How can you not enjoy a first hand account of war written Dartmouth educated, classics major who is equally like to pepper his points with either profanity or literary references?
In reading this book, you'll learn two new languages:
- Armed forces
- English
I actually mean that somewhat seriously. Not only did Fick do a terrific job of making military jargon accessible (I now know that MLRS is a Multiple Launch Rocket System, and an MRE is a Meal Ready to Eat), but he also taught me over a dozen new English words (I guess he was paying attention in college). He are a few examples (you're free to feel superior if you already knew what these words mean):
- Creosote
- Enfilade
- Obsequiousness
- Epaulets
- Muezzin
- Azimuth
- Arroyos
- Wended
- Apoplectic (this is one I know I should know, but I don't)
- Crenelated
- Lilting
I don't mean to give the impression that this book is written with arrogance or a lofty attitude. Fick is more like the perfect Marine who happens to know Latin. If you found either of the book or movie versions of Jarhead interesting, than you enjoyed seeing a rogue Marine doing things his way. This is the opposite. Fick is like the Good Will Hunting of Marines.
- Funny stories - At one point when his company has lost respect for their captain, they refuse to count out the push ups he's leading. This infuriates him and exposes his failure as a leader.
- Cool stories - his grandfather, also a marine, pieced together a small metal horseshoe from all the shrapnel he picked out of his body for 30 years after returning from war
- Ridiculous stories - While training in a pool, he picked up successively heavier and heavier weights from the bottom of the pool, only to have a fire-hose shot at him when he surfaced. They repeated these actions until he passed out.
- And horrifying stories - At one point in Iraq, he was forced to choose between treating a dying teenage girl, wounded by American force, or thoroughly inspecting an area likely to house enemy weapons. I won't tell you which he chose, but he makes it clear that there's no right answer.
If you want a firsthand account of what these recent fights have been like from one of the most articulate people on the front lines, this is your book. If you care about what other people think, you should know that this was a NYT Best Seller and the Washington Post Book of the Year. Additionally, Fick is a friend of mine from HBS. Here's a pic of him from Spring Break after he hauled in a lobster which would make an excellent addition to our dinner.
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