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By Beth Crumley


Then-Captain William Dabney, photographed on Hill 881S. (Courtesy of David Powell)

By Michael Grice

First Published December 29, 2011

By Michael Grice

First Published December 22, 2011

A little while ago I wrote about the importance of lists.  Rather naively I thought that I was pretty much done with them as I approached the completion of my checkout sheet.  As usual, I was wrong.

By Beth Crumley

Over the years I have often talked about Vietnam…how it’s looked at differently than the wars that preceded it. When I addressed the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines in October, I  began by asking a simple question:  “I am sure that most of you here today were at least aware of some of the history of this battalion before today.

Keep Your Feet Dry

February 13, 2012
By Steven Pressfield

By Callie Oettinger | Published: February 13, 2012

It was time to air out.

The men sat down to remove their boots and socks.

Their feet were wet.

Their socks were wet.

Their boots were wet.

The three combined provide the perfect conditions for jungle rot (if you imagine the men in Vietnam) or Trench rot (if you imagine them in WWI).

* * *

By Michael Grice

My most recent string of posts delved into the adventure that is checking out of the Marine Corps.  It was a search for pirate treasure and Easter Egg hunt all rolled into one, although not quite as thrilling.   After all, there were no Captain Jack Sparrows or Blackbeards, and the lack of candy filled plastic eggs was sadly evident.  Getting the final signature, however, made every line I queued in and every frustrating hunt for the holder of the magic checkout stamp well worth it.

War Stories Become Prologue

February 6, 2012
By Steven Pressfield

By Callie Oettinger | Published: February 6, 2012

It was 1961 and Dwight Eisenhower was still going back to that game in 1912—West Point v. Carlisle.

West Point and Carlisle were winning teams. One featured two future generals—Eisenhower and Omar Bradley—and the other featured all-around athlete and gold-medal-winning Olympian Jim Thorpe and the now-legendary Coach Pop Warner.

By Michael Grice

First Published December 15, 2011

Everybody has their Achilles heel, that thing in their life that they dislike, dread, or fear. Some people fear the towering podium of public speaking and for others it is the terror of tall buildings.  We all have them, those real or imagined bumps that show up on the road that is life.  Even the man of steel fears Kryptonite and for me, that thing has been running.

By Beth Crumley

A few weeks ago, I got a call from a friend who asked me if I had any knowledge of the use of motorized transportation during World War I. This may seem rather an odd question, but while employed at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, a large part of my work was devoted to the wheeled and tracked vehicle collection. I had done a substantial amount of work on just that subject, and it is a fascinating one! My question, however, was “ In what aspect of motor transportation in World War I are you interested?”

SOB

January 26, 2012
By Steven Pressfield

By Callie Oettinger | Published: January 9, 2012

S+O+B=Three letters that appear in almost every war story, in the same order, but with dozens of different meanings.

SOB=Love and Respect

From, Clare Boothe Luce’s foreword to GEN Victor H. Krulak’s First to Fight: