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Description edit
Before the Green Berets...Before the Navy SEALs...Before the Army Rangers...There was the Long Patrol. November 1942: in the hellish combat zone of Guadalcanal, one man would make history. Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson was considered a maverick by many of his comrades-and seen as a... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
The book starts off describing how Carlson developed his command philosophy. Carlson's experiences in China and Nicaragua are described. Carlson learns a lot from the Communist Guerilla Army while in China. He models his Marine Raiders after the Guerillas. The book takes lots of time to... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters/People edit
- Evans Carlson: Evans Carlson was born February 26 1896 in Sidney, New York. Carlson started his military service in the US Army in 1912. He get out of the Army in 1916 as a First Sergeant. Within a year, he was back in the Army and deployed during the Mexican Punitive Expedition. He stayed in the Army through World War I and received a Wound Chevron (now the Purple Heart) for injuries sustained in France. In 1917 Carlson was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. He left the Army in 1921. In1922 Carlson enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. In 1923 he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. While in the Marines, Carlson deployed to Nicaragua where he received the Navy Cross, the nations second highest award for valor in combat. In 1933 upon returning to the US he served as the Executive Officer of Warm Springs, Colorado, President Roosevelt's vacation home. There he became close friends with both the President and his son, James.Following Warm Springs Carlson was posted in Shanghai, China with the 4th Marines.There he learned the Chinese language. On his second trip to China he served as a observer of the Chinese military. There he learned many military and command tactics that would become the base of his command philosophy in the Marine Corps. In 1938 Carlson left the Marine Corps to write about how he admired both the Chinese and Japanese. In 1941 when war was on the horizon he reapplied for his commission in the Marines.In 1942 Carlson created the 2d Marine Raider Battalion. The Raiders primary goals as a unit was to perfom quick island raids in the pacific to disrupt Japanese supply chains. Carlson modeled the Raiders after Communist guerilla forces he observed in China. He had a unique command philosophy in which he expected the officers not only to lead men, but to do the same things the men are doing. Carlson often embraced this idea himself. In his unit, he even reorganized the squad structure and varied from the Marine Corps squad structure. Carlson and the 2d Raider Battalion were made famous for their famous Makin Island Raid. Makin was the first engagement that the US claimed as a military victory in the Pacific. His book describes in detail what occurred on Makin.
- James Roosevelt: James is the son of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He also serves as Carlson's executive officer in the 2d Raider Batallion. He sees lots of combat in WWII.
- Jack Miller: Add a description of this character.
- Washburn
- Maghakian
- Mccullough
- Dean Voight
- Le Francois
- Ben Carson
- Nimitz
- Bulger
- Edson
- Mcauliffe
- Griffith
- Peatross
- Burnette
- Schwerin
- Jimmy Roosevelt
- Holcomb
- Bauml
- Stidham
- Coyte
- Thomason
- Leeman
- Mount Austen
- Brockman
- Donovan
- Kanemitsu
- Franklin
- Apergis
- Mccall
- Cotten
- Vandegrift
- Plumley
- Lieutenant Miller
- Eleanor Roosevelt
- Vanlandingham
- Throneson
- Mary Roosevelt
- Schrier
- Carmen
- Thompson
- Henderson
Quotes edit
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“He had faith in his Raiders, no doubt about that. The Marine publicity machine called them "experts in death, demolition, and destruction." (Page 1)”
- Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
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“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer”;
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Thus, the phrase “Work in harmony” guided his operations. “Fundamentally, Gung Ho is an ideal, the ideal of complete cooperation and mutual trust and respect between men. Gung Ho is tolerance, cooperation and equality. It is democracy at work.”
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The measure of a man is neither how long he served in combat nor how many foes he had slain. It is best measured in the fact that he answered the call.
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An officer who can mix with his men and show them that he does not feel above them, but still keeps a certain reserve, always holds their respect and loyalty. It is the great secret of leadership and requires a great amount of diplomacy.”
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Ford’s documentary about the battle, narrated by Henry Fonda, won the 1942 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject.
