Product Description

The United States Marine Corps, with its proud tradition of excellence in combat, its hallowed rituals, and its unbending code of honor, is part of the fabric of American myth. Making the Corps visits the front lines of boot camp in Parris Island, South Carolina. Here, old values are stripped away and new Marine Corps values are forged. Bestselling author 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.

Included in this edition is an all-new afterword from the author that examines the war in Iraq through the lens of the Marines from Platoon 3086, giving readers an on-the-ground view of the conflict from those who know it best

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #68140 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-31
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Review
Stephen E. Ambroseauthor of Citizen Soldiers and Undaunted CourageThis is a wonderful book. Ricks combines fine descriptive writing, thoughtful comparisons between the Corps of today and the past, and between the Corps and the U.S. Army, and insightful speculation about the future of the Corps -- all enclosed in as good a piece of storytelling as I have read in decades.

Review
"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

About the Author
Thomas Ricks

is one of America's most esteemed military journalists. A Wall Street Journal Pentagon correspondent, he has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and awarded a Society of Professional Journalists Award for his writing on the Marines. He lectures widely to military officers and is a member of Harvard University's Senior Advisory Council on the Project on U.S. Civil-Military Relations. He lives outside of Washington D.C. with his wife and two children.

Customer Reviews

This explains alot....
As someone who has entertained an interest in military culture her entire life, I picked up this book expecting a day to day account of the rigors of boot camp. What I got was a well-written explanatory account of Marine culture. As someone who knows many, many Marines, I always attributed their fierce loyalty to a family environment, but never knew that it was born out of basic training. Thinking about comments I have heard in the past ("Don't go into the corps if you aren't planning on taking care of my Marines"-a police officer who hasn't been in the Corps in 20 years to his son who wants to be an officer) this book not only reenforces where they came from, but also corroborates them. I recommend this book to anyone who is curious, anyone thinking about joining, anyone with close friends or family in the Marines.

One of the Best Books ever written on Marine Corps Training and Culture
This book was written in 1997. Still it is the best modern book on Marine Corps training and culture. It shows why the Marines are one of the best fighting forces in the world and the proudest and why the Marines know how to make men (and a few good Woman Marines as well)

A Great book for a Great branch of Service
Making the Corps is a well written and informed documentry on recruits fighting for recognition through the trials that their drill instructors throw at them. It talks from the perspective of the author who got the insight on not only the recruits and D.I.s, but on the Marine Corps as a whole. He talks about prior history, the changes, officers, commandants, and several experiences on which the marines were part of. For anyone joining the Marine Corps, I highly encourage it. Though some parts are slow and hard to read, the wealth of info provided is worth it.