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Thank you to Candidate C for taking some time to share advice you learned through your long, yet successful, Application! Stay tuned for more parts throughout this week. Advice on Applying Apply early and often. I applied for the US Naval Academy my Junior year of high school and continued applying for 2 years after that with all of the baggage that applying to a … Continue reading Application Advice from a Successful Candidate: Part I
Thanks so much to USNA or Bust for sharing their extremely valuable and efficient April To Do list for future Annapolis midshipmen! Depending upon where you are in the process, you may have done some of the items on this list. Skip them. Be happy you’re done. Move on to the next First Steps: If you’re serious about attending the USNA or any other military academy, … Continue reading April To Do List for USNA Applicants, courtesy of USNA or Bust
The Commandant’s Professional Reading List (also known as the Marine Corps Reading List) is a list of required annual reading for all officer and enlisted Marines, whether active duty or reserve.
The great thing about the Commandant’s famous reading list is that most of these books are free. Download the other ones on your kindle, and you can easily knock out the required reading for candidates before you report to OCS. The Commandant’s Choice Books are great to have done before OCS, but not required.
Read Gen. Amos’ message to Marines in CMC White Letter No. 4-12: Reading in the Marine Corps… “Thirty year old body and 5000 year old mind”. The Commandant’s guidance and additional information can be found in ALMAR 001/13 dated 2 JAN 2013.
This post features two lists: Commandant’s Choice, which are for all Marines, and the list for Entry Level Officers, or Candidates.
All Marines are required to read these books.
Story of an American soldier charged with delivering a critical message to a leader of Cuban rebel forces during the Spanish American War. He delivers the urgent missive with no questions asked, no complaining, and no hedging. The enduring and almost unbelievably simple message of the essay is this: When asked to perform a task, don’t ask How…? or Why…? or Wouldn’t it be better if? Just do it. This book is also on the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Reading List and Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Reading List.
This publication describes a leadership philosophy that reflects the traditional strengths of the Marine Corps as an institution and attempts to define the very ethos of being a Marine. It is about the inseparable relationship between the leader and the led, and is as much about the individual Marine—the bedrock upon which the Corps is built—as it is about any leader.
Do we fight by a code? If so, what is it? What is the Warrior Ethos? Where did it come from? What form does it take today? How do we (and how can we) use it and be true to it in our internal and external lives? The Warrior Ethos is intended not only for men and women in uniform, but artists, entrepreneurs and other warriors in other walks of life. The book examines the evolution of the warrior code of honor and “mental toughness.” It goes back to the ancient Spartans and Athenians, to Caesar’s Romans, Alexander’s Macedonians and the Persians of Cyrus the Great (not excluding the Garden of Eden and the primitive hunting band). Sources include Herodotus, Thucydides, Plutarch, Xenophon, Vegetius, Arrian and Curtius–and on down to Gen. George Patton, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, and Israeli Minister of Defense, Moshe Dayan.
Reservists Marines currently serving in the Marine Corps Reserve may apply for programs such as PLC and OCC through their Officer Selection Officer. Commissioning Programs for active duty enlisted Marines include: Enlisted Commissioning Program (ECP) For Marines who have earned a four-year degree before joining the Corps or during active duty Qualified Marines attend Officer Candidates School (OCS) Upon completion of OCS, they are commissioned as second lieutenants Reserve Officer opportunities … Continue reading How can currently enlisted Marines become officers?
We are proud to announce a superb resource for all your high schoolers who are considering becoming an officer in the Marine Corps or Navy. USNA or bust is a great source of information on the how, the what, and of course, the why of attending Annapolis. The Naval Academy is a great pipeline to becoming a Marine Officer. Any questions you have about Annapolis can … Continue reading New Partner: USNA or Bust!
