was not accountable for the incident of Beirut because he was not in the chain of command. This gave media, like Time magazine-which was mentioned in the book-a perception that the Corps leaders weren’t watching their soldiers “6” (back). Despite the troublesome times, Thomas E. Ricks does a wonderful job explaining therebirth of the Corps. Inside the Pentagon, two portraits hang valiantly. A picture of James Webb as Navy Secretary, and another of General Al Gray as commandant of the Marine Corps. Through the winter year of ‘86-’87 James Webb found conversations (as Ricks puts it) “soul-searching,” making it a necessity to speak with General Al Gray three times; because of his grasp on the spiritual problems of the Corps. Are you asking yourself how there can be two generals of the same service? Well the answer is that James Webb decided to appoint Al Gray as commandant after General P.X. Kelly’s past performance—should we say “Beirut?” Not agreeing, General Kelly went to Vice President George Bush to protest, and in turn, Bush deferred to the Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger. During Al Gray’s first year as commandant, he took the role of being responsible for every Marine action, taking a different approach to the Corps—holding higher standards, and leading the way. Thanks to General Al Gray and James Webb, the Marine Corps is the top of the line service, building the marines into the few and the proud. Judging the book by its content, information, and clarity, I would rate this as more than excellent. Thomas E. Ricks did a wonderful job giving an all around coverage of what to expect when entering the service, as well as its history. As being signed up to enter the Corps Basic Training to become a Marine, I found this very well written and informative to give me the knowledge I need to know. This would be a great book for anyone d...
