Marine Force Recon (Power) [Paperback]

Fred J. Pushies (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 14, 2003 | Series: Power

In this first ever published account, learn what it takes to be an elite Recon soldier in America's toughest military service the Marine Corps. Enter the unknown world of Marine Force Recon and follow new recruits as they descend into the hell of "indoc"- a grueling 48-hour test where physical and mental failure lead to elimination and through the completion of advanced Jungle Environment Survival Training at Camp Schwab, Okinawa. Find out how these men are trained to carry out missions with stealth, speed, and accuracy; how they infiltrate enemy lines to gather intelligence and/or conduct search and destroy missions that only the finest of America's troops could accomplish. Delve into the history and uncover the founding origins of this elite unit. Read about the ten different training grounds, including the mentally challenging eight week Amphibious Recon School and the dangerous Combat Dive Training, just to name a few.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

• First guidebook ever published on the USMC elite soldiers.
• Complete review of all aspects of Force Recon Training and Weapons deployment.
• Up-to-date details of the Units involvement in America’s modern conflicts.

About the Author

Fred J. Pushies has spent the last eighteen years in the company of each of the units assigned to United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM). He has skimmed across the waves with the SEALs in an eighty-two-foot-long Mark V Special Operations craft, flown at treetop level with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, and crunched through the brush with Force Recon Marines. His other Zenith Press titles include Night Stalkers: 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment; Special Ops: America’s Elite Forces in 21st Century Combat; 10th Mountain Division; 82nd Airborne; U.S. Air Force Special Ops; Marine Force Recon; and Weapons of the Navy Seals. Fred lives in Westland, Michigan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Zenith Press (July 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760310114
• ISBN-13: 978-0760310113
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yeah, it's that good, September 5, 2003

By 

M. Flegal (CT) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marine Force Recon (Power) (Paperback)

The Power series has been rather variable in quality, with some excellent books (like the Navy SEALs book) and some wretched ones (tha SAS book comes to mind). This one is first-rate. It takes the time to discuss the context of Force Recon, talking not just about them (although they make up the majority of the book) but what a MEU is, what the difference is between Force Recon and Battalion Recon, etc. Be aware that it is an overview book, so you're not getting 300 pages of info like, say, "Brave Men, Dark Waters" does for the SEALs. Hopefully, someday somebody will write such a book but until then, this is all that you've got and it's pretty darned good.

For someone who wants to know the basics of Force Recon or how Force Recon is different than the Navy SEALs, this is a great choice. There are other good books on Force Recon, such as the excellent "Inside Force Recon: Recon Marines in Vietnam"
by Michael Lanning, but they are more memoirs than overviews so often don't explain the basics that people might be interested in.

Matt

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, June 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Marine Force Recon (Power) (Paperback)

The Power Series is without question the best line of books on America's Special Operations units. In particular, the books Fred Pushies has done for the Power Series line are excellent. This is the first comprehensive book on the Reconasance Marines. Everything from the history of the unit, the training they go through, the weapons and equipment they use, to the missions that they train for. This book combines all the information anyone would want to know, along with great photos, to produce a classic text on one of the United States' most elite military units.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Misleading at best, August 10, 2003

By 

Enes Memic "enman70" (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Marine Force Recon (Power) (Paperback)

This book may be titled Marine Force Recon, but it spends very little time talking about what it's like to be a Force Recon Marine. The selection process and training only receive bare-bones detail; the majority of the book is spent discussing the Marine Expeditionary Unit and its variants, as well as the equipment used by the Marines. As such, it reads more like a Cliff's Notes version of Tom Clancy's Marine rather than an in-depth guide to Force Recon.

It would be nice if there was a book written about Force Recon selection and training that was on the same level as Dick Couch's "The Warrior Elite", which focuses on Navy SEALs. Given the fact that most people don't even know that Force Recon exists, however, makes such a book unlikely. Anyone who wants to learn more about this unit has really no other option other than to read Bruce Norton's "Force Recon Diary."