UNITED STATES AUTHOR · HISTORY · UNITED STATES
Edwin H. Simmons
The world over, the word Marine defines something more than a soldier.
— from Marines, 1987
Most acclaimed
The United States Marines
1974
Since its somewhat confused beginnings in November 1775 when the Second Continental Congress almost absentmindedly authorized two battalions of American marines, the U.S. Marine Corps has participated in all the nation's wars from the American Revolution through Desert Storm. This compact yet complete study focuses on the big wars but never slights events in between: the little wars, campaigns, punitive expeditions, showings of the flag, protection of American lives and property, and humanitarian missions that help define the corps. Nor does the author neglect the intermittent but never-ending fight for the corps's survival at home where it faces periodic challenges from Army, Navy, Air Force, and on occasion, unfriendly presidents. This third edition brings the popular and accessible history fully up to date. Because the previous edition left off at 1975, new chapters have been added to cover the tumultuous events of the last quarter-century, including Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, the Persian Gulf, Bangladesh, Somalia, and Haiti. Other chapters have been revised in light of new scholarship.
Dog Company Six
2000
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Korean War, "Dog Company Six" has been written by a retired brigadier general who brings all his military experience to this timely look into the past to the days when the Cold War first turned hot. A Marine who wielded both pen & sword in a long & distinguished career captures the heroism & the horror of the early days of the Korean War in this gripping novel. As a young man-with his own experiences in the war still vivid in his mind-Ed Simmons put on paper the complex gamut of emotions & experiences that made this bloody encounter between East & West so unique. For personal reasons, he kept these pages to himself until now. To commemorate the war's anniversary, now-retired General Simmons has resurrected the novel to offer a timely look into the past to the days when the Cold War first turned hot. Reminiscent of the same intensity & realism that James Webb brought to the pages of Fields of Fire & the introspective depth that typified James Jones's From Here to Eternity, the pages of this novel gradually immerse the reader in the reality of another American conflict, illuminating both the idiosyncrasies of this so-called "police action" & its similitude to all wars. Through a revealing series of events & flashbacks, reserve-Captain George Bayard answers the call to arms, journeying from a private school in Baltimore to lead his Dog Company Marines in a series of battles from the mud flats of Inchon to the frozen wasteland of the Chosin reservoir. Along the way, he learns the difficult lessons of combat leadership & finds the true meaning behind the words of the Marine Corps' motto, Semper Fidelis.
Through the wheat
2008
"The U.S. Marines entered World War I as a small force of seagoing light infantry that had rarely faced a well-armed enemy. On a single faced day, in their initial assault "through the wheat" on Belleau Wood against German machine guns and poison gas shells, the Marines suffered more casualties than they had experienced in all their previous 142 years. Yet at Belleau Wood, Soissons, Blanc Mont, St. Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne the Marines proved themselves to be hard-nosed diehards with an affinity for close combat. Nearly a century later Belleau Wood still resonates as a touchstone battle of the Corps." "Two retired Marines, well known for their achievements both in uniform and with the pen, have recorded this rich history in a way that only insiders can. Brig. Gen. Edwin H. Simmons and Col. Joseph H. Alexander recount events and colorful personalities in telling detail, capturing the spirit that earned the 4th Marine Brigade three awards of the French Croix de Guerre and launched the first pioneering detachments of "Flying Leathernecks." Here, hand-to-hand combat seen through the lenses of a gas mask is accompanied by thought-provoking assessments of the war's impact on the Marine Corps."--Jacket.