Why Marines Fight

by James Brady

As the war in Iraq continues, the idea of being a soldier in wartime is of interest to many Americans. Why Marines Fight by James Brady is a ruthlessly candid book told in the words of U.S. Marines themselves, who answer provocative questions about what drives them to fight and why so competently and ferociously. For more than two centuries, U.S. Marines have been among the world's fiercest and most admired of warriors. This pounding look into the U.S. Marines is magnificent in scope and is written by an author whom some marines consider to be the unofficial poet laureate of their corps. Brady interviews combat marines from wars ranging from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan, and records their responses in their own unique and powerful voices. These he crafts into an authentically American story of a country at war as seen throught he eyes of its warriors. Americans who experience Brady's chronicle of this part of a soldier's life and its lasting effect may find it impossible to forget.

Genres: Military Fiction, Military History, History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

James Winston Brady was an American celebrity columnist who created the Page Six gossip column in the New York Post and authored the In Step With column in Parade for nearly 25 years until his death. He also authored numerous books about his time serving in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War.

Brady was born in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. His career in journalism started working as a copy boy for the Daily News, where he worked while attending Manhattan College. He graduated in 1950. He left the paper to serve in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War.During the war, he was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines first leading a rifle platoon and later acting as an executive officer of a rifle company at one point serving under John Chafee. The majority of his service took place in the North Korean Taebaek Mountains during the fall and bitterly cold winter of 1951 and 1952. Brady was awarded the Bronze Star with the Combat V (recognizing an award resulting from combat heroism) in November 2001 for his actions on May 31, 1952 in a firefight with Chinese forces near Panmunjom.

Brady died at age 80 on January 26, 2009 at his home in Manhattan.

James Brady is the father of Susan Konig.

Reviews

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author, a Marine himself, takes a look at why that special breed of men and women called Marines answer their countries call to place their lives in potential danger when the majority of Americans run from self-sacrifice and service to their country. He has interviewed Marines who have served over the last 80 years and certain characteristics are common among them. I don't want to spoil the book but Brady uses many words that are foreign to most Americans, escpecially our political leaders: honor, duty, country, and self-sacrifice. Semper Fi!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad, who served with the Marine Corps in the Pacific during World War II, didn't talk much about his service until after he retired. Then, he used a diary to self-publish "Cram's Rams" about the experimental bombing unit run by Jack Cram. Cram was a civilian pilot recruited into the corps for the war, and he lead this unit in bombing off Saipan in raids on Japanese assets during the buildup to Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
James Brady, himself a civilian recruit into the officer ranks during Korea, goes back from his cold service to write in 2006 interviewing Marines about what made them fight. It's instructive because it really comes down to the guys in the unit - and many of these Marines saw their buddies die in combat.

[Richard Dervin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ver good anecdotal views on serious philosophical issues.

Interesting remembrances of why individuals select or choose avenues of behavior. a comparison of why we behave and why we justify what we do.

[Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately not an easy read and does not deliver what’s in the title. Too many dates, prologues instead of the “actual” stories. And many of the stories are quite dated too. Unless you are a marine -and an old one at that- I don’t think this book is for you.

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick introductions to a few dozen Marines, when and where they fought. These little essays rarely actually discuss the topic question so the book was disappointing.

[Duane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had just finished reading James Brady's Why Marines Fight. It's a book that explores the motivations behind the choices people made in order to become Marines, placing these soldiers in life and death situations. The book is made of a number of interviews with veterans, but focuses on those who were in combat. The late James Brady spoke with veterans of WW2, Vietnam, Korean War, and even a few from Desert Storm.

The Marine Corps is an incredible organization. Although the training may have changed over the years, it seems that Basic Training is one of the common motivators. The veterans spoke of and value the history of the Corps, the striving to support their fellow soldiers, for being a "great Marine". They also speak with a reverence for the transformation that occurs from being a civilian to becoming a Marine. This environment is extremely stressful, and everyone doesn't graduate, but those who do describe the support and the rewards and their own reasons for signing up. In the varied responses, I keep coming up with Bandura's reciprocal determinism and human agency as the reasons for their persistence and success.

