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U.S. Marines in Afghanistan, 2010-2014: Anthology and Annotated Bibliography

Reviewed by LTC Victor O. McGee, USA. In October 2014, NATO and the U.S ended combat operations in Afghanistan; however the insurgency reformed and malign forces again were mounting stronger insurrections. Marines redeployed to Afghanistan to continue training Afghan Soldiers and Police Forces to counter act the rebellion. This 6-part collection of 21 commentaries and

The Greene Papers

In his influential 1997 book Dereliction of Duty, H.R. McMaster described the Joint Chiefs of Staff as “Five Silent Men” who acquiesced to a gradual escalation of the conflict in Vietnam without a clear vision of how military action would secure American policy aims. The Greene Papers, Nicholas Schlosser’s carefully curated selection of General Wallace

Viet Nam Vignettes: Tales of the Magnificent Bastards

Viet Nam Vignettes is a memoir that outlines the experience of Gerald Gems from the time when he volunteered to enlist in Chicago (1966), to Marine Corps Boot Camp in San Diego, to his first assignment in Hawaii, to a combat tour in Viet Nam, and finally to his discharge and return to civilian life.

BOOK REVIEW – I Will Hold: The Story of USMC Legend Clifton B. Cates, From Belleau Wood to Victory in the Great War

By James Carl Nelson, Caliber, New York, NY (2016) Reviewed by Captain Kevin M. Boyce, USMC The annals of American military history reveal a breadth of scholarly writings, encompassing the stories of countless heroes of war and the battles in which they fought.  These legends are often remembered for acts of heroism that imbue the

BOOK REVIEW – Where Youth and Laughter Go – With “The Cutting Edge” in Afghanistan

By Lt.Col. Seth W. B., Folsom USMC., Naval Institute Press Annapolis, MD (2015) Reviewed by Charles Bogart This is the third book by Lt. Col. Folsom concerning his experiences fighting the War on Terror. In 2006, he published The Highway War: A Marine Company Commander in Iraq. In 2010, he wrote In The Gray Area:

NHF Membership Spotlight: Meriwether Ball

By Matthew Eng NHF Membership Spotlight is a new segment for the Naval Historical Foundation blog where we showcase our loyal members. It’s important that we let our members know that they are as integral a part of naval history as the ships and sailors that continue to protect and serve today. If you are

BOOK REVIEW – They Were Heroes – A Sergeant Major’s Tribute to the Combat Marines of Iraq and Afghanistan

By Sergeant Major David K. Devaney, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired). Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2015) Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart This book is not for the fainthearted to read. Within this book, we encounter fifty-one men, who with the exception of one individual, are all enlisted. The title of the book, however, is slightly

BOOK REVIEW – The Path to War – U.S. Marine Corps Operations in Southeast Asia 1961 to 1965

By Col George R. Hofmann Jr. USMC (Ret.), Government Printing Office, Washington DC (2014) Reviewed by Charles Bogart This book is part of Marines in the Vietnam War Commemorative Series. As with all USMC histories, this book is both a history and a lesson learned publication. The title is a little misleading, as the author

BOOK REVIEW – One Magnificent Bastard: BGEN William Weise, USMC (Ret.)

By Mark Huffman, RH Rositzke & Associates, LLC, Washington, DC (2013) Reviewed by John R. Satterfield, DBA This brief volume tells the story of a distinguished Marine Corps veteran, BGen. William B. Weise, whose career spanned 1952 to 1982 and included service in Korea and Vietnam. BGen. Weise served with more than six months of

BOOK REVIEW – U.S. Marines in Battle: An-Nasiriya 23 March – 2 April 2003

By Col. Rod Andrew Jr. USMCR, U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Marine Corps University, Quantico, VA, (2013) Reviewed by Col. Curt Marsh, USMC (Ret.) This booklet documents a notable battle in Marine Corps history.  Colonel Andrew is a professor of history at Clemson University who served as an artillery officer during Operation Desert Storm.  Andrew

BOOK REVIEW – Fallujah Awakens: Marines, Sheiks and the Battle Against al Qaeda

By Bill Ardolino, Naval Institute Press Annapolis, (2013). Reviewed by John Grady Bill Ardolino, associate editor of the Long War Journal, wrote a telling account of counterinsurgency warfare and its costs.  In no place does he summarize this struggle better than his narrative of the yearlong struggle of a Marine Reserve unit and Sunni Iraqis

allison-pathbreakers USMC african american

BOOK REVIEW – Path Breakers: U.S. Marine African American Officers in Their Own Words

Compiled and edited by Dr. Fred Allison and Colonel Kurtis Wheeler USMCR, US Marine Corps History Division, Quantico, VA (2012). Reviewed by Colonel Curt Marsh, USMCR (Retired) Path Breakers is a worthy addition to the story of the ongoing struggle by the Marine Corps to address diversity and build an officer corps that is more

gilbert building for war wake

BOOK REVIEW – Building for War: The Epic Saga of the Civilian Contractors and Marines of Wake Island in World War II

By Bonita Gilbert, Casemate Publishers, Philadelphia (2012). Reviewed by Richard P. Hallion, Ph.D. Wake Island is justly remembered in the military history of the United States for the heroic stand made by its few defenders against the might of the Japanese empire. But while the exploits of the Navy and Marine personnel assigned to that

fox leadership USMC

BOOK REVIEW – Six Essential Elements of Leadership: Marine Corps Wisdom of a Medal of Honor Recipient

By Colonel Wesley L. Fox, USMC (Ret.), Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2011) Reviewed by Jan Churchill Medal of Honor Recipient Col. Wesley L. Fox dedicated this book “To the Marines of yesterday whose personal sacrifices demonstrated the leadership traits addressed in this work.” He discusses how his superiors and fellow Marines impressed him with