Boys of '67

"Boys Of `67" is a brilliant and coherent chronicle that follows the lives of three Marines who trained together in 1967 and who went on to almost mythical heights with their careers. This book is inspiring and entertaining; but above all, this is a fascinating tale of how three young Marines go through their careers and become generals. The book takes us from their officer training to Vietnam and beyond. These men are true heroes in the very sense of that word. You cannot help but admire them as they are portrayed in the pages of Charles Jones' book. He takes this journey of their three individual lives and masterly weaves them altogether so that we can more fully understand the significance of what these men were able to do. This book honors the finest traditions of the Marine Corps and the men and women who proudly serve. It is full of history, facts, insights, and personal observations. It is also a little controversial with its stand on how the war in Iraq was handled. It comes off as an honest and well balanced look at modern warfare and policy; however, the book is really about the men who fought those wars and who dealt with the results of those policy decisions. I fully recommend this book to read! It receives the MWSA's Top Rating of Five Stars! This book also receives my personal endorsement!

Duty, Honor, Country". If anyone is looking for a definition, read The Boys of 67. The book is a extraordinary account of Marine Corps history in the last 40 years as reflected in the careers of 3 accomplished officers. Jones' puts the reader onsite to experience first hand the events and circumstances that ultimately shape leaders of the Corps. Jones' writing style is fluent and very readable, does not get bogged down in too much technical terminology but uses just enough jarhead jargon and detail to keep the reader engaged in the military milieu. The reader will get a real sense of being part of the scene in the battle sites of Vietnam, Grenada and Beirut, and a real appreciation for what it really means to be one of a "few good men". Being a son, grandson, brother and brother-in-law to Marine Officers, this book puts into perspective the family of which I am a part. Anyone associated with the Corps, vets, active duty, wives and dependents, will enjoy this book and feel the same sense of pride and appreciation for such a fine group of men diligently standing watch for our sakes.

The "Boys of '67" is simply terrific. As an army enlisted soldier and Vietnam vet, reading the early chapters of this book brought back many memories. What's most interesting about "Boys of '67" is it follows three future marine generals careers from basic officer school at Quantico through their Vietnam deployment and through post-Vietnam, Grenada, Lebanon, the first Gulf War, Somalia, the peace-keeping deployments of the 1990s, and Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. It's like reading the recent history of the Marine Corps in one book. The "Boys of '67" is a fabulous read and lays out for future officers what it takes to succeed in a military career.

The new book by Charles (Chip) Jones titled "The Boys of '67" is an extremely well written, thoughtful account of three Marine officers as they make their way in the United States Marine Corps and life. This book can be read and appreciated in a number of ways: as a recent history of the Marine Corps; as a review of some of the major foreign policy efforts of the U.S. over the past 40 years or as the compelling, engaging and thoroughly human story of three fascinating men and those around them. I think the book works on all three levels. The first chapter delves right into the recent run up to the war in Iraq and offers some new insight into that planning.My first impression was that this chapter was a jarring introduction to the story that Jones lays out. After reading further and understanding how the Marines are called on to jump into battle on a moments notice, this first chapter begun to make sense as it illustrated how unexpectedly the Marine Corps can be asked to move into one of their many roles. After the first exciting chapter, the story Jones tells settles down to a chronological account of how Jim Jones, Ray Smith and Marty Steele forge and lead their way into Marine Corps history. I found the the book to be a "page turner". Charles Jones writing style and his skill as a researcher/historian shows the hallmarks of a writer who has honed his craft making "The Boys of '67" pleasurable reading from start to finish.

I've read a fair amount about Marines, everything from your straight up shooter memoirs to scholarly stuff in the Marine Corps Gazette, Marine Times, Naval Proceedings and so on. Boys of '67, however, is unlike the others. It focuses on three 2nd Lt.'s fresh out of Basic in April 1967 and follows them for the next four decades as they and the corps change and grow. It mixes combat and peace and politics like a novel. Sort of spoiler - The 2nd Lt.'s all become generals. In fact, one, 4 star general James Jones, is the current commander of NATO. How he got there from a hilltop in Vietnam surrounded by the NVA is nothing short of amazing. This book reads like an epic, and it is. ONe of the other 2nd Lt's son ends up a Cobra pilot and from there now flies Marine One for the President! This is a book about Marines, their Corps and their country. More than that though, it's about their devotion to duty and to each other. If you want an uplifting read about men of honor and how they fought and bled for this country I highly recommend this book.