In the Marines, beyond Basic Training, I see a lot of message delivery and message reinforcement. They have a tight culture. Esprit de corps is powerful. You have a history of success, and these tales are shared as goals and motivation. Marines tell recruits these stories each day. They have history books as artifacts and evidence of these successes. They have the fear of not being useful to your fellow corpsmen. They have role models to aspire to. But there is also the training that builds self-efficacy. They are taught how to adapt and overcome obstacles. The philosophy of human agency is constantly reinforced. Their awareness is heightened. Pain and injury and tiredness is each dismissed. Excuses are dismissed. Sarcasm and humor does a lot of that work too. They earn commendations, medals, acknowledgements. And more goes into building and maintaining the culture that I don't know about, but the “us” against “them” concept is powerful as well. But did I forget to mention discipline? Every veteran mentions the power of discipline. It's an amazing culture.

But think of this. Something that kept coming up was the fear of not living up to expectations. Many of the soldiers were scared of dying. They feared the snipers, the landmines, even the suddenness of death. But they would rather perform well and with courage and be known as a "good Marine" rather than hide in their trenches and be accused of not doing their jobs.

I find it amazing that some joined for the paycheck. Others joined to get away from trouble. Most joined to “do their part” for America, some were inspired by the patriotic movies and heroes, or they wanted to become great. But when they passed through training and combat, they became something more because of their self-assurance. They are Marines!

On the other hand, we can't ignore that many soldiers were broken by these experiences. Not just in body, but in spirit. Because of PTSD, some have become mentally ill, some turned to and became dependent on various substances. Some have given everything they were, even though they have returned home and alive from the lines.

Soldiers get broken. Everyone has their limits. Training doesn't do it all. And, depending on the jobs they do, there is additional training, additional challenges to overcome. Or not. They can "wash out". I have begun to see the Marine experience as a series of the highest high-stakes tests.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book, despite not being what I expected. I thought it would be more of a ‘study’ or intensive look at the mindset behind why Marines fight. I thought it might be a discussion about what goes on in a Marine’s head, about the training. I think there is a more focused discussion on why soldier’s fight in Starship Troopers than there is in this book. I am not attempting to knock this book, by any means. I just thought it was going to be more of an inquiry-type of book as opposed to snippets of the lives of various Marines over the past one hundred years or so.

Please make no mistake. I ‘enjoyed’ the book [as much as a civilian who respects and ‘envies’ somebody who has served] can be said to ‘enjoy’ it. The book is well-written, overall. As it is composed of forty chapters filled with snippets from the memories of at least forty marines, it almost comes across as a ‘blog’ or a book written in a serialized format. At the same time, I do not think the format takes away from the book. I think it is a powerful book, and gives honor to where honor is due [to the men, and even women, who served in the US military, and specifically the US Marines in this case].

Each chapter has a brief segment where each of the men [and one woman] who shared their story ‘discussed’ [mentions] why they think people join the Marines and why Marines fight. The essence seems to distill down to fighting on behalf of those on each side of you as well as for God and country [patriotism]. Some enlist because of pride; some enlist because of a desire for a better future. For others, enlistment was ‘merely’ carrying on the family tradition. There are those who felt duty-bound to serve, and what better way than to enlist? I think the majority of the stories shared are quite powerful in their own right, as we are reading comments shared by the individuals themselves.

I will not deny – reading this book makes me wish I had enlisted and served for a period of time. If I had to do it all over again, I would have enlisted. I would probably enlist in the Army [following my dad and a host of cousins], but possibly Marines after reading this book. I think it is a powerful tool to instill a sense of duty and purpose in somebody who might be riding the fence in terms of serving this country in the Armed Forces.

