 1998-10-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Amazon.com Review
Marines are different: distinct not only from ordinary U.S. citizens but from the ranks of the army, navy, and air force as well. The difference begins with boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, where the history and future of the United States Marine Corps intersect in the training of every new recruit. In Making the Corps, Ricks follows a platoon of young men through 11 grueling weeks of boot camp as their drill instructors indoctrinate them into the culture of the Few and the Proud. Many arrive at Parris Island undisciplined and apathetic; they leave as marines.

With the end of the cold war, the role of the American military has shifted in emphasis from making war to keeping peace. "The best way to see where the U.S. military is going is to look at the marines today," says Ricks, as the other armed forces have begun to emulate the marine model. To understand Parris Island--a central experience in the life of every marine--is to understand the ethos of the Marine Corps. Ricks examines the recent changes in the Standard Operating Procedures for Recruit Training (the bible of Parris Island), which indicate how the corps is dealing with critical social and political issues like race relations, gender equality, and sexual orientation. Making the Corps pierces the USMC's "sis-boom-bah" mythology to help outsiders understand this most esoteric and eccentric of U.S. armed forces. --Tim Hogan

From Library Journal
Ricks, the Wall Street Journal's Pentagon correspondent, here follows a Marine Corps training platoon (#3086) from the arrival of the recruit bus at Parris Island, South Carolina, to graduation. The background he gives on most of the recruits is solid, but Ricks is also concerned with the recent history and present-day image of the corps. According to Ricks, what sets the Marines apart from other U.S. military services is its reliance on teamwork, discipline, and commitment. By following the 3086th through its first year, he not only shows how the new recruit is molded but paints a larger picture of the corps. John Wayne movies have shaped most Americans' image of the Marines?an image that, as Ricks shows, is not necessarily reality today. Highly recommended for all libraries, especially those with large historical collections.?Mark E. Ellis, Albany State Univ., Ga.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Wall Street Journal Pentagon correspondent Ricks effectively combines a vivid account of the rigorous basic training received by US Marine recruits with commentary on what separates the demanding, disciplined culture of America's military elite from the more permissive culture of its civilian society. The author tracks the 60-odd volunteers who comprised Platoon 3086 at Parris Island i 1995 through the challenging 11-week course known as boot camp. Unlike their counterparts in other branches of the US military, aspiring marines do not train alongside women; nor do they have access to alcohol, automobiles, candy, cigarettes, drugs, or various other diversions dear to the hearts of young American males. Ricks offers anecdotal evidence on what USMC recruits must endure in the way of indoctrination from fearsome (but no longer gratuitously brutal) drill instructors in the deep piney woods where apprentice warriors get their first taste of what combat is like, and in other invariably sweaty venues. He goes on to review the washout rate of 14 percent or so (which thins 3086's ranks to 55 by graduation day), the ongoing debate on ever-tougher entrance requirements (which probably cost the corps some superior fighting men), and the army's purposefully ``user-friendly'' training regimen (which reportedly neither instills esprit nor prepares soldiers to do battle). Covered as well is the risk that alienation could induce cream-of-the-crop troops like marines to take a more forceful role in the governance of the nation they are pledged to protect, if not engage in an outright coup. The author argues that it behooves America's largely oblivious middle and upper classes to take a more direct interest in their military. A revelatory briefing on what sets the USMC apart and the consequences of its superiority during a postCold War era when, for all the talk of peace dividends, the wider world remains an armed and dangerous place. (16 pages photos, maps, not seen) (Radio satellite tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

He wasn't there enough...
I was in Platoon 3086, my name was Recruit Daniel Armstrong (I later changed my name due to 'family' politics)and can be best quoted as "the stork-like construction worker from Florida", who wants to "get drunk and laid on boot-leave". First note - never tell anything to a reporter you wouldn't want your grandmother to read about.
I think Thomas Ricks did a great job with the material that he had, but I don't think he had enough material to write a book. He originally intended (or so we were told) to just write an article which appeared in The Wallstreet Journal and was a very good article, but I got the feeling he added a lot of "fluff" to lengthen the work into a book. He was only there a handful of times over the course of bootcamp and if he was intending to write a book, should have spent more time with us. I know he made some assumptions about recruits that were not necessarily true (particularly about Recruits Prish and Winston) and I think he could of done a better job on following up with us after bootcamp. I think it was a really good book about bootcamp in general, but fell short in the area of what we went through personally and how we felt.

Today's USMC bootcamp & civil-military relationships.
If you want a great read about today's USMC recruit training at Parris Island, SC, and a great insight into the USMC vs. American society 'culture war,' then don't miss this OUTSTANDING book!

Ricks does a superb job of capturing the challenges and triumphs of a real platoon undergoing bootcamp at the Corps' legendary Parris Island Recruit Depot. He explores the recruits' backgrounds and responses to the transforming bootcamp experience. Unlike some other works which seem to exaggerate certain perspectives, this book is an honest, realistic and well-written collection of astute, in-depth observations. You will understand how the Corps continues to thrive while keeping their numbers small, standards high, and traditions strong.

This book also analyzes the growing cultural gap between the USMC and the very society from which it comes. Ricks did extensive research into this gap and carefully weaves it in all throughout the book. He accurately describes the USMC cultural experience and compares it to what you see and don't see in today's society. If you have never given this gap much thought, you will find yourself wondering why you never noticed it before.

Being a Marine, I loved this book. Being a part of American society, I was intrigued and entertained by this book. I recommend this book to any Marine and all citizens who ever considered becoming a Marine, running for public office, or know others who have done either one. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Semper Fi..... Ooh Rah!!!
I got this book for Christmas in 1997 and I still love to pick it up and read it at least once a week!!! Being an ex-Marine, I love re-living those days of wearing my Dress Blues everytime I pick up this book.Thomas Ricks has not only found out what makes Marines different from all other servicemen and women, but he informs us, the readers why. In addition to telling us why, he gives first-hand account of the process that occurs in Marine Corps bootcamp when a young man or woman enters as a raw recruit and is then transformed into a United States Marine.In the book, Ricks follows a group of young men at MCRD Parris Island, SC. He goes into such detail that it amazes me of the actual time spent with these individuals. Also, he spends ample time with the infamous drill instructors and gets their insights on bootcamp. He addresses what the goals of bootcamp are from the DI's side and also from the recruits side.Ricks covers it all.... from that first step off the white bus at Receiving Barracks to the famous "Yellow Footprints" and eventually onto Graduation Day. He drives home the Corps' philosophies and core values..... Honor, Courage and Commitment.Marines are the epitome of excellence..... no other branch of service honors it's past as much and is so rich in tradition as we, the Marines are. I strongly recommend that any young man or woman who is contemplating going into the Marines should read this book. They will know what is expected of them in bootcamp and what they must then live up to once they have EARNED the title, "Marine." Thomas Ricks has captured that "Esprit de Corps" that sets Marines apart from all others. After reading this book, I'm sure your respect for all Marines, past and present, will have been elevated to a new high.Semper Fidelis, Thomas Ricks!!!