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Title: Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit by Tom Clancy ISBN: 0-425-15454-8 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: October, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.26 (27 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A solid look at a special Marine unit
Comment: "Marine" is one of a series of Clancy's nonfiction books about particular groups of note in the U.S. military. In this book he surveys what it means to be a U.S. Marine, which he calls the best general-purpose troops in the world. In particular, he examines the MEU (SOC) - a Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) - a team of Marines and naval amphibious ships that can be among the first major American military groups to arrive at a trouble spot in force.
Specifically, Clancy covers the history, training, weapons, tools and transportation of a MEU (SOC), plus an excellent and insightful look at actual group training and deployment. The uniquely Clancy contribution, however, is that he was able to get an interview with the then-Commandant of the Marine Corps, and adds two short stories on how a MEU (SOC) could work in a hypothetical conflict.
Overall, this is an extensive look at a particularly important type of Marine unit without being dry or dull. Note that Clancy doesn't provide a truly in-depth look at the Corp's history, and I found the description of ships and vehicles to be on the long side sometimes and wanted more info on basic and specialized Marine training, but it's a solid edition to any collection of military nonfiction.
Rating: 4
Summary: The Marines' greatest weapon are the Marines themselves
Comment: The thoroughness and deep respect Tom Clancy brings to this analysis of a US Marine Corps Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), or MEU (SOC), will not surprise anyone at all familiar with the author. What makes this book different from his similar titles about Army and Air Force units, as he notes early on, is that whereas technology is a key element in defining the armored cav unit or air wing, the principle distinctive for the Marine Corps is the Marine ethos and, therefore, the Marines themselves. Clancy does a fine job in capturing what makes the USMC unique among American, and indeed the world's, military forces.
Liking or disliking Clancy's writing is largely a matter of taste. Though I generally find him informative and reasonably insightful, he does tend to go on. Though "Marine" is relatively more compact than some other of his titles, here too I occasionally found myself skimming over long sections on training or, especially, the various weapons and other "tools of the trade" the Corps uses. Other people might find these the highlight of the book, though. To each his own.
On the whole, this book is a fine overview, not only of what a MEU (SOC) is and how it operates, but the larger issue of why we have a Corps and what makes it distinctive. As some of the reviews on this page indicate, the Corps is the only American military force that continually has to justify (to some) its existence. This book, like Victor Krulak's "First to Fight" (USNI Press, 1984), helps do that. It would also be a very valuable read for someone considering becoming a Marine, or for family members and friends wondering what their Marine has gone through, and why. This book may not be for everyone, but Clancy fans will definitely enjoy it, and interested readers will probably get a lot out of it.
Rating: 4
Summary: Clancy says "Semper Fi" to America's 911 unit.....
Comment: The United States Marine Corps, as best-selling author Tom Clancy explains in the fourth entry in the Guided Tour series, is America's most hallowed armed service. Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit, is an in-depth look at a Marine Expeditionary Unit - Special Operations Capable, a 2,000-strong assault force equipped with armor, artillery and a small but powerful air support detachment that is capable of executing many types of military operations.
Currently, seven MEU(SOC)s are in active service; three each on each coast, plus one in Okinawa with the Third Marine Division. Each unit can carry out almost any type of operation, ranging from short-duration raids on an enemy shore to providing humanitarian assistance after a natural or man-made disaster. Clancy describes the tools and weapons used by the men and women of a MEU(SOC), the amphibious ships of the Navy (the Corps' parent service) as well as the history and doctrine of the United States Marines. There is an interview with the 31st Commandant of the Marines, as well as a fictional depiction of how a MEU(SOC) might be employed in a future combat.
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Title: Carrier: A Guided Tour of an Aircraft Carrier by Tom Clancy, Leon A. Edney ISBN: 0425166821 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: October, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Armored Cav: A Guided Tour of an Armored Cavalry Regiment by Tom Clancy ISBN: 0425158365 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: October, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Airborne: A Guided Tour of an Airborne Task Force by Tom Clancy ISBN: 0425157709 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: October, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Special Forces: A Guided Tour of U.S. Army Special Forces by Tom Clancy, John Gresham, William P. Yarborough ISBN: 0425172686 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: 06 February, 2001 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Fighter Wing: A Guided Tour of an Air Force Combat Wing by Tom Clancy ISBN: 0425149579 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: October, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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