Professional Development
During the last few years of my time in the Marines, the Commandant, General A.M. Gray, developed a professional reading list. Each Marine was expected to read several books from that list each year. I am pleased to note that each succeeding Commandant has renewed this call for professional development and further refined the reading list.
For the lowest grades, the books often conveyed only the emotion of combat; the perseverance for victory, the love of one's comrades, the desire to act as a unit rather than a group of individuals. As the ranks increased, so too did the complexity of their respective book lists. Inspiration and education were found throughout.
Some people act as though our military is home to people of low intelligence and even lower ambitions. The Commandant's reading list is in part of an effort to rectify this misconception by equipping Marines with ideas about the nature of combat and the pursuit of liberty. This initiative even includes such flexible elements as a special reading list for those deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
I mention this reading list because I have recently completed Steve Pressfield's
"Gates of Fire". This book was recently added to the Marine Corps' required reading list. Having read the book, I wholeheartedly agree with its inclusion. A more formal review should be posted in the coming days.
by Dann
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Michael Yon