Other books were mentioned throughout the course of this book; I think I shall look for them to add them to my reading list [hopefully in the near future].

It is kind of amazing [but maybe that is just me] how many successful businessmen had their start in the US Armed Forces. I was surprised at the number mentioned in this book alone. It probably should NOT come as a surprise, but it did. In this regard, this book was enlightening.

I am glad I read this book.

[Joseph Tryka · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Heart And The Fist by Eric Greitens

The reason I wanted to read this book is that it had the navy seal insignia on it also it had an interesting title on it. The main character is Eric Greitens, this book takes us through China, Bosnian refugee camps,Rwanda,Bolivia,India, Duke, Chicago, Oxford, Officer candidate school Pensacola, Florida, BUD/S training San Diego, California, Philippines, Thailand, Iraq,Fallujah Iraq.
The Character goes to China to study a semester abroad. Hes also takes up boxing in Chicago while attending Duke. after he goes to Oxford to study there and win varsity matches in boxing. While attending school he goes to Rwanda,and Bosnia to face poverty, homelessness, poor medical care in Refugee camps. He also goes to Bolivia to Help get children off the street and into a place that helps the children become better for their society and get jobs to support themselves. After all this he decides the best way to help all these people is to become a soldier, so he goes into military to become a naval officer in charge of a navy seal team.
This book ends in Fallujah Iraq when Eric I going home but a suicide bomber is going to take out the whole western side of the barracks he is in. My favorite part of this book was probable when he was in seal training.
I think the was one of the best book I have read so far in my life. This in somewhat connects to band of brothers because there is teamwork involved in this book. I think anyone who loves a good interesting book would like this book.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't be fooled by the title. The book hardly even addressed, much less delved into, why Marines fight. This book is essentially a collection of Marines' (a few pages dedicated to each Marine) stories the author interviewed that states when they were born, where they went to school, and a few snip-its of their time in the Marine Corps. It almost seems as if the author bit off more than he could chew, and by actually announcing he was writing this book in a magazine, he had to follow through and cobble stuff together despite not actually gathering the required info. Let's just say that if I had turned in a paper with this title, supposed thesis, and content to one of my professors in college, I probably would have received a failing grade. My other main problem with the work is the almost complete absence of female Marine stories. There was one female Marine story, and the author claimed that was the only one who would do an interview. However, a few times throughout the book, he makes statements that seem to show disdain for female Marines, so I don't know how hard he actually tried to get their stories. Overall, I still gave this book a decent rating because it did have a couple shining moments, and I would still probably qualify it as a somewhat worthwhile read (albeit very low on the list). Just understand what you're getting because the title is very misleading.

[James Preston · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book does give some reasons as to why Marines fight, it does not seem to focus on the question. Instead it is focused more on the background of some Marines who have gone to war, and what it was that led them to the Corps. Regardless, it provides an excellent account of men who have gone to war. It gives and inside look at their feelings and emotions while there, and after returning home. It makes you realize the price that they pay, and helps one to appreciate more fully what they have done for us.

[Wes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The reason I gave this book such a low rating is because it didn't focus on what I bought it for which is discussing "Why Marine's Fight". The book is made up of many short chapters, each of which tells the story of a different Marine. It mentioned some significant people, had some good stories (and a lot of stories I didn't find interesting), but all in all I wasn't satisfied.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title explains it. Brady, who was a decorated Marine combat veteran, tells it like it is. Brady knows why the United States Marine Corps has the reputation as a first-rate fighting unit and you will, too, after reading this book.

[Francis Soriano]

I've only gone through the first two chapters and it seems very interesting. It talks about the background of the Marine Corp's history but it did not mention why marines do what they do. Maybe thats later on the chapter.

[Rick Hamlet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing series of individual stories.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories of young men who fought mostly in the Korean War as Marines and lived to tell their experiences. Semper Fi

[chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good individual stories but I already knew the answer to the question....