A Sense of Values: American Marines in an Uncertain World

A journalist provides a behind-the-scenes look at America's professional warriors and explores their strict code of ethics, fighting tactics, commitment, and value system

For almost a year, 48-year-old freelance journalist Wood lived with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, a force of 2100 men as they trained at Camp Lejeune, crossed the Atlantic aboard the U.S.S. Wasp, landed on a Somalian beach and took part in a peacekeeping mission. Later, he accompanied the troops on a post-mission "liberty" in the French port of Toulon, then observed the emotional homecoming as the 24th MEU returned to its North Carolina base. Wood developed deep respect and admiration for the unit, and here takes particular delight in describing their struggle to live up to the standards of their Corps and also meet the day-to-day demands of their commanding officer, Colonel Matthew Broderick. Without sentimentality, Wood defines the Corps as an institution where "the values of honesty, patriotism, morality, and duty are preserved against the corruptions of a society that seems to actively dishonor them." Among the 100 color photographs, there are too many shots of ships, aircraft, amphibious and land vehicles, but the pictures of individual Marines at work and play reveal much about the ethos of the Corps.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Wood accompanied a U.S. Marine Expeditionary Unit (a self-contained reinforced battalion carried in a squadron of amphibious ships) through training and on a deployment to Somalia in 1992-93. His objective was to explore the question of the increasing alienation of the American military professional from the values of civilian society. Exploring that, he has come up with no easy answers but has produced a memorable portrait of the post-Gulf War Marine Corps and its weapons, equipment, men, and values. Made particularly vivid are the difficulties the marines have with ignorant civilian supervision and individually with excessive separation from families. Wood vends no stereotypes from any political agenda here; rather, he presents the individuals who today incarnate that most durable of American military forces, the U.S. Marines. Roland Green