I want to give a friend, a Marine, a book about the Marine Corps. What are your favorites? Doesn't have to be about conflicts. It can be mainly about the Corps. Thanks

I asked a friend who is a Marine. He said "Flags of Our Fathers by Bradley would be my first suggestion. Then maybe 'Making the Corps'".

I have this one:

Link

Highly recommended.

I enjoy the "Death From Afar" series by Col. Norm Chandler. They are great history books of the evolution of the Marine Corps Scout/Sniper Program. They mainly deal with the historical perspective of training, gear development, and conflicts. They aren't the typical "Look at me, I was a H.O.G., brah" type books.

I do not think they are available in soft back, only in the original hard cover.

https://www.abebooks.com/first...ntation/621442300/bd

"With the Old Breed" by Eugene Hammer. I reread the book periodically to remind myself about "Rough men" who stood ready in the South Pacific.

"Once A Marine" by Nick popaditch.

https://www.amazon.com/Once-Ma...covery/dp/1611211441

Gunny Pop was an old school hard core tanker. Instead of a pupil his glass eye has an EGA.

About a year or 2 ago Costco had these great coffee table books about each branch of the military. Do not know if still there but worth checking out.

quote:

Originally posted by Wasabibill:
"With the Old Breed" by Eugene Hammer. I reread the book periodically to remind myself about "Rough men" who stood ready in the South Pacific.

^^^^^+2
I've read "With the Old Breed" multiple times. Visiting the sites brought some of the blunter passages gut wrenching physicality.

Beneath the Battle of Okinawa

Costco in San Diego had a couple of books (coffee table type). The books are histories of the US Navy and US Marines in San Diego. (I bought the Navy one.)

I also read a book about Betio Island in the Tarawa Atoll. It was written by a Marine and describes what lead up to the battle (first amphib assault), what happened during those three days, and how it impacted future amphib assaults to include D-Day and Guadalcanal. I'll look for the title.

Update: I think this is the book: "Hell of a Way to Die: Tarawa Atoll, 20-23 November, 1943"

Read it on my first cruise aboard the Tarawa.

What an interesting topic.

My favorite USMC books (even though I am an Army dog)

Marine Sniper by Carlos Hathcock

One Tough Marine by Donald Hamblen

Mustang: A Combat Marine by Averill, Gerald P

Colder than Hell: A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin Reservoir

Any of the books both fiction and nonfiction by Johnny M. Clark

A follow-up is: We were one by Patrick O'Donnell

It's a story about Fallujah.

"With the Old Breed" Eugene Sledge, he wrote of his experiences on Peleliu and Okinawa.

I've read it more than once and finally bought a copy.

I would suggest 'Marine: The Life of Chesty Puller'.

https://www.amazon.com/Marine-...=8-2&keywords=chesty

EDIT: Sorry Para, I didn't read your post closely enough. Great book though.

A great book about the Marine Corps and Afghanistan is the book by Bing West called
One Million Steps: A Marine Platoon at War.

I read it in two days. I was in Helmand for three months before I rotated back to Kandahar. It really opened my eyes to the Helmand Province area, and what the Marine Corps were up against.

Battalion 3/5 suffered the highest number of casualties in the war in Afghanistan. This is the story of one platoon in that distinguished battalion.

Aware of U.S. plans to withdraw from the country, knowing their efforts were only a footprint in the sand, the fifty Marines of 3rd Platoon fought in Sangin, the most dangerous district in all of Afghanistan. So heavy were the casualties that the Secretary of Defense offered to pull the Marines out. Instead, they pushed forward. Each Marine in 3rd Platoon patrolled two and a half miles a day for six months—

I have a coffee table type book called The Marines by John de St. Jorre ISBN 0-9658904-2-2.

Has a lot of great photos and covers the history of the Marine Corps up until when it was published in 2001.

I second the suggestion by CoolRich - The life of Chesty Puller. Very good reading.

Chesty, by Jon Hoffman

This is very good, very readable and is on the Commandant of the Marine Corps' required reading list for company grade offices.

if you think of it, tell your pal I said Semper fi!

There's a few great choices already mentioned.

For history about the Marine Corps, and not specific to any wars or battle, take a look at these:

The Marines
by Edwin Simmons

Marines: An Illustrated History
by Chester Hearn

Marine
by Tom Clancy - a little old, but still relevant. It's a breakdown of a MEU, depending on when your friend was in, and his MOS, he might like this one.

USMC: United States Marine Corps- A Complete History
by Jon Hoffman

There's a smaller paperback the my brother gave me that I enjoy.
Marine Corps Lore: Marine Corps customs, traditions, lore and legend
by US Marines G-3 Division

There's a great series of book from W E B Griffin called "The Corps" that I also enjoyed.