I found this post when I was surfing Books For Soldiers looking for a soldier that I could help. It is an interesting and comprehensive list of books for Marines to read. I highlighted the ones I have read and will use this a guide for reading ideas. Let me know which ones you have read as well.
Since all Marines are required to read the books from the Marine Corps Commandant's Reading List, I'm posting the lists here for reference.
PVT/PFC/LCPL:
-A MESSAGE TO GARCIA, HUBBARD
- BLACKHAWK DOWN, BOWDEN
- RIFLEMAN DODD, FORESTER
- THE DEFENSE OF DUFFER'S DRIFT, SWINTON
- THE KILLER ANGELS, SHAARA
- THE SOLDIER'S LOAD, MARSHALL
- U.S. CONSTITUTION
CPL/SGT:
- BATTLE LEADERSHIP, VON SCHELL
- FIELDS OF FIRE, WEBB
- FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, BRADLEY
- GATES OF FIRE, PRESSFIELD
- THE BRIDGE AT DONG HA, MILLER
- THE LAST FULL MEASURE, SHAARA
- THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE, CRANE
- THE UNITED STATES MARINES: A HISTORY, SIMMONS
- TIP OF THE SPEAR, MICHAELS
- WITH THE OLD BREED AT PELELIEU AND OKINAWA, SLEDGE
SSGT:- ATTACKS!, ROMMEL
- PEGASUS BRIDGE, AMBROSE
- PHASE LINE GREEN - THE BATTLE FOR HUE 1968, WARR
- THE ARAB MIND, PATAI
- THE ART OF WAR, SUN TZU (GRIFFIN)
- THE FORGOTTEN SOLDIER, SAJER
- THE VILLAGE, WEST
- THIS KIND OF WAR, FEHRENBACH
- WE WERE SOLDIERS ONCE, MOORE AND GALLOWAY
GYSGT:
- BREAKOUT, RUSS
- CITIZEN SOLDIERS, AMBROSE
- COMMAND IN WAR, VAN CREVELD
- MY AMERICAN JOURNEY, POWELL
- NAVAJO WEAPON, MCCLAIN
- SAVAGE WARS OF PEACE, BOOT
- SEMPER FIDELIS: THE HISTORY OF THE U.S. MARINE CORPS, MILLET
- UNACCUSTOMED TO FEAR, WILLCOCK
MSGT/1STSGT:
- BAND OF BROTHERS, AMBROSE
- BAYONET FORWARD!, CHAMBERLAIN
- DEFEAT INTO VICTORY, SLIM
- SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM, LAWRENCE
- STRONG MEN ARMED, LECKIE
- THE FACE OF BATTLE, KEEGAN
- THE MASK OF COMMAND, KEEGAN
- WAR IN THE SHADOWS, ASPREY
MGYSGT/SGTMAJ:- FIRST TO FIGHT, KRULAK
- FORTUNE FAVORS THE BRAVE, MYERS
- NO BENDED KNEE, TWINING
- REMINISCENCES OF A MARINE, LEJEUNE
WO-1:
- LEADING MARINES: MCWP 6-11
- SMALL WARS MANUAL
- THE ARMED FORCES OFFICER, MARSHALL
- THE QUIET AMERICAN, GREENE
- VICTORY AT HIGH TIDE, HEINL
MIDSHIPMEN AND OFFICER CANDIDATES:
- A MESSAGE TO GARCIA, HUBBARD
- BEAT TO QUARTERS, FORESTER
- CHESTY, HOFFMAN
- THE UNITED STATES MARINES: A HISTORY, SIMMONS
- WARFIGHTING MCDP 1
2NDLT:
- CLEARED HOT, STOFFEY
- CHANCELLORSVILLE, SEARS
- FIELDS OF FIRE, WEBB
- ON INFANTRY, ENGLISH AND GUDMUNDSSON
- RIFLEMAN DODD, FORESTER
- THE ARAB MIND, PATAI
- THE EASTER OFFENSIVE, TURLEY
- THE FACE OF BATTLE, KEEGAN
- THIS KIND OF WAR, FEHRENBACH
1STLT/CWO-2:
- A PEOPLE NUMEROUS AND ARMED, SHY
- ALL FOR THE UNION, RHODES
- ATTACKS!, ROMMEL