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Every Marine knew of Edson’s skill with a rifle and of his gallant command during the famous 1928-29 Coco Patrol in Nicaragua’s wilderness.
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“I’m an out-and-out pacifist, but when an aggressor strikes I do not believe in calmly permitting his steam roller to run over me. It is necessary to resist, to whip the aggressor with one hand, while with the other we work even harder to build a social order in which war will not be necessary as an instrument for adjusting human differences.”52
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“If I ever have an outfit of my own, I’m going to give them ethical indoctrination. I’m going to show them how they can find the will to sacrifice, and the desire to endure. This is not a Chinese thing but a human thing. This is what makes great soldiers.”26
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Colonel Shapley promptly discarded the gung ho philosophy, declaring in his first meeting with the men his intent to return to a more conventional approach. With that promulgation, the battalion that had been born with such hope in February 1942 came to a sudden end. According to Captain Washburn, “we became pretty military, saluting, dress, military courtesy, and all the rest of that.”22
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Fear is contagious, and composure is contagious, too.”2
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Setting & Locations edit
- USA: Warm Springs, Colorado is the location of the President's vacation home. Raiders train prior to action on Makin in Hawaii.
- Makin Atoll: The Raiders stage an attack on Makin, an island atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
- China: Carlson's experiences in China as an observer are covered in detail.
- Guadalcanal: An island in the Pacific.
- United States
- South Pacific
- Hawaii
- Nicaragua
- Binu
- Asamana
- California
- San Diego
- Japan
- Tokyo
- America
- West Coast
- Washington
- Jacques Farm
- New England
- White House
- Dallas
- Pearl Harbor
- Long Patrol
- Aola Bay
- Tarawa
- Vouza
- Makin Island
- Tenaru River
- Sand Island
- Europe
- Connecticut
- Virginia
- New York
- D.c.
- Lunga River
- Beach
- Butaritari
- Chicago
- Quantico
First Sentence edit
Marine Lt. Col. Evans F. Carlson, battling salt spray as he squinted into the stiff ocean wind and brutal breakers, faced his direst crisis.
Table of Contents edit
1. Reaching for the Stars, but Never Touching Them
2. Specially Trained Troops of the Hunter Class
3. We Could Have Taken on John Dillinger
4. We Were Itching for a Fight
5. It Seemed That Confusion Reigned Supreme
6. It Will Forever Remain a Ghastly Nightmare
7. A Poor Fit with the Map
8. We Rode to the Sound of the Guns
9. The Law of the Jungle
10. Where No Other Marines Have Ever Been
11. Once I Walked with Giants
Themes & Symbolism edit
- Discipline: The 2d Marine Raider Batallion was given the best training the Marine Corps had to offer. In training they had to obey every order without question. In combat, they had to obey every order without hesitation. In order to form an elite fighting force like the Marine Raiders, discipline had to be present at all times. Without discipline, the Raiders would not be the legends they remembered as today.
- Motivation: In order to get the Marines to do the extraodinary feats they did, Carlson had to keep his Marines motivated. Without motivation the Raiders would not have been able to accomplish the incredible feats they did on Makin.
- Brotherhood: The Raiders trained for months prior to the Makin raid. In this time they became brothers to each other. They knew each other better than they knew their own siblings, and trusted each other with their lives. The bonds formed in combat are lifelong. These bonds are demonstrated via quotes of Raiders interviewed recently.
Authors & Contributors edit
- John F. Wukovits (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: Add the language.
Publisher: NAL Caliber
Country: USA
Publication Date: June 2009
ISBN: 978-0-451-22692-1
Page Count: 278
Publisher: NAL Caliber
Country: USA
Publication Date: June 2009
ISBN: 978-0-451-22692-1
Page Count: 278
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 940.54265933092
Notes for Parents edit
Reading Level: Young AdultsThis book has some profanity in it, but is a great read. It would be especially useful for young men looking to join the military in a combat role. Anyone interested in learning about the history of WWII or the history of Special Forces would also find it interesting.
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