A FEW GOOD MEN--The Fighting Fifth Marines: A History of the USMC's Most Decorated Regiment, by Ronald J. Brown. Novato, Calif.: Presidio Press, 2001. 448 pp. $29.95. [Internet: www.presidiopress.com] "Although this incomplete roll of heroes is an impressive one," Brown comments in his introduction, "we must always remember that no man is more important than the unit; as all Marines well know, individuals come and go but the regiment is eternal. Thus, long after most of us are pushing up daisies, the Fighting Fifth Marines will be standing ready to march toward the sound of gunfire at a moment's notice." Brown's book, which opens with a foreword by Marine Commandant Gen. James L. Jones, serves as an eloquent tribute to the men of the Fifth Marines from World War I to the present. The story of the Fifth Marines parallels the evolution of the modern Marine Corps. Brown himself served with the 5th Marines in Vietnam as an active-duty officer. As a reservist-historian, Brown was assigned to cover the Fighting Fifth's more recent activities in the Persian Gulf. With appendix, sources, index, maps, and 28 black-and-white photographs.

CARLSON'S RAID: The Daring Marine Assault on Makin, by George W. Smith. Novato, Calif.: Presidio Press, 2001. 276 pp. $29.95. [Internet: www.presidiopress.com] To provide a diversion to the invasion of Guadalcanal by the 1st Marine Division, Evans Carlson's 2nd Marine Raider Battalion executed one of the most daring attacks of World War II. Carlson's Raiders--one of them President Roosevelt's son, Maj. Jimmy Roosevelt--traveled 2,000 miles by submarine to the Gilbert Islands and successfully captured the Makin Atoll after two days of heavy fighting. Smith's book examines both the immediate results of the assault and the longer-term and less-fortunate consequences, including the near U.S. defeat on Tarawa in 1943. In his preface, Smith sets the stage in a brief synopsis of the events of 7 December 1941. The 22 chapters that follow tell a complicated but important story. Smith writes well and engages the reader with the style as well as substance of his story. With selected bibliography, index, seven appendixes, and 21 black-and-white photographs.

THE WARRIOR ELITE: The Forging of SEAL Class 228, by Dick Couch. New York, N.Y.: The Crown Publishing Group, 2001. 334 pp. $24.00. [Internet: www.randomhouse.com]. Couch, himself a former SEAL (Class 45), provides an in-depth look at the training would-be SEALs endure to become one of the Navy's true elite. He goes beyond the simple rigors of the SEAL training regimen--the torturous hours of physical and mental anguish that go into preparing these gladiators of the sea--by touching on the character of the young men that, even more than the brutal training, marks these individuals as SEALs. His insider's view draws the reader in and makes the book a fast and enjoyable read. The SEALs are synonymous with excellence in both military and mainstream circles; The Warrior Elite therefore should appeal to a wide audience. Couch is the author of several novels; The Warrior Elite is his first nonfiction work. With appendix and 10 black-and-white photographs.

FIND AND DESTROY: Antisubmarine Warfare in World War I, by Dwight R. Messimer. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 2001. 352 pp. $37.50. [Internet: www.NavalInstitute.org] Messimer examines the weapons, tactics, and organizations of all of the belligerents on both sides during World War I, viewing them in the context of the political, economic, and military circumstance of that era. The years of trial and error between 1914 and 1918 gave rise to the weapons and tactics used not only in World War II but also--modified and updated--by today's ASW forces. Messimer's findings engage the serious reader seeking hard facts, and the casual reader who simply is interested in stories of war at sea. Messimer is the author of several other books, including The Merchant U-Boat and Escape. With notes, bibliography, index, two appendixes, six illustrations, 13 maps, and 25 photographs.

MacARTHUR AND THE AMERICAN CENTURY: A Reader, edited by William M. Leary. Lincoln, Neb.: University of Nebraska Press, 2001. 550 pp. $40.00.[Internet: www.nebraskapress.unl.edu] Leary's book is divided into five parts: Growth to Maturity, World War II, Japan, Korea, and Assessments. Essays by subject experts--including Stephen A. Ambrose, Stanley L. Falk, and D. Clayton James--accompany materials from the archives of Dwight D. Eisenhower and MacArthur himself. Several of the essays focus attention on the impact MacArthur had on war, peace, and the American imagination. With bibliography, index, chronology, four maps, and 25 illustrations.

Note: All phone numbers and Internet addresses are believed to be current as of 1 March 2002. If no number is given, the information was not available at the time of publication.

Unless otherwise noted, the preceding book reviews were written by Contributing Editor Jennifer M. Price.

Inquiries may be sent to seapowermail@navyleague.org.