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Leatherneck: Molding Recruit Maggots into U.S. Marines in the 1950s
The U.S. Marine Corps is very proud of its history, tradition, and heritage. Every Marine is taught to be proud from the beginning of boot camp and this pride continues until they reach the gates of heaven. In Marine Corps recruit training, recruits are transformed into the world's most elite fighting force through 13 weeks of rigorous training. Recruits will acquire the knowledge, discipline, teamwork, and fitness level required of a Marine through physical training, classroom instruction, and combat skills.
The author recounts how, in the 1950s, judges would give gang members a join the Marines or go to jail. The impact of boot camp on the few gang members in our platoon demonstrated that those judges understood the transformative power of military discipline. In fact, the Marine Drill Instructors likely did more to turn gang members into productive citizens than a roomful of social workers ever could.
Of all the military services, Marines hold a special place in the public conscience. This is reflected in the fact that when our nation is faced with a challenge or threat, the public response usually is “Send in the Marines,” or when they are sent in, the usual response is, “The Marines have landed, and the situation is well in hand.” In commenting on the Marines, President Reagan said, “Some people wonder all their lives if they have made a difference in the world. Marines don’t have that problem.” May it always remain so.
In the addendum of this book, the author presents an extensive analysis of the all-volunteer Military Force, its beginning, its performance, its major problems, and its overall serious negative effects on the nation’s society, culture, core values, and its questionable capability to deter and/or destroy our potential enemies today.
Semper Fi.
About the AuthorDarrell J. Ahrens is a former US Marine, Air Force fighter pilot and operations staff officer, high school teacher, and pastor. He holds degrees from Chapman University, Boston University, and Fuller Theological Seminary. His previously published titles include The Abundant Practical Theology for Abundant Living, Ungodly, Unamerican, and The New Radicalized Democratic Party, Turn and A Fighter Pilot’s Memories and Confessions, and Divine Love / Divine Intolerance.
The author recounts how, in the 1950s, judges would give gang members a join the Marines or go to jail. The impact of boot camp on the few gang members in our platoon demonstrated that those judges understood the transformative power of military discipline. In fact, the Marine Drill Instructors likely did more to turn gang members into productive citizens than a roomful of social workers ever could.
Of all the military services, Marines hold a special place in the public conscience. This is reflected in the fact that when our nation is faced with a challenge or threat, the public response usually is “Send in the Marines,” or when they are sent in, the usual response is, “The Marines have landed, and the situation is well in hand.” In commenting on the Marines, President Reagan said, “Some people wonder all their lives if they have made a difference in the world. Marines don’t have that problem.” May it always remain so.
In the addendum of this book, the author presents an extensive analysis of the all-volunteer Military Force, its beginning, its performance, its major problems, and its overall serious negative effects on the nation’s society, culture, core values, and its questionable capability to deter and/or destroy our potential enemies today.
Semper Fi.
About the AuthorDarrell J. Ahrens is a former US Marine, Air Force fighter pilot and operations staff officer, high school teacher, and pastor. He holds degrees from Chapman University, Boston University, and Fuller Theological Seminary. His previously published titles include The Abundant Practical Theology for Abundant Living, Ungodly, Unamerican, and The New Radicalized Democratic Party, Turn and A Fighter Pilot’s Memories and Confessions, and Divine Love / Divine Intolerance.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 20, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 27, 2025
Leatherneck is a comprehensive and insightful account of Marine Corps boot camp in the 1950s and a commentary on the state of the military and the nation today, suitable for anyone interested in military history, the Marine Corps, or the personal experiences of those who serve.
It's written in a personal and engaging style and includes a number of pictures. The author's experiences and reflections offer a valuable perspective on the Marine Corps and its traditions. The book is not just a memoir but also a reflection on the changes in society since the 1950s.
Leatherneck reveals how the 'Guidebook for Marines,' a manual that distills centuries of military wisdom into actionable principles, was put into practice. At its heart lies the unshakeable foundation of discipline and courtesy - not mere formalities, but the bedrock upon which Marine Corps excellence is built. Leatherneck articulates how every Marine's identity is intrinsically linked to their expertise as a rifleman, regardless of their specialized role.
