Rating: 
Summary: Vivid and accurate account of the Parris Island experience.
Review: I am a former Marine who experienced training at Parris Island in late 1961. I was pleased to read, according to Ricks, that things have not changed to the extent that the end product of the training is substantially different from Marines of earlier times, and in some ways, possibly a bit more focused. He accurately describes the annealing of young men from various parts of the country and from different levels of society into a finely tuned, singularly focused, highly motivated platoon that learns the central message of all Marine operations: teamwork and a high level of enthusiasm get the job done! He illustrates how the Marine Corps, different from all other branches of the U.S. military, all but eliminates any differences between these young men and bonds them for life. The training instills in them certain characteristics that become part of their fabric and remain with them for the rest of their lives. Ever reacting to the changes in society, the Marine Corps of today is apparently as effective an organization as it has been throughout its history. Ricks' account of life in boot training is quite realistic and pulls no punches. I was amazed that he was given such complete access to the training at Parris Island, a 'closed base' during my time there. Most definitely, this book will be enjoyed by any Marine, current or former. It will also give a non-Marine or parents of a young or prospective Marine a pretty good idea of what is required of young men in their quest to become Marines. Semper Fidelis! Gabe Kingsley
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Summary: Semper Fi..... Ooh Rah!!!
Review: I got this book for Christmas in 1997 and I still love to pick it up and read it at least once a week!!! Being an ex-Marine, I love re-living those days of wearing my Dress Blues everytime I pick up this book.Thomas Ricks has not only found out what makes Marines different from all other servicemen and women, but he informs us, the readers why. In addition to telling us why, he gives first-hand account of the process that occurs in Marine Corps bootcamp when a young man or woman enters as a raw recruit and is then transformed into a United States Marine.In the book, Ricks follows a group of young men at MCRD Parris Island, SC. He goes into such detail that it amazes me of the actual time spent with these individuals. Also, he spends ample time with the infamous drill instructors and gets their insights on bootcamp. He addresses what the goals of bootcamp are from the DI's side and also from the recruits side.Ricks covers it all.... from that first step off the white bus at Receiving Barracks to the famous "Yellow Footprints" and eventually onto Graduation Day. He drives home the Corps' philosophies and core values..... Honor, Courage and Commitment.Marines are the epitome of excellence..... no other branch of service honors it's past as much and is so rich in tradition as we, the Marines are. I strongly recommend that any young man or woman who is contemplating going into the Marines should read this book. They will know what is expected of them in bootcamp and what they must then live up to once they have EARNED the title, "Marine." Thomas Ricks has captured that "Esprit de Corps" that sets Marines apart from all others. After reading this book, I'm sure your respect for all Marines, past and present, will have been elevated to a new high.Semper Fidelis, Thomas Ricks!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Three month review
Review: Look...Ricks attempted to give the Corps more respect yet what we all must understand is that he is/was a journalist and would not bite the hand that feeds him (the military allowing him to actual write a story about a sacred place) by divulging all that happens and all that these men see in MCRD training. With that in mind, it is a good outline for delayed entry recruits or the parents of Marines to gain a little understanding. I would though suggest to get a net overview of the next four years a Marine will face, learn from and be guided by when he becomes a civilian once again is the book by P. Chadz.
