First To Fight
First To Fight
The book starts off in 1953 with the opinion on how the Marine Corps got it’s reputation from Gunnery Sergeant Walter Holzworth “they started right out telling everybody how great they were. Pretty soon they got to believe it themselves. And they have been busy ever since proving they were right.” Author Victor Krulak then continues to explain how it was not as easy as Gunnery Sergeant Holzworth had described. Krulak gives many thanks to “Lady Luck” for the corps survival. General Victor Krulak’s mission in writing this book was to explain how the Marine Corps was built and stayed alive. The beginning mission of the Marine Corps was to provide security for the ships where marines were embarked meaning helping ships’ officers impose discipline on the crews. The idea of the Marine Crops and the army merging had been brought up multiple times; or completely abolishing the Marine Corps as a whole. The McNarney Plan, The Richardson Committee Plan, and The Collins Plan were not in favor of the Marine Corps. The most persuasive testimony in the Marines’ behalf was on May 7th from Brigadier General Edson commanded both the attention and the respect of the committee. There were only few that were in favor. President Andrew Jackson did not care for the Marines in 1830 he proposed to congress that legislation be enacted merging the Corps and the Army. President Truman was not in favor of merging the Crops with the Army saying that the Marine Corps was the Navy’s “own little army that talks Navy and is known as the Marine Corps.” At one point Marine officers were to be junior to Navy officers of the same rank, and no Marine officer could exercise command over a Navy officer of whatever rank. Despite the shaky start the Marine Corps has been preserved by congress fifteen times since it’s birth in 1775. Victor Krulak goes back and forth through time in the chapters describing different aspects of the Marine Corps. He explains the importance of
The book starts off in 1953 with the opinion on how the Marine Corps got it’s reputation from Gunnery Sergeant Walter Holzworth “they started right out telling everybody how great they were. Pretty soon they got to believe it themselves. And they have been busy ever since proving they were right.” Author Victor Krulak then continues to explain how it was not as easy as Gunnery Sergeant Holzworth had described. Krulak gives many thanks to “Lady Luck” for the corps survival. General Victor Krulak’s mission in writing this book was to explain how the Marine Corps was built and stayed alive. The beginning mission of the Marine Corps was to provide security for the ships where marines were embarked meaning helping ships’ officers impose discipline on the crews. The idea of the Marine Crops and the army merging had been brought up multiple times; or completely abolishing the Marine Corps as a whole. The McNarney Plan, The Richardson Committee Plan, and The Collins Plan were not in favor of the Marine Corps. The most persuasive testimony in the Marines’ behalf was on May 7th from Brigadier General Edson commanded both the attention and the respect of the committee. There were only few that were in favor. President Andrew Jackson did not care for the Marines in 1830 he proposed to congress that legislation be enacted merging the Corps and the Army. President Truman was not in favor of merging the Crops with the Army saying that the Marine Corps was the Navy’s “own little army that talks Navy and is known as the Marine Corps.” At one point Marine officers were to be junior to Navy officers of the same rank, and no Marine officer could exercise command over a Navy officer of whatever rank. Despite the shaky start the Marine Corps has been preserved by congress fifteen times since it’s birth in 1775. Victor Krulak goes back and forth through time in the chapters describing different aspects of the Marine Corps. He explains the importance of