Boys of '67

by Charles Jones

At once a gritty, intimate account of combat, an inside look at military leadership in a turbulent era at home and abroad, and a sweeping saga of the modern-day United States Marine Corps, Boys of '67 tells the story of a trio of extraordinary Marines. James Jones rose to become the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. Ray "E-Tool" Smith saw combat in Grenada and Beirut in 1983. Marty Steele reshaped the Marines' tank forces. Together, they represent a generation of Marines who met unprecedented challenges and made the Corps America's premier fighting force.

Genres: Military Fiction, History

416 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was well done, and makes a good companion to Robert Timberg's 'The Nightingale's Song', as well as James Kitfield's 'Prodigal Soldiers: How the Generation of Officers Born of Vietnam Revolutionized the American Style of War'. Along the same lines is Al Santoli's excellent trilogy 'Everything We Had: An Oral History of the Vietnam War By Thirty-Three American Soldiers Who Fought It', 'To Bear Any Burden: The Vietnam War and Its Aftermath in the Words of Americans and Southeast Asians', and 'Leading the Way: How Vietnam Veterans Rebuilt the U.S. Military: An Oral History'. All these books tell the story of the generation of young military officers who served in Viet Nam at the beginning of their careers, and who went on to have an enormous and important impact on nearly every aspect of the U.S. armed forces & military affairs in general during the ensuing decades. This story is important because without understanding this aspect of recent military history, it is difficult, maybe even impossible, to understand or evaluate contemporary events in the military field and to some extent the political as well. In addition, I believe these books tend to support my contention that the conflict in Viet Nam still influences many aspects of not only domestic politics & policies within the United States, but also politico-military affairs in the realm of international relations.

[John Fromularo · Rating 4 out of 5]

True Grit

I followed these officers by 8 years at the Basic School. The first few years in the Corps was a mess with broken down equipment and poor attitudes. Slowly we did rebuild and became what we should be. E tool was an instructor at tbs when I was there and the book was accurate. I was am aviator so my path was different. I did get to serve with HCStackpole, Gordon Batchellor and a few other other Marines who were equally impressive was these three were. It was a real treat to have that experience. I didn't care for the staff tour portions of the book but that is how people get promoted and programs get created. I retired in 1995 so I can't say much about the rest of the book from my experience. Two instances seemed a bit theatrical. Gen. Jones in the cemetery and Gen Smith in his promotion interview.
I greatly enjoyed the book and respect these great Marines. I hope we have some new leaders with their backbone and resolve. SF

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers the career of three Marine officers. They came into the Marines during a trying time, and all saw combat in Vietnam. Fighting intense battles during the Tet Offensive and Easter Offensive, they became living legends. They fought against complacency during the '70s and '80s, and saw the word's threats change. They came to wield great power during the '90s and '00s. A moving story of a changing world, nation, and Corps.

[Stan Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

very informative read about the rebuilding of the Marine Corp through a troubled time in our nation's history by free thinking, hard charging jr officers who loved the corp, vowing to make changes and all 3 becoming generals. a great read!

[Larry Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read! Editing needs a little work, though a very interesting book which I highly recommend to those who enjoy this genre.