The Few and the Proud: Marine Corps Drill Instructors in Their Own Words

by Larry Smith

Book Overview

Beginning with interviews with the last surviving drill instructors of World War II, this powerful oral history offers the voices of veterans from every major war of the last sixty years, concluding with accounts of what it takes to train marines for Iraq today. The Few and the Proud contains revelatory details about the vicious training techniques used to prepare marines for the great battles against Japan in the Pacific; the Ribbon Creek training...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393329925
• ISBN13: 9780393329926
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Courage, Humility, and Honor all in one book

The Few and The Proud is a courageous tale of Marine men and women. Larry Smith interviews veteran and active-duty Marines in his book. The tales that are told by these men and women are at times unbelievable, humble, and heroic. I picked the book up just before this Veteran's Day and read through the book quite quickly. Although there are several different stories in this book, the story flows seamlessly. Larry Smith breaks the book into different sections like The Old Breed, After Ribbon Creek, Blacks integrated into the Marines, Women joining the Marines, and the New Breed of Marine. This is the first Larry Smith book I have read and look forward to picking up more of his books. The best part of the book is the veterans and active duty telling their stories. Smith quotes verbatim their tales. The book also tells the story of recruits joining the Marines. There is a lot of history in the book because the author goes through important places and objects in Marine history like Camp Pendleton, and The Crucible. My favorite part of the book was the Old Breed. The way they faced death as a part of their life is unbelievable. Iron Mike Mervosh and his survival during WWII are great tales. Not to give one man more prominence than the other in this review. I am appreciative of all the Marines in our country and other branches of the military for their service. Smith does an excellent job covering the drill instructors in this book and giving each person a place to have their words heard. This book will be loved by military enthusiasts and appreciated by everyone else. Thanks to all of our Veterans and Active-Duty Service men and women that give me freedom so I can write these reviews. Thanks so much U. S Military you are the best and Happy Veteran's Day.

The Few and The Proud

Outstanding book. Being a former Marine Corps drill instructor and knowing a few of the drill instructors mentioned in the book, found it not only in- teresting but very enjoyable reading. Would highly recommend it to not only any one who served in the Marine Corps, but to anyone wanting to learn about drill instuctors and what it takes to be one.

Fantastic book

This book takes us who have been there back to boot camp. This time with a behind the scenes view of how the Drill Instructors handle the recruits. Recommended reading for all, even if you have not been at Parris Island or San Diego.

A must read for all Marines and prospective recruits

The best narrative of the "Parris Island experience" (I was in Platoon 157 in the Summer of 1957) I've ever read. It is absolutely true that my PI DI's had a profound influence on me and still do. I remember each of their names and faces distinctly to this day.

It wasn't a rose garden...

The Marine Corps was a seminal era of my life. I graduated from MCRD San Diego in November of 1985, and I'll never forget it. Basic was quite a shock to a sheltered 18-year-old. Of course, my drill instructors were the main reason for that. I remember being picked up from Receiving and "meeting" them for the first time. My ears are still ringing. One thing I'll always appreciate about the Corps are the men who made a difference in me. In each unit, there was one who not only saved me from myself (and others), but also challenged me. The first was my senior drill instructor, SSgt. Strowmatt. He made me the platoon scribe, and kept me locked on until graduation. This trend continued during my six years in the Corps, with Marines like GySgt. Aviu, Sgt. James, and Capt. Sablan. For their aid and influence, I will forever be grateful. Anyway, lately I've become more sentimental about my time as a Marine. So when I ran across "The Few and The Proud," I was intrigued. At first I feared another "ooh-rah" story with little basis in reality (don't get me wrong - I'm not interested in Corps-bashing either. I just want the story told how it is, warts and all. The Corps is strong enough to take it). Fortunately, Mr. Smith didn't let me down. He succeeds by letting the Marines tell their own stories, much like a good documentary. "The Few and the Proud" focuses on drill instructors, past and present. It begins with members of the "Old Corps" from the WWII period, and moves up through the Korea and Vietnam eras to current Marines. Legends such as "Iron Mike" Mervosh are profiled, along with the infamous SSgt. McKeon, who instigated the so-called "Ribbon Creek" incident that almost destroyed the Corps. It's fascinating to compare the older men and women with their younger counterparts. But regardless of era, these Marines had a profound impact on their recruits, and are never forgotten by them. There are also sections featuring black and female Marines, in order to highlight the barriers that they had to conquer. The changes in boot camp training over the years were also discussed. For example, I was surprised to see that the Phase stages and range flags were done away with for a period of time. I'm glad they were reinstated (especially since I have fond memories of doing my part for our platoon's range flag). Finally, it was cool to see the career path of Marines who entered the Corps around the same time I did. They never left, and are now Sergeants Major or officers (on a side note, it was also interesting to get more information about the operational role of a Sergeant Major). I had my struggles with some aspects of the Marine Corps, and it certainly had issues with me. But besides the Church, the Corps is the greatest earthly thing I've had the privilege to be a part of. Indeed, if the present-day Marines profiled in this book are any indication, it's in better shape than ever before. I'm thankful for the good memor