Boot

It's America's boot camp, 88 days of drills, inspections, rifle practices, war games, grueling physical exercise and a regimen that separates the men from the boys...

Boot is an insider's account, told by a former Marine and veteran journalist who went back to Parris Island to see if today's grunt measures up to the crack troops he served with in the South Pacific. He follows the recruits of Platoon 1036 from Day One through every step of the rugged training that transforms raw recruits into a fighting elite. His searingly honest, you-are-there coverage brings these unforgettable weeks to life...and lets anyone who's been there judge for himself if today's brand of "tough" is tough enough for a real Leatherneck, a man proud to be a Marine.

To research this book, novelist da Cruz, himself an ex-Marine, spent three months with the recruits of Platoon 1036 at Parris Island, S.C. He shows the eased training standards at Marine boot camp and quotes many enlistees who think the regimen is not nearly tough enough. Drill instructors, for example, may not use profanity at trainees, nor touch them; the process of converting trainees into Leathernecks involves much physical instruction, close-order drill, exercises in marksmanship and simulated combat. The aim is to instill a sense of self-respect and confidence and, more importantly, esprit de corps. There is a chapter on female Marines, whose attrition rate is exceedingly high. Da Cruz's argument that training has become "too easy" is off-putting, as is his glorification of the Marine as "a different breed." Military Book Club main selection.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.