Boot

Boot by Daniel Da Cruz probably had pride of place for being one of the best overall books on the Marine Corps, and in particular about training, boot camp and the enlisted ethos, for nearly a decade. This book, published in 1987, is set in a time before the Crucible and some of the more recent innovations in training that were to take place during the Reagan and elder Bush eras. The Marine Corps was still struggling to redefine its mission and purpose, and having had some major tragedies like the bombing of the barracks in Beirut, public-relations and policy-wise, the Marine Corps was a low ebb in its fortunes. Indeed, there was serious discussion whether or not the Corps should continue to exist. Da Cruz takes an up-close and personal look at boot camp through the eyes of actual participants. He constructs some composite characters and blends things together to form a tighter narrative, and also gives alias names to some recruits in Platoon 1036, 1985, the group he followed most closely. In the first pages of the book, Da Cruz disspells some of the myths and misperceptions about who the Marine Corps are looking for. The Marine Corps is highly selective, and disqualifications include lack of education (particularly since not completing high school or a GED shows a lack of trainability), trouble with drugs, law enforcement, various physical disabilities, abnormal height and weight, and a few other things. Dependents are not absolutely disqualifying, but then as now certainly weigh against the potential recruit. Da Cruz looks at the in-processing and recruitment stages, showing the care and attention the Marine Corps gives to its future in accepting potential recruits. He also looks at the special appeal of the Corps to young men. The Marine Corps didn't offer incentives, it offered challenges. This is true of the Marine Corps up to this day. While other services offer incentives to potential recruits, the first question a Corps recruiter will ask is `What can you offer the Corps?' The answer had better be a good one! Da Cruz intersperses after every short section a piece of the history of the Corps. After looking at the initial shock treatment phase of receiving, from being screamed off the bus to getting the shaved head to being herded naked through various stations, Da Cruz then gives a brief overview of the history of the Corps, from the earliest days of formation in Tun Tavern in 1775 to the operations in Lebanon and Grenada in the 1980s. Da Cruz looks with honesty at the emotions going through the minds of the recruits and the Drill Instructors. Most recruits are scared at first. So, in fact, are some Drill Instructors. There are a thousand ways to fail for each of them, and it is only through unrelenting focus that they all make it through. They may well depend on each other for the sake of their lives. This is the real world. But, in fact, it is a different world. As Da Cruz points out in recounting the story of forming, recr

Boot by Daniel Da Cruz probably had pride of place for being one of the best overall books on the Marine Corps, and in particular about training, boot camp and the enlisted ethos, for nearly a decade. This book, published in 1987, is set in a time before the Crucible and some of the more recent innovations in training that were to take place during the Reagan and elder Bush eras. The Marine Corps was still struggling to redefine its mission and purpose, and having had some major tragedies like the bombing of the barracks in Beirut, public-relations and policy-wise, the Marine Corps was a low ebb in its fortunes. Indeed, there was serious discussion whether or not the Corps should continue to exist. Da Cruz takes an up-close and personal look at boot camp through the eyes of actual participants. He constructs some composite characters and blends things together to form a tighter narrative, and also gives alias names to some recruits in Platoon 1036, 1985, the group he followed most closely. In the first pages of the book, Da Cruz disspells some of the myths and misperceptions about who the Marine Corps are looking for. The Marine Corps is highly selective, and disqualifications include lack of education (particularly since not completing high school or a GED shows a lack of trainability), trouble with drugs, law enforcement, various physical disabilities, abnormal height and weight, and a few other things. Dependents are not absolutely disqualifying, but then as now certainly weigh against the potential recruit. Da Cruz looks at the in-processing and recruitment stages, showing the care and attention the Marine Corps gives to its future in accepting potential recruits. He also looks at the special appeal of the Corps to young men. The Marine Corps didn't offer incentives, it offered challenges. This is true of the Marine Corps up to this day. While other services offer incentives to potential recruits, the first question a Corps recruiter will ask is `What can you offer the Corps?' The answer had better be a good one! Da Cruz intersperses after every short section a piece of the history of the Corps. After looking at the initial shock treatment phase of receiving, from being screamed off the bus to getting the shaved head to being herded naked through various stations, Da Cruz then gives a brief overview of the history of the Corps, from the earliest days of formation in Tun Tavern in 1775 to the operations in Lebanon and Grenada in the 1980s. Da Cruz looks with honesty at the emotions going through the minds of the recruits and the Drill Instructors. Most recruits are scared at first. So, in fact, are some Drill Instructors. There are a thousand ways to fail for each of them, and it is only through unrelenting focus that they all make it through. They may well depend on each other for the sake of their lives. This is the real world. But, in fact, it is a different world. As Da Cruz points out in recounting the story of forming, recruits are i

"Boot" begins with the bus ride that marks the last day in the lives of several men as civilians. It then describes the transformation of these people, not too different from you and me, first into tormented "recruits" and ultimately into proud Marines. Those who stay with the program, that is, as many leave, both voluntarily and involuntarily. Da Cruz gives insight into the challenges faced by Marine drill instructors in making this transformation happen. He also compares the modern "boot camp" for the USMC to the nearest equivalent institutions in earlier times and in other countries. In the end, those who survive are transformed forever. They will never be the people they once were as new recruits, ever again.

Da Cruz does a great job of recreating the essence of boot camp. Not only does he give an unbiased opinion of how boot camp in the Marine Corps is, but he also compares the boot camp of the year with his own experience. Da Cruz also throws in the occasional history lesson in each chapter. It's a great book that will keep you entertained from beginning to end. I highly recommend this book if you want some quality reading.

I read this book about the same time I joined the Marine Corps in August 1999. It takes you step by step through the training process. I would recommend this to anyone. You don't have to be a Marine to enjoy it. I have bought multiple copies of this book and given it to my recruiter so he can give it to prospective Marines to read. Also read the book by Thomas Ricks called The Making of a Marine.