Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)There have been a number of books recently about the training of enlisted Marines ("Making the Corps," "Into the Crucible," etc.), but the special technique the Corps uses to produce its officers is much less well-explored, at least for the general reader. Far from just a modification -- or still less, a simplification -- of enlisted recruit training, OCS and TBS, the two main parts of USMC officer training, are a world unto themselves and worthy of the attention Jack Ruppert has given them. This is a book that should be read, not only (as other reviewers have noted) by officer candidates or hope-to-be Marines, but by any reader interested in what makes the Corps America's most distinctive armed service.
Ruppert's approach is to compare-and-contrast his own experience at The Basic School in 1956 with those of a class in 2000. He combines stories from his classmates with his own observations, studies with statistics, in-their-own-words reminiscences with as-it-happens reports from officer candidates ... in short, Ruppert gives us a pretty well-rounded look at what Marine officer training is all about. He doesn't employ the common technique of following specific individuals through training from start to finish, and consequently this book comes across as somewhat less personal -- in the sense of containing portraits of distinct individuals. However, he makes up for that not only with a wide breadth of coverage, but also a very personal stroll down his own memory lane.
One of the impressions that comes across most strongly in this book is that Marine Corps officer training is not only physical -- though it is incredibly, intensely, physical -- but also ethical, moral, and perhaps surprisingly to some, intellectual. Far from the stereotype some may have of the Marine as a redneck automaton killing machine (thank you, "A Few Good Men"), Ruppert shows how the Corps in fact emphasizes personal initiative, innovation, even, dare we say, intellectualism.
Ruppert's subtitle makes an important point, one he develops further in his text. OCS and TBS are concerned not just with creating "Marine officers," but more importantly, "officers of Marines": men and women worthy of the Marines whom they will be leading. How this exacting training is carried out, and how and why it has changed over the years, is the focus of this most interesting title. I recommend it to any reader with an interest in the Corps.
Click Here to see more reviews about: One of Us: Officers of Marines--Their Training, Traditions, and Values
This engaging book plunges readers into the culture shock of Marine Officer Candidates School, a ten-week physical, intellectual, and emotional testing ground so grueling that every fourth candidate fails to complete.
What does it take to become a Marine Officer? This engaging book transports readers through the culture shock of Marine Officer Candidates School, a ten-week physical, intellectual, and emotional testing ground that every fourth candidate fails to complete. The Sergeant Instructors' intensity is palpable as candidates are made to strip away civilian habits and attitudes, replacing them the Marine Corps ethos in the hopes of becoming officers. Anecdotes and personal recollections of OCS by two generations of officers provide instructive, poignant, and humorous interludes for the reader.
A second focus of the book involves research into the demographics, attitudes, and opinions of two groups of officers, separated in time by 50 years. This comparison across a wide range of personal and social issues and beliefs renders some surprising results that lie in opposition to conventional wisdom. From the older generation, the reader will better understand the lifelong impact of the Marine leadership experience. From today's officers, the reader will discover the motivations of today's allegedly soft and coddled young people to follow the difficult path to a lieutenant's gold bars. This book is required reading for anyone with an interest in the Marine Corps and its culture.
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