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xviii, [2], 252 pages. DJ has wear, soiling, chips, and tears. Footnotes. Illustrations. Notes. Bibliographic Essary. Index. Includes Foreword by Clare Boothe Luce, as well as Preface, Acknowledgments, Introduction; Chapters on The Thinkers, The Innovators, The Improvisers, The Penny Pinchers, The Brothers, The Fighters, and Conclusion. Victor Harold Krulak (January 7, 1913 - December 29, 2008) was a decorated United States Marine Corps officer who saw action in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Krulak, considered a visionary by fellow Marines, was the author of First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps. From 1962 to 1964, Krulak served as special assistant for counter insurgency activities, Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; for which he was presented a third Legion of Merit for exceptional meritorious service by General Maxwell D. Taylor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In late December 1963, the new president, Lyndon B. Johnson, ordered an interdepartmental group to be headed by Krulak with the purpose of studying OPLAN 34A and selecting from it those targets the United States could hit in North Vietnam with the least amount of risk to its people. This was in keeping with the administration's policy of graduated pressure on the North Vietnamese. On March 1, 1964, Krulak was designated Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, and promoted to lieutenant general. For the next four years, Krulak was responsible for all Fleet Marine Force units in the Pacific, including some 54 trips to the Vietnam theater. This work was the winner of the Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement. General Krulak had a remarkable career, which ended when he disagreed with President Lyndon Johnson during the Vietnam War. One of his sons rose to be Commandant of the Marine Corps. This book presented the guts, the glory, the unvarnished 200 plus year history of the Marine Corps, arguably one of the greatest combat fighting forces in American if not world (or intergalactic) history. In this riveting insider's chronicle, legendary Marine General "Brute" Krulak submits an unprecedented examination of U.S. Marines-their fights on the battlefield and off, their extraordinary esprit de corps. Deftly blending history with autobiography, action with analysis, and separating fact from fable, General Krulak touches the very essence of the Corps: what it means to be a Marine and the reason behind its consistently outstanding performance and reputation. Krulak also addresses the most basic but challenging question of all about the Corps: how does it manage to survive-even to flourish-despite overwhelming political odds and, as the general writes, "an extraordinary propensity for shooting itself in the foot?" To answer this question Krulak examines the foundation on which the Corps is built, a system of intense loyalty to God, to country, and to other Marines. He also takes a close look at Marines in war, offering challenging accounts of their experiences in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. In addition, he describes the Corps's relationship to other services, especially during the unification battles following World War II, and offers new insights into the decision-making process in times of crisis. First published in hardcover in 1984, this book has remained popular ever since with Marines of every rank.
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