Description
THE MARINE BOOK
A PORTRAIT OF·AMERICA’S MILITARY ELITE
Written and Photographed by
Chuck Lawliss
There has always been something different
about the Marines, something special. A young
man may be in the Army, or in the Navy, but he is a
Marine.
Like its British counterpart, from its inception
the American Marine Corps has been an elite fight-
ing force with extensive ceremonial duties. The
Marines have fought far more often and in far more
places than any other US service. We may remem-
ber them today for Okinawa and Korea; the Ma-
rines remember that they also fought in both places
in the nineteenth century. Their record of bat-
tlefield sacrifice coupled with their almost self-
conscious sense of history have made them a
symbol that has inspired pride in many people, envy
and fear in others.
Chuck Lawliss, who served as a Marine during
the Korean War, was given the virtual run of the
Corps for almost six months in order to collect
material for this study. The result is a unique book
about a unique institution – a rich portrait that in-
cludes extensive accounts of the officer corps, Ma-
rine Aviation, and the technological transformation
of the Corps into a state-of-the-art war machine.
We follow the making of a young Marine from his or
her recruitment through boot camp and on to one of
the 225 schools that train enlisted personnel in 35
specialities. The history of the Marines is told with
emphasis on the extraordinary sense of tradition
that every Marine seems to acquire, with portraits
of the great heroes of the Corps. Gradually we see
how the Marines forge an esprit de corps that no
other service manages to achieve.
For readers with an interest in military history,
The Marine Book is a mine of information, including
casualties and strengths of the Corps during wars
and major engagements, a full list of battles and
deployments, the Battle Colours of the Marine
Corps and more than 150 remarkable photographs,
41 in colour.
CHUCK LAWLISS has been writing pro-
fessionally for many years. He has held staff
positions at the Associated Press and at the New
York Herald Tribune, where he was one of the
creators of ‘N ew York’, the Sunday supplement that
became New York magazine.
For the past six years he has been a full-time
freelance writer. His books include Hawaii for the
Sophisticated Traveler, Great Resorts of America,
and Ghost Towns, Gamblers and Gold, and his arti-
cles have appeared in numerous magazines.
He served in the Korean War and is a member
of the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents
Association.
Printed in the United States of America
In very good preloved condition. Hardcover. 189 pages