World War II Database

The Greatest U.S. Marine Corps Stories Ever Told is a collection of 23 stories about the United States Marine Corps, each telling a tale of bravery and courage. They covered the span of the entire history of the USMC, and touched upon every major war the USMC engaged in from Tripoli to Iraq. Of course, there are plenty of World War II stories, they are why this review is here.

Some people simplify the Marines as a group of mindless trained killing machines. "Retreat? Hell, we just got here!" Famous quotes such as this one only reinforce that myth. This book presents otherwise. Throughout training and service, Marines were brought up with the history of the USMC, each taking heart stories of predecessors, and each striving to do better. Thus, in addition to being warriors, they are also historians. The understanding that they will always lead the way into the toughest battles does not make them simple killers; instead, it makes them effective decision makers and leaders.

This leads into yet another misconception of the USMC, one that the Marines wish for war. The truth is that they resent violence as much as anyone, for they are, beneath their uniforms, just like anyone else. The difference is that when the Marines are presented war, they will do their duty unquestioningly, and they will do their best. In journalist Robert Sherrod's chapter, "Tarawa-The First Day", he observed Marines shaking from fear as they waited their turn to storm the Tarawa beach; but yet, when a landing vehicle approached their boat, with the vehicle boss yelling "Quick! Half you men get in here. They need help bad on the beach", the same men who were just shaking from fear moments ago scrambled without hesitation. This theme echoes in nearly all of the stories in this book, connecting the seemingly independent chapters. Each story presents an otherwise ordinary American in the face of a challenge, and each story's main character or characters rise to meet that challenge as a Marine.

While the presentation of the Marines psyche is "great", what really gives the book the "greatest" claim is the fact that nearly all the stories are first hand accounts. Russell Davis told of the colorless landscape of Peleliu from his memory, while Eugene Sledge shared his experiences of the war-torn but yet still scenic Okinawa. The stories are "greatest" because they are personal. "History remembers the wounded men as numbers", Sledge wrote as he explained how the casualty statistics do not simply disappear at the end of the war. He spoke of his buddy whose wounds pained him for life, eventually leading to a hip replacement, and of another who lost his leg so that he needed help just to go to the bathroom. The personal manner that the stories are presented in truly makes them the "greatest" stories ever told.

"Each person's life, if truthfully told, would make a great story", said Ernest Hemingway; sure the 23 stories in this book are not exactly life stories, but perhaps they can collectively be considered the life story of the model Marine of the United States Marine Corps. If there is one great biography of this Marine, perhaps The Greatest U.S. Marine Corps Stories Ever Told is it.

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