Customer Reviews

Making the Corps

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4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(10)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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!!!

This is what you call a high adrenaline book! It will make you feel guilty for sitting in a comfy chair reading about the ardous physical and mental training. I loved this book -- I've always had a great respect for military training, but I was particulary interested in reading about the mental games. Most people focus on the physical, but Ricks shows how the mental games are just as important for surviving. This is a no-nonsense, journalist, first hand account of marine boot camp. The detail and insider perspective make it a great read!

Reading this book was like taking a trip in Peabody's Wayback Machine. Though the Marine boot camp experience is one that most will never forget, the opening chapters of the book which describe those first few hours bring back the memories with startling clarity. Though there have been many changes since I went through (training schedule, the buildings, etc), the fundamental structure of boot camp is still intact. From the whirlwind of chaos that greets you when you get off the bus to the sense of elation you feel on Graduation Day, Mr. Ricks has fashioned an intricate tour of the entire boot camp experience. Even though it is a little out of date with the current training curriculum, the book still provides a fascinating insight into this once-in-a-lifetime experience. My favorite aspects of the book are the studies of the various recruits and their differing motivations for joining the Corps, as well as the look at the drill instructors charged with training the recruits and molding them into Marines. The duties of a Marine DI are generally overlooked or simplified when they're conveyed in movies or TV or in other books, and Mr. Ricks does a stellar job in showing the enormous responsibility these men and women undertake. This book should be required reading for anyone interested in learning more about Marines.

Making the Corps was very enjoyable to read, and will certainly be appreciated by anyone who has gone through Army or Marine Corps basic training. Thomas Ricks has superbly captured with color and pathos the experience of young people being newly initiated into the culture and environment of military service. However I feel he over emphasizes the perception that the civilian public has become disenchanted with or alienated from the values of the military. One need only witness the tremendous surge of popularity for Saving Private Ryan, a film which dramatically emphasizes the core values of the military as demonstrated by characters representing the common citizen. As an Army vet I also agree with some of the reviewers that Ricks tends to nick the "Green Machine" a bit unfairly at times (for a clearer picture of the Army I would recommend George Wilson's Mud Soldiers.) I trained at Ft. Benning GA under a freckle-faced red-headed maniac from Tennesee, our senior drill sergeant, who would have felt right at home on Perris Island. I believe that Army Basic (non-coed) at Ft. Benning was essentially comparable to Marine Basic at P.I. with one major ideological exception, which Ricks aptly points out. After completing Army Infantry School graduation we were simply referred to as "soldiers." After P.I. or Pendleton graduation Rick's subjects are not referred to but "titled" mind you, "UNITED STATES MARINES." God help them, its true, the Marines have always been able to foster that essence of identity which the Army and the other services have never been able to capture, and it is that intangible which makes them special. Yes I do admire "The Corps," and I highly recommend Rick's book.

This is a book about the third recruit training battalion of the United States Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, SC. As a former USMC recruit in that very same battalion, reading this book brought back a lot of memories. Some of which I had worked hard to forget, apparently: I laughed out loud several times and got dewy-eyed once reading this book.

If you've never had the pleasure of going through USMC boot camp, Making the Corps is an accurate description of what it's like. Ricks follows a platoon of fledgling USMC recruits from their disorienting night time arrival at Parris Island all the way through to their lock-step graduation. He also follows up with many of these same Marines during their subsequent service in the Corps, which makes for interesting reading. Ricks also compares USMC recruit training to that of the Army, Air Force, and Navy. Unsurprisingly there is no comparison.

While the Marine Corps has slightly reworded a few stock expressions since my three-month training at Parris Island long ago, nonetheless every single detail Ricks recounts rings true.

On the one hand, I was happy to hear the Marine Corps has in fact beefed up recruit training and still maintains its emphasis on high ethical standards. (No matter what happens, I've always felt the Corps has a good heart, which accounts for its success.) On the other, I was amazed at how "lenient" things have gotten since my stint there. It's clearly still horrifying and grueling and transcendent. For example, the daily torture on "the quarterdeck", frequent trips to "the pit" for marathon platoon PT sessions, and being mercilessly bitten by sand fleas while standing at stone-rigid attention. But the good old-fashioned potentially lethal abuse by the drill instructors appears to have been "somewhat" curbed; (either that, or they made sure to get Ricks out of the way before the fun started).

As the Corps stationed me in Japan for several years, I agree heartily with Ricks' observation: "The culture that the Marines most resemble, oddly enough, is that of Japan. The Marines are almost a Japanese version of America - frugal, relatively harmonious, extremely hierarchical, and almost always placing the group over the individual" [page 199]. "The Marines ... are American samurai, in the way that they think of themselves and in the way they relate to their nation" [page 201].

