Semper Fi: Stories of the United States Marines from Boot Camp to Battle [Paperback]

Clint Willis (Author)

Book Description

Series: Adrenaline | Publication Date: September 4, 2003

Semper Fi collects into one volume the best, most compelling stories and eyewitness accounts from the vast literature about the elite few who call themselves United States Marines. The history of the Marine Corps is inextricably intertwined with that of the country it defends—from its formation during the American Revolution through the Civil War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War, right up to its recent role in Afghanistan. Marines not only played a deciding role in many of the moments which have determined our history, but set a standard for honor, self-sacrifice, and courage which has defined the best of military heroism in this country for generations. Including the most compelling excerpts from classics old and new by authors such as Thomas Ricks (Making the Corps), James Brady (The Coldest War), Studs Terkel (The Good War), Lewis B. Puller, Jr. (Fortunate Son), James W. Johnson (The Long Road of War), Joseph Alexander (Edson's Raiders), John C. Stevens III (Court-Martial At Parris Island), Anthony Swofford (Jarhead), and Frank and John Schaeffer (Keeping Faith), this anthology will bring readers the pain, pride, and glory of being a member of America's most renowned fighting group.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The Adrenaline anthology series marches on, literally, this time sampling U.S. Marines' experiences from World War I to the first Gulf War. William Manchester writes about Okinawa from a combat infantryman's perspective, James Brady covers Korea, and Kenneth Simpson reports on a lesser-known aspect of the Vietnam War, in which he was an artillery officer. In Frank and John Schaeffer's peacetime narrative, the younger Schaeffer graduates from Parris Island. Although he didn't enjoy the Gulf War or like the marine corps as a whole, Anthony Swofford says he will never cease to honor his fellow marines--not an uncommon reaction among the contributors here. Many of the books drawn on for the collection are out of print or hard to come by, increasing the value of this good opening into the copious literature on the marines. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 303 pages
• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press (September 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560255048
• ISBN-13: 978-1560255048
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #341,396 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You don't have to be, or know, a Marine to enjoy this book., September 27, 2003

By 

Andrew Entwistle (Schodack, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Semper Fi: Stories of the United States Marines from Boot Camp to Battle (Paperback)

Once again Mr. Willis has applied his high editorial standards and avoided the trap of creating a book full of tired old war stories. Instead, Semper Fi delves into what it feels like and means to be a Marine - and in truth much of it could apply to any service. If you've ever been to Boot Camp or Basic Training you'll relive it in a couple of these selections. There are "war stories" from WWI, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam and Desert Storm but they are not superficial there-I-was hero tales. They are thoughtful, (mostly first-person), retrospectives about the men who served, who did what had to be done, and perhaps didn't return. You will read these accounts and maybe repeat the words of Frederic March at the close of the movie The Bridges of Toko-Ri: "Where do we get such men?". The selections in this book are so artfully removed from the originals that you won't need the chapters before or after to really taste the fear of being on a combat patrol, sense the insecurity of just arrivng in country, or feel the pride tinged with just a little guilt after saving your platoon by calling in devastating artillery fire. There is a wrenching excerpt from the book by Lewis Puller who struggles with feelings that he has let down his hero father by getting his legs and hands blown off before ever coming to grips with the enemy. As I write this in Sept. '03, perhaps now this book is especially relevant with so many men and women serving in combat conditions overseas. If this collection shows one thing, it is that a Marine's, or soldier's, reactions to danger and war are constant throughout history, and so reading these stories from the not so distant past may truly help us understand the present.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent excerpts from great books on the Corps, October 14, 2004

By 

C. Stack "StackAttack" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Semper Fi: Stories of the United States Marines from Boot Camp to Battle (Paperback)

I am a third generation Marine and know many of these stories simply by memory as they talk to the heart of what the corps cult-like traditions are. These are pure stories of Honor, Courage, and Commitment -- the foundational values of the Marine Corps, and they couldn't be painted more vividly. Although I own the full books of many of these titles, this book is great to give to friends who maybe just don't understand us seemingly "crazed fanatic" Marines. Those who read it will understand the Corps and its real purpose more clearly than ever by stories like these.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lacked something, February 23, 2011

By 

A. Ballard "Corinthos fan 4 life" (Fortuna,ca) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Semper Fi: Stories of the United States Marines from Boot Camp to Battle (Paperback)

This book is suppose to be about the Marines and the Semper Fi code they live by but most of these storys don't show that, while some do most are like openings or middle sections of books which make them not fitting for this perticular book. I think the editor and writer didn't really put the book together as well as they could have and the stories as well. It isn'ta bad book book but defintinely not a good book so that is why it only got a 2 star rating from me. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone unless they wanted to be put to sleep by most of it. NOt a good pick to give to anyone joining the marines or a former marine