Marines are sea-based, combat-ready warriors who attack the enemy by land, by air, and from the sea. The Navy has its SEALs, and the Army has its Green Berets, but both are highly trained specialty units within their own branches. In the Marine Corps on the other hand, all 177, 000 are trained as elite fighters who go where others fear to tread. Marines have participated in every major and minor engagement that the United States has been involved in.

Marine Corps’ mandates and missions are to:

· Develop doctrines, tactics, techniques, and equipment to be used by landing forces in amphibious operations.

· Provide Marines and equipment for airborne operations, as needed.

· Seize or defend forward naval bases.

· Provide Marines for service on armed vessels of the US Navy.

· Provide Marines for security of property at naval stations and bases, including nuclear weapons.

· Provide Marine forces to protect US embassies and consulates overseas.

· Assign Marine forces to Unified and Specified commands, as directed.

· Be prepared to expand peacetime components of the Marine Corps to meet the needs of war.

· Perform other duties as the President of the United States directs.

The Navy is responsible for transporting the Marines to the battlefield and providing protective naval gunfire support so the Marine combat units can quickly move inland to their objective. The Navy also offers medical care through its corpsmen, who are specially trained by the Marines to accompany them in a war zone. In return, the Marine Corps assists the Navy with such things as intelligence collection, combat cargo operations, military operations, and security, both ashore and afloat.

Boot Camp Highlights:

· Phase 1

o Week 1: General Military Skills. First 1.5 mile run. Martial Arts. Bayonet. Customs and Courtesies. Core Values. USMC History. Introduction to the M16A2 Service Rifle.

o Week 2: General Military Skills. First Aid. Pugil Sticks 1. Physical Training. Weapons Handling. Throws and Falls. USMC History and Terrorism Awareness. Circuit Course. Inoculations.

o Week 3: General Military Skills. Pugil Sticks 2. Confidence Course. 3 Mile Conditioning March. Counters to Strikes. USMC Leadership History. Uniform Code of Military Justice.

o Week 4: General Military Skills. Senior Drill Instructor Inspection. Series Commander Inspection. Initial Drill Evaluation. MCMAP Testing. Pugil Sticks 3.

· Phase 2

o Week 5: Swim Week. Combat Survival Swimming. MCMAP Testing. 5 Mile Conditioning March

o Week 6: Grass Week. Introduction to Marksmanship. Fundamentals of Marksmanship. 35 Yard Grouping. Endurance Course. Field Meet.

o Week 7: Firing Week. Known Distance Firing. M16A2 Rifle Qualification. Confidence Course. 6 Mile Conditioning.

o March: Small Unit Leadership

o Week 8: Team Week. Obstacle Course. 10 Mile Conditioning March

· Phase 3

o Week 9: Field Training. A-Line Firing Range. Fundamentals of Field Firing. Unknown Distance Firing. Multiple Target Engagement. Limited Exposure Exercise. Moving Targets. Daylight Target Detection. Night Firing. NBC Mask Firing. Academic Review.

o Week 10: Basic Warrior Training. Combat Endurance Course. Basic Field Skills. Gas Chamber. Final Drill Competition. Final Physical Training Test. Rappelling Tower. NBC Training. Company Commander’s Inspection. Final Drill. Practical Application Testing. Defensive Driving Course. Land Navigation. Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) Movement Course. Day/Night Individual Movement.

o Week 11: The Crucible. 54 Hour Crucible Event. Warrior’s Breakfast. Once a Marine, Always a Marine. Core Values. Recruit Liberty.

o Week 12: Graduation. Battalion Commander’s Inspection. Financial Responsibility Course. Motivational Run. Marine Corps Emblem Ceremony. Family Day. Graduation.

Each day begins at 0500 hours (5 AM) and is followed after breakfast by morning PT, which usually comprises the Daily 16 (a series of stretching exercises and calisthenics), formation runs, and running through the obstacle course.