- COMPANY COMMANDER, MACDONALD
- ONCE AN EAGLE, MYRER
- REMINISCENCES OF A MARINE, LEJEUNE
- THE FORGOTTEN SOLDIER, SAJER
- THE STORM OF STEEL, JUNGER
- THE UGLY AMERICAN, LEDERER AND BURDICK
- UTMOST SAVAGERY, ALEXANDER
CAPT/CWO-3:
- COMMAND IN WAR, VAN CREVELD
- EAGLE AGAINST THE SUN, SPECTER
- FIELD ARTILLERY AND FIREPOWER, BAILEY
- FIELDS OF BATTLE, KEEGAN
- FROM BEIRUT TO JERUSALEM, FRIEDMAN
- GOODBYE DARKNESS, MANCHESTER
- INFANTRY IN BATTLE, MARSHALL
- SAVAGE WARS OF PEACE, BOOT
- STONEWALL IN THE VALLEY, TANNER
- TERRORISM TODAY, HARMON
- THE ART OF WAR, SUN TZU (GRIFFITH)
- UNACCUSTOMED TO FEAR, WILLCOCK
MAJ/CWO-4:
- A BRIGHT SHINING LIE, SHEEHAN
- BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM: THE CIVIL WAR ERA, MCPHERSON
- CRUCIBLE OF WAR, ANDERSON
- EUROPEAN ARMIES, STRACHAN
- FOR THE COMMON DEFENSE, MILLET AND MASLOWSKI
- GRANT TAKES COMMAND, CATTON
- ON WAR, VON CLAUSEWITZ (HOWARD AND PARET)
- STRATEGY, HART
- THE GENERAL, FORESTER
- THE GLORIOUS CAUSE, MIDDLEKAUFF
- THE GUNS OF AUGUST, TUCHMAN
- THE HISTORY OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR, THUCYDIDES (LANDMARK VERSION (BY STRASSER)
- THE MASK OF COMMAND, KEEGAN
LTCOL/CWO-5:
- A REVOLUTIONARY PEOPLE AT WAR, ROYSTER
- DEFEAT INTO VICTORY, SLIM
- FRONTIERSMEN IN BLUE, UTLEY
- MASTERS OF WAR, HANDEL
- ONE HUNDRED DAYS, WOODWARD
- PATTON: A GENIUS FOR WAR, D'ESTE
- SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM, LAWRENCE
- THE ARMY AND VIET NAM, KREPINEVICH
- THE LEXUS AND THE OLIVE TREE, FRIEDMAN
- THE ROOTS OF BLITZKRIEG, CORUM
- SUPPLYING WAR, VAN CREVELD
COL THROUGH GEN:
- ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND THE SECOND AMERICAN REVOLUTION, MCPHERSON
- ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, REMARQUE
- CARNAGE AND CULTURE, HANSON
- CRUSADE IN EUROPE, EISENHOWER
- DERELICTION OF DUTY, MCMASTER
- DIPLOMACY, KISSINGER
- EISENHOWER'S LIEUTENANTS, WEIGLEY
- FLEET TACTICS AND COASTAL COMBAT, HUGHES
- FEEDING MARS, LYNN
- GENERALSHIP; ITS DISEASES AND THEIR CURES, FULLER
- INVENTING GRAND STRATEGY AND TEACHING COMMAND, SUMIDA
- MEMOIRS OF GENERAL W. T. SHERMAN, EDITED BY MCFEELY
- MILITARY INNOVATION IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD, MURRAY AND MILLET
- SUPREME COMMAND, COHEN
- THE CAMPAIGNS OF NAPOLEON, CHANDLER
- THE CONDUCT OF WAR, FULLER
- THE RAPE OF NANKING, CHANG
- WAR AND PEACE, TOLSTOY
I am sorry to say that the list of these books that I have read is inadequate at best. I really like Goodbye Darkness by Manchester who also wrote American Caesar about General McArthur. I also read Beat to Quarters and the other 13 books in that series about Horatio Hornblower by Forester. The Age of Fighting Sail would be a good addition by Forester.
