Monday, January 11, 2016

Book List: US Marine Corp Entry Level (Part 1)

US Marine Corp Reading List - Entry Level


From one of the AoSHQ Sunday Morning Book Threads, I learned that the Military has "Professional Reading Lists" which I think are books that they either require or recommend, by service and by rank. Isn't that intriguing? What books are they supposed to read?

So I hunted it down and found the Marine Corp's official lists maintained here.

Some of the books listed actually seem quite interesting to me. Let's start with the "Entry Level" list which is for Enlisted (Recruit/Poolee) and Officer (Officer Candidate/Midshipman). I'm including the USMC description which gives insight to why the book was selected. There are seven books in this list; I am including the first four. The next three will follow in a future post.

USMC Description:
Battle Cry follows the fortunes of a Marine outfit from boot camp to Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and elsewhere in the Pacific during World War II. Many of the events are based on the author’s WWII experience with the 6th Marine Regiment. The interactions of the characters and their ability to develop “esprit de corps” is a central theme.





USMC Description:
The author recounts the simple but powerful lessons he learned as a United States Marine: the core values we must embrace if we are to be successful as individuals and as a nation. Only by incorporating such time-honored Marine qualities as pride, discipline, courage, brotherhood, and respect into our personal and professional lives can we meet the challenges that lie ahead.


USMC Description:
The only family-authorized biography of Sgt. John Basilone, the only World War II Marine to win the Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, and a Purple Heart. The book follows Basilone from is written in the first-person, allowing the reader to experience his significant achievements at Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima as perhaps he did himself.


USMC Description:
This book follows recruit of Platoon 3086 through Marine Corps boot camp in Parris Island, South Carolina, and the drill instructors who instill in them the principles of discipline, teamwork, and commitment. Ricks also examines changes in recruit training and how the Corps deals with critical social and political issues like race relations, gender equality, and sexual orientation, as well as the growing divide between the military and the rest of America. As the author follows these men from their hometowns, through boot camp and into their first year as Marines, he paints a picture not only of individual Marines but the Corps as a whole.

No comments:

Post a Comment