Recruits have Sundays off which they sleep, study, do laundry, and write letters.

Boot camp is a progressive process. In the beginning, it tears down a recruit both mentally and physically, and then rebuilds the recruit by instilling confidence and competence.

Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP Mick-Map). Kung fu, karate, jujitsu, judo, bayonet, knife fighting, kicks, throws, punches, falls, choke holds, joint manipulations, grappling, defensive maneuvers, pugil sticks.

Rifle’s 8 steps in the cycle of functioning: feeding, chambering, locking, firing, unlocking, extraction, ejection, and cocking.

Sighting and aiming, firing positions (prone, sitting, kneeling, standing), trigger control, rapid fire, sight adjustments, effects of weather on firing and bullet trajectory.

Grass week is where recruits spend their days at the Weapons and Field Training Battalion’s firing ranges.

The Crucible. 2-1/2 days. 42 miles on foot while carrying combat gear. 8 hours of sleep and eat 2-1/2 MREs. 29 problem-solving exercises and combat-related events such as firing, combat assault resupply, casualty evacuation, bayonet assault, night infiltration, and hand-to-hand combat. At the end, they will receive the Globe-and-Anchor emblem and the title of US Marine.

Before newly minted enlisted Marines are permitted to join ground of combat units from boot camp, they must first graduate from the School of Infantry. 52-day program.

MOS (military occupational specialties).

· The infantrymen (MOS 0311) conduct most of their training out in the field, where they concentrate on patrolling, offensive and defensive operations, and military operations in urban terrain.

· The machine gunners (MOS 0331) learn how to effectively employ heavy automatic weapons like the M240G 7.62 mm medium machine gun, the M2 .50-caliber heavy machine gun, and the Mk. 19 40mm automatic grenade launcher.

· The mortar men (MOS 0341) learn how to fire the M224 60mm lightweight mortar and the M252 81mm medium extended-range mortar, and use them to support combat operations.

· The assault men (MOS 0351) are rocket and demolitions specialists who are trained to use the Mk.153 shoulder-launched, multipurpose assault weapon (SMAW) and the Javelin antitank missile, and explosives.

· The antitank guided missile men (MOS 0352) are taught to attack enemy tanks and armored vehicles, tube-launched weapons, optically tracked weapons, wire-guided (TOW) missile.

Upon completion of the School of Infantry, most of the Marines are integrated into Marine Corps units. The remainder go on to receive advanced training such as aviation, artillery, engineering, intelligence, and communications.

Taming the Beast: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson by Rory Holloway, Eric Wilson

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informative medium-paced

2.0

“From his childhood to the present, Mike has had a number of managers, everyone from Cus D’Amato to Rory Holloway to Magic Johson. To understand the challenges they faced, one would need to identify the type of animal they were dealing with. A panda would be one thing. A raccoon another. But a tiger … Well, in that case, they had a real beast on their hands. Consider these statements Mike made while under the nervous eyes of his managers:

‘I don’t want to be a tycoon. I just want to conquer people and their souls.’

‘I think I’ll take a bath in his blood.’

‘My defense is impregnable, and I’m just ferocious… I want to eat his children. Praise be to Allah!’

‘I was spoiled, like a brat. I had anything I wanted … I’ve never had a job in my life. What I know how to do is hurt big, tough men – on the street and off.’

‘I’m just a … dark shadowy figure from the bowels of iniquity.’

‘I guess I’m gonna fade into Bolivian.’

“Mike’s first manager, Constantine ‘Cus’ D’Amato, was everything his name implies, an ornery cuss, an irritable old bear, whose gravelly voice delivered stern commands. He was no-nonsense. No bullshit. He came by it honestly, having been raised in the Bronx by a hard-nosed father, and having seen his older brother shot and killed while mouthing off at a police officer.”

