Backbone: History, Traditions, and Leadership Lessons of Marine Corps NCOs

by Julia Dye

Noncommissioned officers stand as the backbone of the United States Marine Corps. The corps is among the most lasting institutions in America, though few understand what makes it so strong and how that understanding can be applied effectively in today’s world. In this insightful and thoroughly researched book, Julia Dye explores the cadre of noncommissioned officers that make up the Marine Corps’s system of small-unit leadership. To help us better understand what makes these extraordinary men and women such effective leaders, Dye examines the fourteen leadership traits embraced by every NCO. These qualities—including judgment, enthusiasm, determination, bearing, and unselfishness—are exemplified by men like Terry Anderson, the former Marine sergeant who spent nearly seven years as a hostage in Beirut, John Basilone, a hero of the Pacific front in World War II, and many others. To assemble this extraordinary chronicle, Dye interviewed Anderson and dozens of other marines, mining a trove of NCO heroes who comprise the Marine Corps’s astonishing legacy, from its founding in 1775 to the present day.

332 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 2, 2013

About the author

Julia Dye, PhD, keeps the entertainment industry honest through technical advising and performer training, helping Hollywood directors capture the realities of warfare in all aspects of the media. As a partner in the consulting firm Warriors, Inc., she was weapons master and provided training to Colin Farrell for his title role in the film Alexander. With the military advisory team, she oversaw historical accuracy for the HBO series The Pacific, among many other productions. Dye earned her doctorate in hoplology (the anthropology of human conflict) from the Union Institute & University. Her business background includes venue producing at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she handled all production needs for figure skating and short track speed skating.

Reviews

[Mark Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book about leadership. The leadership aspect of this book makes better leaders and better people of it. I know that after reading this book I have become a better leader.