The Battle History of the U.S. Marines: A Fellowship of Valor

The Battle History of the U.S. Marines is the only single-volume, definitive combat history of the United States Marines, covering more than two centuries of battles in the air and on land and sea--literally "from the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli," from Suribachi to Somalia. It presents graphic narratives of such epic engagements as Belleau Wood, Wake Island, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Peleliu, Saipan, Okinawa, the Chosin Reservoir, Khe Sanh, and many more.

You will meet the Marine sharpshooters in the "fighting tops" of our young country's legendary frigates, as they took on the British navy during the American revolution; discover the exploits of Marine pilots in the "Banana Wars," in the skies over the Pacific during World War II, and later over Korea and Vietnam; and share the tension and terror of stalking the enemy on a Marine patrol in the jungles of the Pacific islands and Southeast Asia.

An award-winning military historian and a retired Marine colonel, Joseph H. Alexander served two tours of duty in Vietnam. He tells the Marine combat story in a no-holds-barred narrative, with dozens of sidebars full of fascinating vignettes and Marine lore accompanied by nearly one hundred rare combat photographs and vivid sketches and numerous maps.

As Brigadier General Edwin H. Simmons writes in his foreword, "Marines are not noted for their modesty." The same sentiment was also phrased in less diplomatic terms by President Harry S. Truman: "They have a propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin's," the commander in chief remarked during the Korean War. Marines are smug about their collective accomplishments, to be sure: esprit de corps, they call it. They are quick to educate the ignorant that the history of the United States would be much different if not for the United States Marine Corps. Alexander, a 28-year veteran of the corps, is no exception. The retired colonel takes obvious and unapologetic pride in the legendary mystique of "the Few and the Proud." His narrative is not a dry textbook compilation of footnoted factoids so much as a gung ho war story--drenched in blood and sweat and delivered with swagger for the transcendent glory of the corps--whose chapters read like a night of beers at the local VFW. Though incurably biased, the award-winning military historian has created a thoroughly researched and meticulously detailed account of the battles fought by those who are proud to claim the title of United States Marine. --Tim Hogan