First published 1998
Thomas E. Ricks takes readers inside the brutal transformation machine of Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. He chronicles the journey of Platoon 3086, tracking these young recruits from their civilian lives through the grueling months of basic training and into their first year as Marines. Three relentless drill instructors wage psychological warfare to break down old identities and forge new ones according to Marine Corps values and traditions. Ricks documents how the Corps strips away everything these men once knew about themselves and rebuilds them according to an ancient code of honor and excellence in combat. Through intimate portraits of individual recruits and their instructors, the author reveals the widening divide between military culture and civilian America. This bestselling account captures both the fierce bonds that develop among the men and the larger cultural forces that shape modern military service.
Genres: non-fiction, biography-memoir, military-history, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, transformation
Setting: Parris Island, South Carolina
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
320 pages · Paperback · Simon & Schuster