One of Us: Officers of Marines--Their Training, Traditions, and Values

By Jack Ruppert

This engaging book plunges readers into the culture shock of Marine Officer Candidates School, a ten-week physical, intellectual, and emotional testing ground so grueling that every fourth candidate fails to complete.

What does it take to become a Marine Officer? This engaging book transports readers through the culture shock of Marine Officer Candidates School, a ten-week physical, intellectual, and emotional testing ground that every fourth candidate fails to complete. The Sergeant Instructors' intensity is palpable as candidates are made to strip away civilian habits and attitudes, replacing them the Marine Corps ethos in the hopes of becoming officers. Anecdotes and personal recollections of OCS by two generations of officers provide instructive, poignant, and humorous interludes for the reader.

A second focus of the book involves research into the demographics, attitudes, and opinions of two groups of officers, separated in time by 50 years. This comparison across a wide range of personal and social issues and beliefs renders some surprising results that lie in opposition to conventional wisdom. From the older generation, the reader will better understand the lifelong impact of the Marine leadership experience. From today's officers, the reader will discover the motivations of today's allegedly soft and coddled young people to follow the difficult path to a lieutenant's gold bars. This book is required reading for anyone with an interest in the Marine Corps and its culture.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0275972224
• ISBN13: 9780275972226
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Praeger
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Great Book on Marine Corp OCS and TBS

I was curious about OCS and TBS and bought this book to get some info. The book is well written. It compares OCS now to OCS back in the 50s. The information in the book is valuable. I have learned so much from reading this book about being a Marine Corp. Officer. I highly recommend this book to those who are thinking of joining up or have family or friends who have. It is important to learn what these men and women go through for almost a year in training to be who they are.

The hows and whys of the Corps' officer training

There have been a number of books recently about the training of enlisted Marines ("Making the Corps," "Into the Crucible," etc.), but the special technique the Corps uses to produce its officers is much less well-explored, at least for the general reader. Far from just a modification -- or still less, a simplification -- of enlisted recruit training, OCS and TBS, the two main parts of USMC officer training, are a world unto themselves and worthy of the attention Jack Ruppert has given them. This is a book that should be read, not only (as other reviewers have noted) by officer candidates or hope-to-be Marines, but by any reader interested in what makes the Corps America's most distinctive armed service. Ruppert's approach is to compare-and-contrast his own experience at The Basic School in 1956 with those of a class in 2000. He combines stories from his classmates with his own observations, studies with statistics, in-their-own-words reminiscences with as-it-happens reports from officer candidates ... in short, Ruppert gives us a pretty well-rounded look at what Marine officer training is all about. He doesn't employ the common technique of following specific individuals through training from start to finish, and consequently this book comes across as somewhat less personal -- in the sense of containing portraits of distinct individuals. However, he makes up for that not only with a wide breadth of coverage, but also a very personal stroll down his own memory lane. One of the impressions that comes across most strongly in this book is that Marine Corps officer training is not only physical -- though it is incredibly, intensely, physical -- but also ethical, moral, and perhaps surprisingly to some, intellectual. Far from the stereotype some may have of the Marine as a redneck automaton killing machine (thank you, "A Few Good Men"), Ruppert shows how the Corps in fact emphasizes personal initiative, innovation, even, dare we say, intellectualism. Ruppert's subtitle makes an important point, one he develops further in his text. OCS and TBS are concerned not just with creating "Marine officers," but more importantly, "officers of Marines": men and women worthy of the Marines whom they will be leading. How this exacting training is carried out, and how and why it has changed over the years, is the focus of this most interesting title. I recommend it to any reader with an interest in the Corps.

Great preparation for OCS/PLC

This book is a must read for the serious Marine Officer Candidate. If you are headed that direction and keep asking yourself "what can I expect at OCS?" This is the book will answer many of those questions. I agree that this book is not for everyone with a $50 price tag, but it's purpose isn't to suit the mainstream reader. If your goal is to become an Officer of Marines and you want to know what you'll have to endure to get there, then this book is a great tool to help get you mentally prepared. It opens your eyes to the stressful and chaotic environment you will encounter. I think $50 is a small price to pay for being that much more prepared than the person next to you.

Great Book

This is a great book for anyone thinking of becoming an officer of Marines. Jack Ruppert goes into detail about what it takes to complete OCS and TBS, and it seems pretty tough. The parts about Marine Corps traditions and values pretty much convinced me to put aside my career for a few years and be apart of something bigger than myself.

One of Them

Jack Ruppert, in his book ONE OF US, has proved himself to be an Author and a Writer. The Author created a fascinating premise: to compare Marine officers and their training and moral code across the generational chasm between the 1950s and 2000. He surveyed the subjects, tabulated the results of his study and reported the data to his readers in a clear, interesting and informative manner. The Writer in Mr. Ruppert set the scene, told the story, illuminated the characters and made the readers understand and care about them.He was equally adept at reporting the data or ruminating over its meaning. He allowed the "old-timers" and the current officer candidates room to speak for themselves. He revealed a limited personal history which gave the necessary credentials for authorship and authenticity, establishing that this book could only have been written by a Marine Officer. But he exercised restraint against the possible temptation to craft an autobiography, thereby providing material depth and breadth.From the initial premise to his conclusions, Mr. Ruppert holds the reader's attention, never going overboard with assumptions that can't be supported. Most fundamentally he tells a good story. He describes the surroundings, past and present, provides humorous and touching vingnettes and establishes historical background on both generations to guarantee the reader's understanding of the importance of his title.In a moving final gesture in the last pages, Mr. Ruppert demonstrates the continuing respect, spirit and camaraderie that continue once a person has become ONE OF US.