The purpose of this anthology is to serve as a ready resource of material that defines the Marine Corps as an institution and to capture the essence of what it means to be a Marine. Compiled from articles published in the Marine Corps Gazette, Leatherneck, and Proceedings, the collection is divided into four parts.

The first section focuses on being a Marine; the second on the Corps’training, roles, and missions; the third on leadership and command; and the fourth on the Corps’ view of warfare—how it has changed and how it is likely to be conducted in the future.

Col. Charles P. Neimeyer, USMC (Ret.), is director of the History Division, United States Marine Corps, Quantico, VA. Previously he was executive director of Regent University in Washington, D.C., and before that academic dean and professor of national security affairs at the Naval War College.