Basrah, Baghdad, and Beyond: U.S. Marine Corps in the Second Iraq War (Hardcover), by USMCR Col. Nicholas E. Reynolds. US Naval Institute Press (May 1, 2005).
This is the story of the Marine Corps in the major combat phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). It tells how the I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) planned and prepared for war in 2002 and deployed to theater in early 2003, and then how it crossed the line of departure and fought its way to Baghdad—and beyond. Written by Marine Corps historian Col. Nicholas Reynolds, this first overview of the history of OIF is solidly grounded in oral history interviews and buttressed by official reports and firsthand journals. It describes not only the execution of the original plan but some of the unusual additions carried out by the Marines, including a small mission sent to Kurdistan to work with local fighters and a task force sent to seize Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit. The book draws to a close with the commanders analyzing the lessons learned in this "transformational" war as the last Marine left the theater in the fall of 2003. Information

Corps Business: The 30 Management Principles of the U.S. Marines (Paperback), by David H. Freedman. Collins; Reprint edition (April 24, 2001).
Several business bestsellers in recent years have been books about warfare strategy and tactics. Sun Tsu's Art of War and Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings are titles widely recommended for insight and inspiration preparatory to corporate battle. In Corps Business, author David Freedman examines the organization and culture of the United States Marine Corps and sees "the best management training program in America."  Information

Fallujah, with Honor; First Battalion, Eighth Marine's Role in Operation Phantom Fury; Expanded 2nd Edition (Hardcover), by Gary Livingston. Caisson Press (January 30, 2006).
Fallujah, With Honor, is a battle book depicting the role that the First Battalion, Eighth Marines played in Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, Novemeber 2004. This book follows LtCol Gary Brandl's Marines push up the "belly of the beast" as part of the Sixth Batttalion attack on the insurgency in Fallujah. Author, Gary Livingston interviewed 91 Marines and shares their personal accounts of the battle. Information

Learning Mental Endurance With the U.S. Marines (Elite Forces Survival Guides) (Library Binding), by Chris McNab (Author), Colonel John T. Carney Jr. USAF-Ret. (Introduction). Mason Crest Publishers; 1st edition (February 2002).  Information

The Combined Action Platoons: The U.S. Marines' Other War in Vietnam (Hardcover), by Michael E. Peterson. Praeger Publishers (June 26, 1989).
This is the first comprehensive history for the academic reader of the Combined Action Program (CAP) in Vietnam. Created as a response by the U.S. Marines to what was known as the "other war" in Vietnam, the CAP Program was comprised of platoons each combining a fourteen man marine rifle squad, a navy corpsman, and a platoon of South Vietnamese militia. These CAP units were unique to the war. Their function was to "capture and hold" rather than to "search and destroy." While the main forces of the Army and Marines all too often waged war on the Vietnamese hamlets, the CAP marines waged war from the hamlets. Their intent was to keep the hamlet intact. The uniqueness of the CAP Program justifies this study not only from an historical and political perspective but also sociologically. The CAP Marines were among the few Americans who lived with the Vietnamese in their own setting for long periods of time, developing community projects and civic action programs. The 1980s has brought about a resurgence of valuable research, the declassification of official documentation, and most important, an emotional distance from the trauma of defeat. The author takes full advantage of these conditions to present a thorough and comprehensive history and civic program analysis. Many critics of the Vietnam War now agree that the tactics of the Combined Action Program were among the most promising of the war. The CAP Marines fought a deadly and personal war with the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army. In this volume, the author achieves his twofold objective. He not only provides a valuable historical account of the Program, but also analyzes the civic action and community development projects undertaken by the CAP Marines. His study is done with an eye to the future as U.S. counterinsurgency has again found expression in other Third World conflicts. Information

The Greatest U.S. Marine Corps Stories Ever Told: Unforgettable Stories of Courage, Honor, and Sacrifice (Greatest) (Paperback), by Iain C. Martin. The Lyons Press (August 1, 2007).
The amazing experiences of America's proud Marines, from the birth of the U.S. Marine Corps to today's operations around the globe. From the highly successful "Greatest Stories Ever Told" series. Information