My only critique of Making the Corps is Ricks' belaboring how Marines tend to view civilians as ill-disciplined and selfish. By Marine standards, civilians are. But while Ricks' analysis is correct, elitism can be an occupational hazard of any serious profession (lawyers, doctors, musicians, writers).

A well-written, accurate recounting of "Where It All Begins".

If you are a soon-to-be high school graduate thinking of joining the beloved Corps this book is a good place to start. Most of the information is accurate, but there are a few things the author didn't convey, through no fault of his own.

1) If you consider yourself an intellectual and passionate for human/political causes..stay out of the Marine Corps because its not the place for you. Philosophical debate is fine and all but as a Marine rifleman, you're not entitled the right to debate unfair orders or afforded the time to ponder the growing rift between the military and civilian society. You do what you are told and keep your mouth shut.

2) It's amazing that Sgt. Carey made it as far as he has with the risks he took training recruits. I was a member of Platoon 3013 in the summer of 1995. I wish Ricks could have written justice of Carey's complete and utter contempt for some of the sub-standard recruits he was forced to graduate. Not getting into details, there were a few occasions where he crossed the line. One of these occasions involved me. I didn't take it personal, I didn't think he wanted to hurt me...I understood he wanted to train me and prepare me for the worst. Eight years later I still hope I'll one day get the chance to thank him for that personally. I often think that Sgt. Carey would have been better off being born hundreds of years ago, in feudal Japan.

With the current rules and regulations set in place by bleeding-heart politicians and bureaucrats that have never served a day in the service....today's Marine Corps bears little resemblance to your father's or grandfather's time in the Corps. With recruits that want to press charges when their feelings are hurt, the hamstringing of DIs that want to do their job, and civilians second-guessing people that are trying to protect them the reader really needs to take everything into consideration after reading this book and speaking to some Marines that have served, or currently serving.

In closing, I lament the fact that most people reading this book and that decide to enlist will never have the chance to have a Sgt. Carey as their drill instructor. Because of his professionalism and 24/7 intensity I've tried to follow his example and not sell myself short. I was one of the "quiet middle" recruits that went on to complete a "Yankee White" tour at WHCA, serve a tour overseas as a infantry squad leader, and recently completed college with plans to become a Maryland State Trooper. 70% percent of that is because of the main character in Rick's book..Sgt. Carey.

P.S. If some (former)Marines take exception to some of the comments I've written..too bad. I've put my time in and rate the right to express what I want. This is my real name, not a pseudonym. Semper Fi.

As a former active duty Marine who is currently in the reserves, I was excited to read this book, but perhaps it was to see what was missed more than relive the same experiences. Ricks does a great job of following the platoon through MCRD training (boot camp) and also does a great overview of the corps in terms of its own rich, eccentric and often times misunderstood culture compared to today's society and the youth that come from it.

You could never take the entire 12-week process and show every detail, but this is the first book that I feel does a good job of trying. From crying in their bunks at night to realizing potential they never knew they had, we follow a group of kids that start out together as nothing more than misfits of various race, religion and background and turn into a specialized team where "I" is nothing more than a letter in the English Alphabet that you avoid at all costs.

I felt Ricks did a fine job in showing how valuable the Corps values are. The happenings within this book are over 10 years old now and the "Nintendo Generation" as given way to a new one that is now fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I could definitely relate to the honor and prestige that being a Marine on the "street" gave many of the members. From having police treat you slightly differently if you were pulled over for a speeding ticket to seeing the "kid made of water" who cried all the time end up having a successful career in the corps.

At times again, it seems dated with some of the outlooks and things that were happening around the world in 1995, but overall this is the best book for any prospective recruit to get. It will show you that you will sweat and bleed for that uniform, but it will also present to you challenges and rewards that you will never, ever find in the civilian field. MCRD was tough, but if you ask anyone who went through it if they wished it were "easier", their reply will probably be no. Teamwork, Hard work and perseverance are wrought throughout Ricks journey with this platoon, and in the end you may have a much better understanding of what the corps is all about. As a quote said in a movie once, "Its not just all John Wayne".

Making the Corps is a must-read for anyone in or interested in the Marine Corps, but more importantly, not interested in the Marine Corps. You won't be able to put it down, you'll want to call your local recruiter, you'll find yourself humming cadence as you walk down the street. You just may come to understand what "Semper Fi" really means.

I found myself wishing that the transformation Platoon 3086 undergoes in the hands of its first-class Drill Instructors were the transformation of society...we could certainly use some more Honor, Courage, and Commitment in civilian life today.

As the daughter of a former MSgt. who is not able to join the Corps, this book makes me nostalgic for the Corps I can't have, but also reaffirms my personal beliefs, values and attitudes (those "intangibles") which are identical to those taught to Platoon 3086...Sgt. Carey can be my "heavy" any day! Semper Fi!