'Were it not for the Navajo Code Talkers the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima and other places' (Anonymous, Marine Corps signal officer). Ed Gilbert uses personal interviews with veterans to tell their fascinating story. Beginning with the first operational use of Native American languages in World War I, he explores how in World War II the US again came to employ this subtle, but powerful 'weapon.' Despite all efforts, the Japanese were never able to decode their messages and the N...

By 1960, following Korea, tanks and their crews had proved themselves to be a fundamental part of the Marine Corps' combined arms team. When the Marines were ordered to Vietnam in 1965, they took their tanks with them. This book explores this decision, which created a political storm. The presence of the tanks became a lightning rod for accusations of an 'escalation' of the war. Nevertheless, the tanks not only proved their value in the anti-guerrilla campaigns, but also amid the bitter co...

The great military effectiveness of semitrained local militia is one of the enduring myths of American military history. In this book Ed Gilbert reveals the truth behind this myth, shedding light on who these frontier men actually were and their role in the war of 1812. He chronicles how untrained and ineffective militia forces were transformed into a formidable fighting force through hard campaigning, fierce combat, and Andrew Jackson's equally fierce discipline. Contemporary illustration...

III Marine Amphibious Force was conceived as a division command for a small Marine Corps commitment to Vietnam. Within four years it had grown to a reinforced corps of two divisions, an air wing, and the division-sized Force Logistics Command.This organization was unique in Marine Corps history in that it merged combat and major logistical functions under a single field command. This book examines the origins and constantly changing organizational structure of III ...

III Marine Amphibious Force was conceived as a division command for a small Marine Corps commitment to Vietnam. Within four years it had grown to a reinforced corps of two divisions, an air wing, and the division-sized Force Logistics Command.This organization was unique in Marine Corps history in that it merged combat and major logistical functions under a single field command. This book examines the origins and constantly changing organizational structure of III ...

The US Marine Raider was an "elite within an elite." Modeled on British Commandoes, they were the earliest forerunners of the various special operations units of the modern US military. These units would conduct operations with only the equipment they could carry on their backs; their heaviest weapons were light mortars and light machine-guns. Highly trained in close-in fighting, the Raiders were expected to be equally skilled in watercraft, jungle survival, and jungle warfare. This book d...

I won 12 Varsity Letters in 4 years of High School: I was Quarterback for the Football Team, Captain of the Basketball Team; was on the Track Team placing 2nd in Long Jump at the State Track Meet. I was Homecoming King; played the lead in the Senior Play, and in general got undeserved straight A’s on my report cards. Thinking back, I even squandered chances playing second base for our Baseball Team one season. No wonder some liked me while others hated me!!!

Gilberts other books include Once Upon the Woods and Waters, A Brown Trout Bicycle, and Montezumas Treasure Canyon. He has also published more than three thousand stories and columns in various media formats, including magazines and newspapers. Gilbert presently resides in Comstock Park, Michigan, and has traveled extensively while researching material for his writings.

The words 'Retreat? Hell, we just got here' have become a central part of the legend of the US Marine Corps, indicative of its reputation for dogged determination and bravery.Uttered at the height of the fierce battle for Belleau Wood, the phrase came to define the Corps, establishing their 'first to fight' ethos in the public eye. This history follows the experiences of the Marines during the Great War, from their training in the US and France through the fighting...

The American Revolution was a decisive conflict, which saw the birth of a new nation. Continental Army regulars fought in massive and famous battles from New England to Virginia, but in the South a different kind of warfare was afoot. Local militia, sometimes stiffened by a small core of the Continental Line, played a pivotal role. This lesser-known war ultimately decided the fate of the Revolution by thwarting the British "Southern strategy". In this title, the authors provide a unique an...

Continental Army regulars fought in massive and famous battles from New England to Virginia, but in the South a different kind of warfare was afoot.Local militia, sometimes stiffened by a small core of the Continental Line, played a pivotal role. This lesser-known war ultimately decided the fate of the Revolution by thwarting the British "Southern strategy". In this book, the authors provide a unique and personal focus on the history of their own ancestors, who fou...

A highly illustrated account of the battle for Blanc Mont Ridge in 1918, where the US attackers broke the German line and sent them into headlong retreat in one of the major US victories of World War I.The dominating Blanc Mont Ridge complex in the Champagne region of France was home to some of the most complex German defences on the Western Front. Its heights offered artillery observation that made even approaching the ridge virtually suicidal.Pessimistic ...