What “First to Fight” Means to Me

Book Review

Introduction

First to battle by Lieutenant General Victor H. Krulak is where the annals, status, and reality about the joined States Marine Corps meet. General Krulak presents a mountain of detail. While these details would be of large chronicled worth for a book book reader who knows infantry structure and nomenclature, they tend to bog down the reader at points. The political volleys furthermore are inclined to get tedious when the General recounts the how the Marine Corps had to fight tooth and nail for institutional survival. These faults were few and far between and did not subtract from the wealth of knowledge that the book provides (Victor , 22).

Discussion

A very impressive work by retired Marine and former advisor to Vietnamese Marines, Colonel Don Price. The writing style and obvious depth of research paints a vivid word picture of VC prisoner of war Marine Donald G. Cook from the time of capture on December 31, 1964 until his death from malaria three years later. Cook's remains have never been recovered, however, the courageous leadership and actions that earned Cook the nation's highest award, the Medal of Honor, during his captivity have been well recovered by Price. Both the research and the writing are exceptional, obviously a work of admiration and respect for a fellow Marine by a Marine who trod in many of thesame footsteps as Cook (Victor , 111).

The publication is coordinated in seven distinct parts, each explaining a distinct facet of the Marine Corps. The first part interprets in minutia the struggle of the Marine Corps to survive as an entity over its long annals. General Krulak explains how the Marine Corps had to fight for its present rank as an identical organization with the armed detachment, Navy, and Air Force. Even a series of Presidents were among those who tried unsuccessfully to merge the Marine Corps with the other services (Victor , 42).

As the battle to survive stormed, the Marine Corps needed to verify herself as a necessary force. General Krulak interprets how the need for an amphibious assault force was the niche that the Marine Corps could and effectively did fill. With intriguing and funny stories, General Krulak portions behind-the-scenes information about the rocky evolution of amphibious vehicles required to assault foe beaches. On pages 103-104, General Krulak notifies of one demonstration of such a vehicle. After assuring a hesitant Admiral to board the amphib for a demonstration, Krulak proceeded to attack a coral reef that subsequently knocked off one of the tracks. Enraged, the Admiral, who was originally hesitant because he was short on time, proceeded to walk in the knee-deep water to the loading dock and eventually was taxied back out to his ship (Victor , 125).

Part three, the Improvisers, notifies of how Marines stumbled across a way to provide high grade bombing unquestionably even at evening and in inclement weather. simultaneously with the article of Inchon, where a harshly scaled-down Marine Corps mushroomed into ...