Rating:
Summary: Some strange blindspots
Review: Thomas Ricks' "Making the Corps" is a fascinating but also frustrating book. On the fascinating side, it's a human interest exploration of what it means to make it through book camp. Ricks follows the recruits of Platoon 3086 through their basic training ordeal, recounting the daily routine in the life of the average grunt recruit. That part of the story is pretty familiar to most everyone--to those of us who went through basic training ourselves, and also to those who've never been in the military but who have seen the million-and-one Hollywood movies with boot camp scenes in them. Familiar as the story is, however, Ricks telling of it is gripping. He's a good writer, and knows how to capture a reader's interest. The frustrating aspect of the book is the fact that Ricks never asks, much less answers, any of the very obvious and crucial questions his account naturally suggests. Had he done so, his book would've been more than merely a journalist's story about boot camp. It would've been a real contribution to our understanding of American culture. For make no mistake about it: the very existence of the Corps is a prism through which to observe and learn things about America that go far beyond just the military. Let me cite just two examples of where Ricks fails to reflect on what he's witnessing. On pp. 116-119, Ricks describes a typical Sunday morning chapel call. All of us remember them; they were routine. Some of us took them seriously, most of us probably didn't. We were just relieved for the break. Now, in the Parris Island chapel, there's a stained glass window, described by Ricks, which depicts "a Marine flamethrower, his weapon's flames billowing out in a red, organce, and yellow mass." This, to say the least, is disconcerting: in chapel, a place of worship, peace, and meditation, you've got a scene of horrible carnage (a flame-thrower, for God's sake!) enshrined. This passage in Ricks' book is a symbol for the strange dilemma that any religious military person has to face: how can the demands of the job be reconciled with faith? It's a dilemma that ripples across the entire country, especially these day now that we're in a new shooting war, and it needs to be explored. But Ricks neither reflects on it himself nor invites any of the boots he's following to do so. It's as if he doesn't even catch the incongruity. Second example. Starting on page 200, Ricks argues that the Corps, anxious to create traditions that will build loyalty (semper fi, guys) and morale, along the way creates a strong sense of anti-Americanism in its recruits. Marines, Ricks says, are being trained as "American samurai in the way they think of themselves and in the way they relate to their nation. Like the Japanese, the ... Marines, when looking at America see a society weakened by selfishness, indiscipline, and fragmentation." (201) The upshot (as Ricks himself acknowledges) is that the Corps, dedicated to the protection of American culture, is instilling in its recruits a deep contempt for American culture. How weird is that? But instead of exploring this weirdness by asking the predictable questions--What is there about American culture that the Corps finds so offensive? How protected are we if the protectors we train disdain us? How is it that military values (or at least the Corps') are so out of step with civilian ones?--Ricks moves blithely on. It's as if his loyalty to the Corps prevents him from criticizing it in any way. But why would criticism be disloyal? Has there ever been a jarhead who hasn't criticized the Corps? So read Ricks' book, but ask the questions he doesn't. They're important, and past and current Marines are the ones best qualified to ask them. "Semper fi" doesn't mean dumbing down.
Rating: 
Summary: Proud to be a U.S. Marine
Review: I have read this book and was rather intrigued and disappointed in it. The author comes out strong in discussing what the Marine Corps Boot Camp is all about then the jumps from one subject to another which makes the book disorientating. This would have been a great book if he started out with the beginning process of how the recruit is recruited and then begins his long journey into the Marine Corps. The trials and errors of each different type of recruit could be discussed. I found it rather confusing to know what had happened with one recruit because too many references to other recruits were discussed at the same time. If he was to write about Marine Corps Boot Camp from the prespective of an outsider looking in, then he needs to write the entire process. So much of what actually happens in it was tainted by the political values of society. That should have been placed in a different book. He jumps from one subject to another and then back to the recruits lives. What was disappointing was telling the readers that this recruit did not make it but then left it up in the air to discuss briefly in other chapters and then finally in the later chapters. There was no discussion about the training itself. For any Marine who has been through this training, we all know that it isn't just briefly touched on. So much happens when you go through it that are not even told in this book. The Marine Corps is ever changing and he does touch briefly what happens in the Fleet and what the aftermath of the duty stations are like, but he make the Fleet look bad in certain aspects which unfortunately is true but not all experiences are the same. Only a few make it bad. What he did not touch upon is that the every Marine went through different changes in boot camp. The boot camp that those who went before me (pre-1981) were different than those who went through now. I agree, the Corps is changing and adapting. So if anyone is interested in writing a book about Marine Corps Boot Camp, you must understand that there are two Boot Camps, one in Parris Island and one in San Diego. Each one has its own stories and its own history.
