"Come on, you SOBs! Do you want to live forever?"
First Sergeant Dan Daly, leading an assault against German machine guns during World War I, captured the essence of the United States Marine Corps precisely.
Great American U.S. Marine Stories expands on that exhortation with ten unforgettable stories on the courage and indefatigable spirit of America's finest fighting force.
The United States Marine Corps has fought for freedom for more than 250 years, and never once on American soil.
That was the point.
November 10, 1775, the Continental Congress approved a resolution for the organization of the Corps, creating what would become the Marines, a heroic group of men and women who put their lives on the line in far flung places around the globe.
Great American U.S. Marine Stories offers gripping, real-life stories of sacrifice and courage from wars and conflicts from World War I to Afghanistan in heart-stopping detail. The United States Marine Corps has served in nearly every conflict in United States history and by the early 20th century would become the most dominant force in warfare.
Here are visceral accounts of iconic battles, unknown conflicts, and forgotten patrols each of which has one thing in common -- heroism in its purest form.
Painstakingly researched, these stories bring out in wrenching detail why Admiral Chester Nimitz described the Marines at the Battle of Iwo Jima thusly:
"Uncommon valor was a common virtue."
You will find in this eminently readable collection, stories of Marines at Belleau Wood in France during World War I, a victory said by many historians to be the "birth of the modern n Marine Corps" and on to breathtaking and heartbreaking action on Iwo Jima.
Here also are Marines making a surprise amphibious landing at the strategic port of Inchon during the Korean War, and besieged Marines at Khe San in Viet Nam, under attack for six months.
There are also stories of unsung heroes in unknown battles: Recon Marines on patrol in Viet Nam, invading Marines during the First Gulf War, and Marine snipers in Haiti, Somalia, and Afghanistan.
Riveting and inspiring, Great American U.S. Marine Stories is a must-read for historian, marines, and lovers of adventure.