Leatherneck presents a compelling vision where unit cohesion emerges from the delicate balance of strong leadership and absolute fairness. Leaders are taught that their authority comes with profound responsibility - they must shoulder both the triumphs and failures of those under their command.
Perhaps most powerfully, the book captures the ineffable spirit of the Marine Brotherhood. Through its pages, readers will gain insight into why Marines stand apart.
It's written in a personal and engaging style and includes a number of pictures. The author's experiences and reflections offer a valuable perspective on the Marine Corps and its traditions. The book is not just a memoir but also a reflection on the changes in society since the 1950s.
Leatherneck reveals how the 'Guidebook for Marines,' a manual that distills centuries of military wisdom into actionable principles, was put into practice. At its heart lies the unshakeable foundation of discipline and courtesy - not mere formalities, but the bedrock upon which Marine Corps excellence is built. Leatherneck articulates how every Marine's identity is intrinsically linked to their expertise as a rifleman, regardless of their specialized role.
Leatherneck presents a compelling vision where unit cohesion emerges from the delicate balance of strong leadership and absolute fairness. Leaders are taught that their authority comes with profound responsibility - they must shoulder both the triumphs and failures of those under their command.
Perhaps most powerfully, the book captures the ineffable spirit of the Marine Brotherhood. Through its pages, readers will gain insight into why Marines stand apart.
May 4, 2025
I thought this book gave a fascinating insight into the experience of marine boot camp in the 1950’s. The tension coming off of WWII and before the Korean War had a strong influence on the intensity of training and tone of the military at the time. This was well written and I enjoyed the insights from the author. I however, thought the publisher did this book a disservice. The copy I read was very large, resembling a textbook but much thinner. This book would be much better served in the standard (5.5 x 8.5 inch) sized format. Additionally, the publisher included some great photos of the author and the setting from that time period. These photos were printed at a quality that was unacceptable for a real novel. They also included over 20 images that were clip art from the internet or some cheap source. This cast a very cheap feel to a book that was otherwise written and assembled at an above average quality. In summary, the author did a great job and wrote a compelling story but their publisher did them a disservice.
Read this book for the content but you’ll have to overlook some of the visual shortcomings. Three out of five.
Read this book for the content but you’ll have to overlook some of the visual shortcomings. Three out of five.
March 7, 2025
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I had also read Ahrens' "Turn and Burn" and was more interested in its aerial combat subject matter than in marine boot camp. But Leatherneck is a better-written book. The prose flows much better and the narrative is tighter. It's a detailed, insider's view of what marine boot camp was like in the 1950s (very tough!). Ahrens goes through all aspects of the 12-week camp, with chapters on everything from mess duty and rifle cleaning to gas masks, bayonets and marksmanship. The intensity, the fear inspired by the drill instructors and the incessant demands on the recruits really comes through.
However, Ahrens' own boot camp story doesn't provide enough material for a full book. Ahrens liberally reprints technical sections from the marine training manuals on subjects like the intricacies of how rifles work and the different bayonet parrying maneuvers. Anyone who is interested in this level of detail is going to read the manuals rather than this book. It's just too much and seems to be included to pad the book length. Similarly, there's an extended postscript in which Ahrens laments the declining willingness of Americans to serve in the military and opines on his objections to the all volunteer military. The connection of these issues to 1950s boot camp is tenuous and, again, the discussion seems like padding or Ahrens taking the opportunity to share his opinions in a book about something else. Even with the copied manual sections and the postscript, the book is only 250 pages long.
I think the better way to make this story into a book would have been to explore the history of marine boot camp before and after the 1950s. Or, Ahrens could have told the stories of his fellow recruits (almost all of whom are anonymous) in addition to his own and discussed what they did after boot camp to connect to his wider themes about the value of military service.