Rating:
Summary: SEMPER FI
Review: Making the corps is the best marine book that i have ever read. im a high school student and im deciding if i want to go to the marines and this book help me decide that i want to enlist. this book is about A report about the transformation of trouble causing teens that have had a trouble in school that enlisted in the Marine Corps to become members of Marine recruit Platoon 3086. Ricks their 11 weeks of boot camp training at Parris Island, South Carolina, and their ability to rejoin society afterward. Sprinkled throughout is pertinent background information about the recruits, their instructors and military leaders of our time. The author cited various opinions about the deteriorating quality of U.S. social structure, and its relation to military and political strategies. His opinion, that U.S. social structure has deteriorated and could take a lesson from the Marines, is quite valid and well worth discussion.
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Summary: Excellent Example of Marine Corps Recruit Training
Review: This book is an absolute necessity for anyone who is even in the slightest bit interested in enlisting in the corps, or learning about the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) at Parris Island, South Carolina. Ricks presents a firsthand look at the day by day life of recruits training at Parris Island. Some will make it, others won't. Those who make it will be proud to call themselves U.S. Marines. Those who don't will go back to the civilian life. Ricks presents this firsthand account in such an extraordinary way, that you will feel like you are right there going through the grueling experience with the recruits. This true story of Platoon 3086 is presented with absolutely no bias at all. The one slight problem with the book, is that it was written during the forming of the crucible, the 54 hour intense training that makes today's Marines. Before the crucible was introduced to the corps, the warrior week was the main transformation point. I would recommend the book "Into The Crucible" by James B. Woulfe. [NOTE: "Into the Crucible" relates to the crucible training at the San Diego MCRD, instead of at Parris Island.] Excellent book..Combined with "Into The Crucible", it is 110% enlightening
Rating:
Summary: Nostalgic
Review: This book truly brought back so many memories of what it was like going through Marine Corps Boot Camp (one of the toughest in the world, I might add). Everything is there in all it's glory: the Drill Instructors (I can still remember the names of mine. A Marine never forgets his or her Drill Instructor's names, it is said.), the training, the drilling, the shooting, the punishments, the teamwork, the comradery, the humping, the pain, the suffering! Ahhh, the good old days. I've always found it quite a strange phenomenon how I can look back now at my boot camp experiene during the spring and early summer of 1992 and smile even at the times that weren't so pleasant. I imagine it's because nothing heals old wounds like time. The book is written in such a way that it lends itself to some very quick and enjoyable reading. The writer captures the dialog of the Drill Instructors perfectly. I could almost feel the spittle on my face as they barked orders and played their "games" with the young and terrified raw Recruits. If you want to know how Marines are born either because of curiosity or simply because you have a loved one who is a Marine ("Once a Marine, always a Marine."), then do yourself a favor and read this book. I couldn't recommend it more. To our proud and glorious history of a Marine Corps that is even older than the Republic itself,
Ooh Rah and Semper Fi!
Rating:
Summary: Very insightful look at the Marine Corps
Review: I enjoyed this book's descriptions of Marine Corps Boot Camp, but had a little more trouble with the author's analysis. in the process of reviewing how the Corps makes Marines, Ricks also explores the underlying causes of military-civilian tensions in the United States. Ricks claims that the training of the Marines breeds a unique culture, which makes it difficult for Marines to re-assimilate into and co-exist with the society they are sworn to protect. While I enjoyed Ricks' insightful exploration of Boot Camp as one of the roots of military-civilian tension, I did find Ricks book to be somewhat ahistorical. Ricks does recognize that the culture gap between Marines and non-Marines in the United States has always existed, but he fails to substantiate his claims that it is growing. Ever since the American Revolution, free society has had difficulties accomodating its protectors. I question whether the circumstances of today are really all that different. So while I found the book's descriptions of Boot Camp to be exceptionally enjoyable and insightful, I take the book's analysis with a bit of a grain of salt. Overall though, still highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The few, the proud...
Review: Thomas Ricks' Making the Corps is one of the best books on today's Marine Corps available. The book looks at the Corps from the perspective of following a cohort of recruits through book camp on Parris Island. As the subtitle, one of the longest I have ever seen on a non-academic book (and longer, indeed, than most of those), boot camp is difficult, but is also reflective of America in general. 'Sixty-three men came to Parris Island to become Marines. Not all of them made it. This is the story of boot camp Platoon 3086, the Marine Corps, and America.' There is a lot in that statement, 'not all of them made it'. Boot camp in most military services has an element of winnowing and removing those unable to work and cope in the military environment. Often this is a matter of mental strength and maturity more than it is a physical inability. Ricks followed the crew of Platoon 3086 very closely. He did not change the names. He did not whitewash the situations. He followed them personally, but also incorporated pieces of information from official logs and follow-up evaluations. For all the mystery that seems to surround the Corps, it is a remarkably open organisation, and in many ways is like a Hollywood personality in search of a camera and the spotlight. Marines don't mind being in the spotlight. On the other hand, Marines strive to work as a team, so the stars of this book are, in reality, not the individuals, but the platoon, the Drill Instructors, and the Marine Corps itself. The story of Platoon 3086 could be repeated over and over. More than one million men and women have gone through Parris Island to become Marines. MCRD San Diego likewise turns out thousands per year. One of the other elements that makes this book impressive for giving insight to the Corps is that, from the lowliest recruit to the Commandant, Marines are in many ways a band of brothers who prize their common bond. The Marine Corps has a lower percentage of officers to enlisted personnel than any other branch - to a very real extent, the enlisted crew run the Corps. From the beginning of boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris Island, Ricks follows the men as they are driven through swamps and dark dusty roads through the South Carolina coast lands to a place that looks far more like a prison camp than training centre. This is intentional - the Marine Corps starts from the very beginning of the recruit's experience changing the entire outlook on life. The recruit starts becoming a Marine even before he reaches the camp. Rather than bringing the new recruits into the service with an orientation session, Ricks uses the title Disorientation for this introduction, and he is largely correct. In the first few days the world of recruits will be turned upside down, and they will become totally dependent upon their Drill Instructors, their inner strength and drive, and each other. The hierarchy is simple. As Ricks says, at Parris Island (and the same is true at MCRD San Diego), the officers think about the training in the weeks ahead, the Drill Instructors think about the days ahead, and the recruits think about the immediate task or event. Training takes place for weeks, and includes physical training (PT), drill and marching, military courtesy and customs, and all the various little disciplines and punishments the Drill Instructors can devise. Few things are done individually - the larger purpose of boot camp for the Marine Corps is to instill a sense of brotherhood and an indoctrination into the culture of the Marines. Ricks compares Marine Corps recruit training with Army training, and shows the contrast with two different Army installations, Fort Jackson and Fort Benning. Fort Jackson is much more like a college campus; even the soldiers at Fort Benning, where the Army does infantry training, look on Jackson as being rather soft. Benning is more like the Corps in that it is segregated (all male), marching and attention is the standard, and physical standards are tough. Ricks notes, however, that more actual training of skills takes place at Benning than at Parris Island. 'They don't train infantrymen at Parris Island,' Col. Johnny Brooks of Benning's infantry brigade states. 'What they do is turn a civilian into a Marine.' Marines go on to the School of Infantry (SOI) after MCRD to become infantrymen. Every Marine learns to shot to rather high skill level; the Marine Corps states that 'every Marine is a rifleman', and recruits don't make it through boot camp without acquiring that skill. While this is far from an academic or research text, if one were to go through and collect all the books referenced in the text, and view all of the films (there is much more than films already cited here), one would get a very thorough indoctrination into the spirit and policy of the Marine Corps. Ricks follows several of the Marines (in today's Marine Corps, the men in boot camp are not called Marines until the Crucible; in the Ricks experience, it was not until graduation - which shows the continuing evolution of the Corps) back into 'the world', and follows up as they get new assignments, and, for some, discover that the ideals of Corps values are not lived up to outside of boot camp. Some also realise they no longer have that much in common with former friends and acquaintances. Overall, this is an excellent insight into the culture of the Marines. Specifics of training may change, and the names of the participants certainly change, but the overall culture and ethos remains the same.
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