Book Review First to Fight

First to Fight by Lieutenant General Victor H. Krulak is where the history, reputation, and truth about the United States Marine Corps meet. Within this 252-page book you will find a combination of historical fact, interesting background, and personal recollection from one of the men who helped shape what the Marines are today. The book is organized in seven different sections, each explaining a different facet of the Marine Corps. The first section explains in detail the struggle of the Marine Corps to survive as an entity over its long history. General Krulak explains how the Marine Corps had to fight for its current status as an equal organization with the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Even a series of Presidents were among those who tried unsuccessfully to merge the Marine Corps with the other services. As the fight to survive raged, the Marine Corps needed to prove herself as a necessary force. General Krulak explains how the need for an amphibious assault force was the niche that the Marine Corps could and successfully did fill. With interesting and humorous stories, General Krulak shares behind-the-scenes information about the rocky evolution of amphibious vehicles needed to assault enemy beaches. On pages 103-104, General Krulak tells of one demonstration of such a vehicle. After convincing a hesitant Admiral to board the amphib for a demonstration, Krulak proceeded to attack a coral reef that subsequently knocked off one of the tracks. Enraged, the Admiral, who was originally hesitant because he was short on time, proceeded to walk in the knee-deep water to the loading dock and eventually was taxied back out to his ship. Part three, the Improvisers, tells of how Marines stumbled across a way to provide high level bombing accurately even at night and in inclement weather. Together with the story of Inchon, where a severely scaled-down Marine Corps mushroomed into a provisional brigade consisting of the 5th Marine Regiment Reinforced and Marine Aircraft Group