I had also read Ahrens' "Turn and Burn" and was more interested in its aerial combat subject matter than in marine boot camp. But Leatherneck is a better-written book. The prose flows much better and the narrative is tighter. It's a detailed, insider's view of what marine boot camp was like in the 1950s (very tough!). Ahrens goes through all aspects of the 12-week camp, with chapters on everything from mess duty and rifle cleaning to gas masks, bayonets and marksmanship. The intensity, the fear inspired by the drill instructors and the incessant demands on the recruits really comes through.
However, Ahrens' own boot camp story doesn't provide enough material for a full book. Ahrens liberally reprints technical sections from the marine training manuals on subjects like the intricacies of how rifles work and the different bayonet parrying maneuvers. Anyone who is interested in this level of detail is going to read the manuals rather than this book. It's just too much and seems to be included to pad the book length. Similarly, there's an extended postscript in which Ahrens laments the declining willingness of Americans to serve in the military and opines on his objections to the all volunteer military. The connection of these issues to 1950s boot camp is tenuous and, again, the discussion seems like padding or Ahrens taking the opportunity to share his opinions in a book about something else. Even with the copied manual sections and the postscript, the book is only 250 pages long.
I think the better way to make this story into a book would have been to explore the history of marine boot camp before and after the 1950s. Or, Ahrens could have told the stories of his fellow recruits (almost all of whom are anonymous) in addition to his own and discussed what they did after boot camp to connect to his wider themes about the value of military service.
June 7, 2025
I just wish that the author, Darrell J. Ahrens, would have been as disciplined as a writer as he was the Right Guard of his basic training platoon. This was a more arduous read than it should have been.
First off, he needed to fully understand his purpose in writing this book. There are three approaches that he takes, and combined, detract from each other. He writes most of the narrative as a member of a basic training platoon in 1956. He writes with authority in his autobiographical experiences, but that's not enough to hold the narrative together. Then he shows more about the hands on stuff of basic training, but instead of relying on the strength of his writing, he uses the Guidebook for Marines, and poor quality numbered photographs as a crutch. At the very end, he gives us a jumbled mess of an Addendum where he pontificates his doctrine of what ails the military and society today. Instead of blending all three, he should have either focused on the autobiographical narrative or interviewed other Marines who went to boot campthen and add their experiences, and scrapped the instruction manual and Addendum.
Second, he was loose with facts. For instance, early in the volume, he discussed how long the Marine Corps used amphibious warfare tactics. He made it sound like it was always this way, but it wasn't. The Tentative Landing Operations Manual, the first official doctrine manual of the U.S. Marine Corps was published in 1934 and went into effect operationally in 1935. This was based upon the Advanced Base Force concept that Lt. Col. Pete Ellis studied in a series of exercises in 1914. Because of the growing threat of the Japanese influence in the Pacific, Marine Corps leaders adopted this doctrinal change in order to stay ahead of the potential threat. A short look into this area of Marine Corps history should have been a primary emphasis of the author in order to stay away from errors in fact such as this one.
Third, the narrative suffered tremendously from the need for more editing. It could have been written much tighter and avoided the use of such terms as "you, the reader," or "the reader." We readers know who we are and that we're reading this book. I expect this type of writing from a high school student, not somebody who retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force after graduating Marine Corps basic training. It was the one thing that grated on me during the entire narrative.
Finally, the Addendum, which I briefly addressed earlier, is completely out of place. it just doesn't belong there. This isn't that kind of book. Also, the writing and editing of this chapter was extremely sloppy, which suggests that it really was a last minute addition and not a planned part of the book.
Despite all of that, the personal memoirs, despite not being well written, turned out to be an okay read. I just wish I didn't have to wade through the Guidebook and photographs to get there. I give this a three-star review because it is a good topic, and even with reprinting sections of the Guidebook, we do get a feel for Marine Corps basic training in the 1950's. I just wish it read like the basic training section of Leon Uris's "Battle Cry," which would have given us a good comparison between Boot Camp in the 1940s and 1950s. Perhaps that book still needs to be written.
