Making The Corps Essay Research Paper Thomas

Making The Corps Essay, Research Paper

Thomas Ricks, author of Making the Corps , gives a description about the United States Marine Corps basic military training. The book s main focal point is Platoon 3086 at Parris Island, S.C., in 1995. Their story is about their eleven weeks boot camp training to become a full-fledged marine. Mr. Ricks writes about what separates the marines from American society, he writes how the Marine Corps differ from other branches of the Unites States military, as well as life after boot camp.

How the Marine Corps values show contempt to those of the American society

The Marine Corps transforms young civilians into a life of values: honor, courage, and commitment. These values are instilled in each recruit as they go through the eleven weeks process of boot camp. According to Marines these values are to the Corps and comes before self (p. 55). In American society we work to better ourselves first rather than as a whole.

Drill Instructors strip all your old values and Marine Corps values are formed. There is no I , I is gone (p.60). To be a marine you must shed all thinking as I and me , and think as we and recruit . In American society, striving for independence is a goal for most people, and instead of working as a group we tend to compete with each other to get what we want. As a Marine you must think as a group, learn how to move as a group and you are drilled until not a single action is left to individual improvisation (p.64).

On Drill Sergeant states that a Marine will accept nothing less than the very best effort from you at all times (p.54). In American society, if someone is having a bad day because of something, we say don t worry about it, you ll do better tomorrow . The Marine expects you to give 100% at all times (p.56), and to be completely honest in all things. In American society we say that s a little white lie , as a Marine, you never lie. We get chances all the time in American society, we are allowed to correct the mistakes we make. As a Marine, the instructors do not like to give several chances, because this means that you are inferior and will hold the Corps back (p.61).

Recruits do not have access to alcohol, cars, candy, radio s, television and many other privileges that we use in American society (p.55). This usually happens in society when you live at home on punishment. The Corps becomes the center of being (p.61), all focus is to the marines. As a recruit becomes a Marine, he forms a bond and becomes an elite member that American society looks to, to be the hero during wartime, and uncertainty during peacetime. These feelings have been going on since the Marines have been established, and the reason for that is because of American Society s ignorance of military affairs. The military has led and played an important role in helping shape and win war victories for the United States, but the Marine Corps role today is questionable to many. Why. Because For the first time in our history, we are maintaining a large military establishment during peace time (p.23).

Marine Corps is different from the other branches of United States military

Through-out its existence the Marine Corps has demonstrated through their ways of teaching and going about missions that they are separate and different from the other sources of United States military. The characteristic or attribute that separates them from the rest is their culture. They often say they are a culture apart .(pg19) What the Marine Corps means when they say this phrase is that the Air Force has its planes, the Navy its ships, and the Army its obsessively written and obeyed doctrine that dictates how to act, while the Marines have its culture- its values and integrity that help make a Marine. But like the Army s doctrine the Marine s have one of their own, it s the Small Wars Manuel .

-The Small Wars Manuel not only describes and depicts the lessons and meanings taught in the Marine Corps, it gives a source of back ground information that, is the history of the Corps. The manual describes past operations and the style they were handled in, by the use of low intensity conflict . (pg180) For instance, the Army s old tactics used to be an approach of going in with heavy amounts of artillery against small quick units like the Red Army. But they found out that these troops were small but quick but were effective enough to get the job done. So now the United States Army, as are the Navy and the Air Force, remodeling some of their units after the Marines by becoming smaller, but quicker and more ephiscient. (pg24)

-Even though the Marine Corps has not done as well as the Army in recruiting more black officers, they have effectively addressed the issue of racism. The Marines Corps from the highest ranking officer to the lowest knows that if there is a whiff of racism, at least of whites toward blacks- will end a career .(pg

-A heavy emphasis is place upon even the lowest ranking officers in the Marines Corps. This is unusual and different, because one would figure the highest ranking officer would have more responsibility placed on his shoulders, but not in the Marines. Even though the Marine Corps is separate from the other branches, they work together as one big family. To emphasize this, the Marines often us the phrase Every Marine a rifleman . They use this to say that every man has to car