Seven Pillars of Wisdom could be complemented by his lesser known Revolt In The Desert, the autobiographical accounts of T.E. Lawrence. The book Chancellorsville about the pivotal Civil War battle in which Stonewall Jackson was tragically killed by his own troops, could be supplemented by Stonewall Jackson, by Henderson. A excellent account that expanded the theory if Jackson was alive Gettysburg would not have been fought. The book Killer Angels by Shaara is on that very subject.
I could go on but no one will read this windy post anyway. I will leave you with this, anything written by Barbara Tuchman like The March of Folly or The First Salute, Bruce Catton as well. It is interesting that Thomas Freidman's From Beruit To Jerusalem is on the list by I hate to admit I liked it as well.
Posted by BillyBudd at December 11, 2005 10:00 AM | TrackBackThat's one heck of a list. If I only had time nowadays to read.
Posted by: gindy at December 11, 2005 10:45 AMThat is a long list. Why are Marines required to read certain books. Do other branches of the military do this? I never heard of it when my husband and son were in the Navy. I don't think it's a bad thing, I just never heard of it before.
You'll be glad to know, I just signed up to volunteer at Books For Soldiers. I'm going to see if I can get my whole family involved in donating stuff, and I'll take care of the shipping. Don't know why I'm so excited about it, but I am!
Posted by: Patty-Jo at December 12, 2005 02:28 AMPatty-Jo, That is wonderful and they are a great organization. If you have any questions just ask!
Posted by: Billy Budd at December 12, 2005 06:47 AMWow. Actually, I was surprised by the number that I've read. None of the more military stuff, but quite a few.
One of the soldiers that I started writing to when he was in Afghanistan has volunteered to cut short his time "home" in Hawaii and leave with the next brigade to Iraq. We've "known" each other for almost 2 years now.
I continue with Soldiers Angels. Often I hear back from them, not always. Interesting what they DO write.
Julie, you are an angel, I think it is such a wonderful way to show the men and women in uniform how much we realy do support them. It warms my heart and fills my soul to do it as well.
Posted by: Billy Budd at December 14, 2005 09:28 PMTHE GLORIOUS CAUSE by Robert Middlekauff (one of my history profs at UC Berkeley) is a very good one-volume history of the American Revolution. It's worth reading.
Posted by: David at December 16, 2005 09:22 AMDavid, I will see if I can find it. Also any of my readers or those from the Smallest Minority, If you have, find, or want to donate any of these books I will see to it they are sent to an active duty Marine overseas at my expense.
Posted by: Billy Budd at December 16, 2005 09:46 AMWhy are Marines required to read certain books
Hi Patty-Jo. Former Marine here, eight years in the service, 1985-93.
The idea is to "think better, fight smarter" which was the motto at Infantry Training School in the 80s. Marines expect to be outnumbered, far from home and in desperate circumstances where no one loves us. When your grunts are well read that is a force multiplier that can mean the edge in battle.
But shhh. The idea that Marines are dumb grunts has always been a close-held secret. If the Navy and Army knew how much learning your average SNCO or field grade officer has they'd get a massive inferiority complex. Your average Air Force zoomie's head would explode. You wouldn't want their hurt feelings on your hands ...
Posted by: Brian at December 16, 2005 12:49 PMForester shows up for a reason. "Rifleman Dodd", usually bound with "The Gun", is a great classic of insurgent warfare from the insurgent's point of view.
And "The General" is the greatest study of power and its pathology I've ever seen. EVERYONE who has, or aspires to, authority should read it regularly as a reality check.
Posted by: staghounds at February 6, 2006 11:06 AM