The Pacific Warriors: The U.S. Marines in World War II: A Pictorial Tribute (Hardcover), by Eric Hammel. Zenith Press; First edition (October 1, 2005).
FROM THE HALLS OF MONTEZUMA to the shores of Tripoli, as the Marine Corps Hymn relates, and more recently in the epic battle of the Chosin Reservoir in Korea and the siege of Hue City in Vietnam, America’s “soldiers of the sea” have fought their country’s baffles around the world for more than two centuries. From Belleau Wood in the Great War to the killing fields of Iraq, the fighting Leathernecks have been known for their valorous spirit—their ability to persevere in the face of nearly any odds. The U.S. Marines earned their reputation of being the “First to Fight” on the South Pacific island of Guadalcanal, when on August 7, 1942, the 1st Marine Division stormed ashore to begin one of the most difficult and brutal campaigns of recent military history. This was just the first of an unbroken string of a dozen island victories across the Pacific: up the Solomons from Guadalcanal, on westward in 1943 from Tarawa in the central Pacific, and the climactic Western Pacific campaigns of 1945 on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Information

The U.S. Marine Corps: An Illustrated History (Hardcover), by Merrill L. Bartlett et Jack Sweetman. US Naval Institute Press (August 2001).
The proud and the few come to life in words and images in this new history of the U. S. Marine Corps. Based on extensive research and filled with more than two hundred illustrations, the book provides a comprehensive warts-and-all study and a celebration of the exploits of a colorfully unique armed service. A retired Marine lieutenant colonel and a well-known scholar--both accomplished authors and former history professors at the U.S. Naval Academy--have teamed up to create this carefully balanced account. The work covers in detail not only the epic battles of the world wars and harrowing struggles in Vietnam and Korea, but the formative years of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Information

The U.S. Marine Expeditionary Unit at War (On the Front Lines) (Library Binding), by Michael Green and Gladys Green. Capstone High-Interest Books (August 2003).   0736821570

To Be a U.S. Marine (Paperback), by S.F. (Steve) Tomajczyk. Zenith Press; First edition (November 20, 2004).
Comprised of smart, highly adaptable men and women, the Marine Corps serves as the aggressive tip of the U.S. military spear. Theirs is a smaller, more dynamic force than any other in the American arsenal, and the only forward-deployed force designed for expeditionary operations by air, land, or sea. It is their size and expertise that allow them to move faster. Working to overcome disadvantage and turn conflict into victory, they accomplish great things, and they do so together. In the Marine Corps, there is a motto that describes their commitment to each other, their organization, and their country. It is Semper Fidelis or "Semper Fi." Translated from Latin, it means "Always Faithful."- Superb full-color action photos- Behind the scenes look at the training and structure- Next book in the colorful and successful series covering America's military forces- Still one of America's most combat efficient forces. Information

Treading Softly: U.S. Marines in China, 1819-1949 (Hardcover), by George B. Clark. Praeger Publishers (April 30, 2001).
From the mid-19th century to the early Cold War, the United States has a long history with China, and that interaction has not always been positive or productive. This brief history of foreign intervention in China, viewed through the experiences of the United States Marines, examines how the occupying powers dealt with a fellow sovereign nation. In many cases this involved the partition or outright absorption of Chinese territory through naked aggression. Clark contends that, considering the past two centuries, the Chinese have good reason to distrust all foreigners, and he urges the pursuit of a badly needed rapprochement. This is, however, also the story of the evolution of the Marine Corps as a separate service. Although an occupying force, the Marines did make considerable efforts to earn the friendship of the Chinese people. Always on the brink of extinction due to budgetary cuts and the enmity of the army and navy, the Marines managed to perform an onerous and difficult duty in a foreign land. With a resurgent China constantly testing the United States, a fellow Pacific Rim nation, every policymaker should be well aware of the often difficult history that we share and the mistakes that have been made in the past. Information

U.S. Marine Corps Strategy (Paperback), by U.S. Marine Corps. Cosimo Reports (March 1, 2007).
The United States Marine Corps is the largest such force on the planet, and yet it is the smallest, most elite section of the U.S. military, one with a long and storied history. Here, in the most current version of the manual used by the Corps itself, is an introduction to the fundamental nature of military strategy. Learn. . the nature of politics and war . strategic constants and norms . adapting ends to means, and vice versa . defensive and offensive strategies . evaluating opposing strategies . strategy-making pitfalls . and more. Military buffs, war-gamers, and anyone seeking to understand the increasingly complicated global stage will find this a fascinating and informative document.  Information

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