First off, he needed to fully understand his purpose in writing this book. There are three approaches that he takes, and combined, detract from each other. He writes most of the narrative as a member of a basic training platoon in 1956. He writes with authority in his autobiographical experiences, but that's not enough to hold the narrative together. Then he shows more about the hands on stuff of basic training, but instead of relying on the strength of his writing, he uses the Guidebook for Marines, and poor quality numbered photographs as a crutch. At the very end, he gives us a jumbled mess of an Addendum where he pontificates his doctrine of what ails the military and society today. Instead of blending all three, he should have either focused on the autobiographical narrative or interviewed other Marines who went to boot campthen and add their experiences, and scrapped the instruction manual and Addendum.
Second, he was loose with facts. For instance, early in the volume, he discussed how long the Marine Corps used amphibious warfare tactics. He made it sound like it was always this way, but it wasn't. The Tentative Landing Operations Manual, the first official doctrine manual of the U.S. Marine Corps was published in 1934 and went into effect operationally in 1935. This was based upon the Advanced Base Force concept that Lt. Col. Pete Ellis studied in a series of exercises in 1914. Because of the growing threat of the Japanese influence in the Pacific, Marine Corps leaders adopted this doctrinal change in order to stay ahead of the potential threat. A short look into this area of Marine Corps history should have been a primary emphasis of the author in order to stay away from errors in fact such as this one.
Third, the narrative suffered tremendously from the need for more editing. It could have been written much tighter and avoided the use of such terms as "you, the reader," or "the reader." We readers know who we are and that we're reading this book. I expect this type of writing from a high school student, not somebody who retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force after graduating Marine Corps basic training. It was the one thing that grated on me during the entire narrative.
Finally, the Addendum, which I briefly addressed earlier, is completely out of place. it just doesn't belong there. This isn't that kind of book. Also, the writing and editing of this chapter was extremely sloppy, which suggests that it really was a last minute addition and not a planned part of the book.
Despite all of that, the personal memoirs, despite not being well written, turned out to be an okay read. I just wish I didn't have to wade through the Guidebook and photographs to get there. I give this a three-star review because it is a good topic, and even with reprinting sections of the Guidebook, we do get a feel for Marine Corps basic training in the 1950's. I just wish it read like the basic training section of Leon Uris's "Battle Cry," which would have given us a good comparison between Boot Camp in the 1940s and 1950s. Perhaps that book still needs to be written.
March 19, 2025
The first portion of this book is a solid explanation and “walk through” of Marine Corps Boot Camp in San Diego during the 1950s. Excellent photos accompany the content. Those who have attended Marine Corps Boot Camp or initial training will find many of the stories and explanations very familiar. It is well-written and described. The final chapter of the book descends into a political/partisan passage and is off-putting.... essentially, aligning the goodness of Marine Corps Training to the tenets of modern conservative/Republican ideals... The author needs to remember that the full spectrum of any demographic attribute can share the Marine Corps’ training and values. Purchase the book for the Marine Corps training/values; disregard the rest, in my opinion.
May 27, 2025
A well-detailed memoir of boot camp in the 1950s. The prose flows well, and the information is interesting. I also appreciate the illustrations and pictures.
The Addendum gets rather religious. The book claims that the Ten Commandments were a core value of the Founding Fathers, which is a personal editorial only. The Founding Fathers notoriously came from a spectrum of Orthodox Christians, Christian Deists, and non-Christian Deists. A mixed bag of religious and philosophical views that cannot be easily labeled into a specific dogma. Especially during the Age of Enlightenment.
Other than that, however, the military focus of the book is a decent read.
The Addendum gets rather religious. The book claims that the Ten Commandments were a core value of the Founding Fathers, which is a personal editorial only. The Founding Fathers notoriously came from a spectrum of Orthodox Christians, Christian Deists, and non-Christian Deists. A mixed bag of religious and philosophical views that cannot be easily labeled into a specific dogma. Especially during the Age of Enlightenment.
Other than that, however, the military focus of the book is a decent read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews