How the Marine Corps became the country's preferred globe-spanning intervention force during the early years of the Cold War. Unlike the other branches of the armed forces, writes O'Connell (History/U.S. Naval Academy), the Marines did not rush into nuclear technology after World War II. Instead, he argues, the Corps built on its combat record, especially in the Pacific island-hopping campaign, to re-orient itself as an elite, naval or helicopter-borne, quick-reaction force, able to provide various combinations of unit strength on very short notice. Using an equipment and technology budget line from the Navy, the Marines expanded in size and technical capability to meet this adopted objective. The real eye-opener here is O'Connell's account of the behind-the-scenes lobbying and PR work conducted by the Chowder Society, "an unofficial organization ofwell-connected officers" dedicated to protecting the Corps from postwar defense reorganizations. According to the author, this went beyond lobbying and included spying, leaking classified documents and smearing opponents. The group made full use of the Marine's press networks, building especially on the wartime centralization of news distribution. Headquarters had developed tactics for dealing with the press, such as preparing "Joe Blow" stories of hometown combat troops. O'Connell shows how Hollywood transformed the image of the Marines, who sustained a casualty rate double that of the Army, by crafting stories that depicted them as military heroes. Then, to support peacetime political combat, those stories were tweaked to portray them as gentle protectors of families and motherhood. The author contrasts the stories with the reality. A powerful account of the relationship between fighting war and preserving peace, viewed through the lens of the stories that built support for both.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

O'Connell (US Naval Academy) has penned an important, extraordinary volume--wonderfully descriptive, copiously referenced (86 pages), and richly punctuated by anecdotal presentations. While his background thesis is the overly broad concept of civil-military relations, the focus is on the ambiguous and immeasurable phenomenon of culture as it applies to the US Marines. Perhaps the most important of a variety of issues and Marine initiatives that O'Connell addresses is the post-WW II discussion of unification, in which the demise of the Marine Corps was envisioned as a possibility. The Marines crystallized their continued existence through a number of vectors, including the powerful and unique "Chowder Society," and an agreement between political enemies Paul Douglas of Illinois and Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, who shared a former Marine identity. The ultimate goal was to solidify the duality of an image of toughness and virtue with a family orientation--a "David-like fighting unit" engaging "Goliath-like enemies" at home and in contingency confrontations. While the Army, Navy, and Air Force pursued nuclear weapons following WW II, the Marines focused on an amphibious force in readiness--a decision that has paid great dividends in America's more contemporary confrontations. A wonderful book, but more importantly, a significant addition to military historical literature. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. J. Stanley emeritus, Towson University

Exploring the U.S. Marine Corps's "stories, assumptions, and habits of mind," O' Connell, professor of history at the U.S. Naval Academy and a Marine reserve officer focuses on the period from WWII, when the corps was viewed as "the least attractive military service," to Vietnam, when the corps emerged as the elite American armed force. His thesis is that the Marines synergized their distinguished combat performance in the Pacific and Korea with an active, interventionist role in American society. The corps cultivated relationships with journalists and members of Congress, and combined sophisticated marketing with hard-core politics, forming alliances yielding benefits to all participants. Structuring the process was a Marine sense of superiority that facilitated redefinition as "an elite force of military first responders with a global reach" and "a wariness of outsiders that bordered on paranoia." This sense of separateness allowed the Marines to de-emphasize bureaucracy and view war "through the language and logic of art." They privileged sacrifice and suffering in the context of a blood-sworn community. The resulting cultural capital has defined Marine performance from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan as central players in national defense. O'Connell offers an excellent analysis of how the marines became the Marines. 24 b&w illus. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.