“Kevin Rooney was making comments about Mike Tyson and Robin Givens for the world to hear. He was talking with a slur, like Popeye and shit, and just couldn’t keep quiet. Every time a reporter put a microphone in his face, he’d use the opportunity to make another bad remark about the wife of the guy he’s training. I mean, who does that? That was Kevin, just stubborn as a mule, and he forced Mike’s hand. Mike was done with Kevin. After Kevin got fired, the whole world blamed it on me and John Horne. Must be our fault. Or Don King’s. It’s true, we was working with Don as a promoter, but none of that had a thing to do with Mike firing Kevin. We didn’t encourage it. We didn’t influence it. Mike made the decision completely on his own.”

Kevin Rooney sued and was awarded $4,400,00.

“Around every cesspool, you’ll find cockroaches. And when it comes to cockroaches, few are bigger than Don King.”

“Mike was a boxing historian and enthusiast. His knowledge helped him a lot in the ring, so the fight was like slow-motion to him. When punches were coming, he was calm. Cus had him well-prepared, like a well-oiled machine. He taught Mike everything he knew, the good and bad of what to expect when he got hit, and how to hit the other guy in certain places. What to feel and what not to feel.”

Mike was charged with rape of Desiree Washington. A girl he met at the Miss Black America pageant. He was sentenced with 6 years in prison, $30,000 in fines, and 100 hours of community service and psychotherapy.

“He set up this bedroom in his house in Vegas, this love nest. He concealed these sophisticated video-recording devices so he can record all future sexual encounters, as evident if he get accused again.”

Mike had a 4 year old daughter named Exodus die. Her older brother found her lifeless at home, her neck caught in their treadmill’s cable that dangled beneath the console. The girl’s mother and Mike’s former girlfriend, Sol Xochitl, had tried keeping her alive until paramedics arrived.

The Killing Hills by Chris Offutt

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

Rising Sun by Michael Crichton

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adventurous informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

BEASTARS, Vol. 9 by Paru Itagaki

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5.0

The River Swimmer: Novellas by Jim Harrison

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emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I liked the first novella The Land of Unlikeness but didnt much like the second novella The River Summer.

Revival by Stephen King

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.0

"Jamie begins sleepwalking and experiences odd fugue states, which lead him to seek out others who have undergone similar treatments. There are many, as Jacobs has taken to using his electrical treatments to become a faith healer at revival shows, despite the fact that he has lost his own faith entirely. Jamie discovers that others have had similar side effects to his and that many of them end up killing themselves because of it. Nevertheless, when Jamie's highschool sweetheart gets terminal cancer, he turns to Jacobs. He agrees to use his treatment to cure her in exchange for Jamie's help on a larger experiment said to finally reveal the true nature

Charles Jacobs is, in a lot of ways, a King character readers have seen before. His actions are eerily reminiscent of Pet Sematary, while his descent into mad obsession calls to mind Frankenstein, which King openly references. He begins the novel as a reverend in a small Maine town, where he likes to experiment with electricity because he feels that lightning is an analogy for the divine. However, after his family is killed in a car accident, he loses his faith in the divine entirely and pursues electricity as the "basis of all life", obsessed with discovering what happened to his wife and son, and wanting to know what's left after this life is over.

Ultimately, with Jamie's help, Jacobs is able to get a glimpse of the afterlife. With a jolt of his "secret electricity", he is able to revive a terminally ill woman. However, instead of finding the answers he wanted, a Lovecraftian being known as "Mother" inhabits the woman's body and reveals to them a dimension of chaos where the souls of dead humans are enslaved for eternity. This dimension is called "The Null", and it's not a pretty
Nevertheless, the question remains whether or not everyone who dies goes to The Null or not. To his credit, Stephen King leaves this question unanswered. Perhaps it is only those touched by Jacobs's strange electricity who are doomed to such a fate. Whatever the case may be, King's Revival has a message similar to Shelley's Frankenstein: that no one can cheat death"

https://screenrant.com/revival-stephen-king-book-story-explained/

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coley_reads's reviews 263 reviews

coley_reads's reviews
263 reviews