Backbone: History, Traditions, and Leadership Lessons of Marine Corps NCOs

Noncommissioned officers stand as the backbone of the United States Marine Corps. The Corps is among the most lasting institutions in America, though few understand what makes it so strong and how that understanding can be applied effectively in today's world. In this insightful and thoroughly researched book, Julia Dye explores the cadre of noncommissioned officers that make up the Marine Corps' system of small-unit leadership. To help us better understand what makes these extraordinary men and women such effective leaders, Dye examines the fourteen leadership traits embraced by every NCO. These qualities-- including judgment, enthusiasm, determination, bearing, and unselfishness--are exemplified by men like Terry Anderson, the former Marine sergeant who spent nearly seven years as a hostage in Beirut, John Basilone, the hero of the Pacific, and many others. To assemble this extraordinary chronicle, Julia Dye interviewed Anderson and dozens of other Marines, mining a rich trove of historical and modern NCO heroes that comprise the Marine Corps' astonishing legacy, from its founding in 1775 to the present day. "Few people have the privilege of serving as a noncommissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, but anyone who is interested in leading the kind of purpose-driven and values-centered life that marks the best Marine NCOs can learn from this book. And anyone in the business of leading people--whether it's in business, the classroom, or the playing field--should study the men and women Dye writes about with such insight. These NCOs don't just teach young Marines; they have a great deal to teach anyone smart enough to read, listen, and learn." --Ed Ruggero, author of The First Men In: US Paratroopers and the Fight to Save D-Day