R 081913Z SEP 09
UNCLASSIFIED//
ALMAR 029/09
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC CMC//
SUBJ/UPDATES TO MARINE CORPS PROFESSIONAL READING LIST//
REF/A/MSGID:MSG/CMC WASHINGTON DC/051134ZMAY2007//
AMPN/REF IS ALMAR 030/07, MARINE CORPS PROFESSIONAL READING PROGRAM.//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  REFERENCE A IS CANCELLED.
2.  TO ENSURE THE MARINE CORPS PROFESSIONAL READING LIST REMAINS RELEVANT, A REVIEW BOARD EXPLORED NEW BOOKS TO BE ADDED TO THE LIST.  AFTER REVIEW OF RECOMMENDATIONS TO CHANGE THE CMC'S CHOICE, THE RECOMMENDATION FROM COMMANDERS IS TO RETAIN "FIRST TO FIGHT" AS THE CMC'S CHOICE.
3.  PURPOSE.  THIS ALMAR ANNOUNCES THE NEW TITLES AND CHANGES TO THE EXISTING LIST.  EACH MARINE IS REQUIRED TO READ THE CMC'S CHOICE, "FIRST TO FIGHT" BY LTGEN (RET) V. KRULAK.  EACH MARINE SHALL ALSO READ A MINIMUM OF ONE BOOK PER GRADE PER YEAR.
4.  ACTIONS
A.  THE FOLLOWING BOOKS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO ALL RANKS:  "THE LIONS OF IWO JIMA" BY MAJGEN (RET) FRED HAYNES AND JAMES WARREN; "ONCE A MARINE: AN IRAQ WAR TANK COMMANDER'S INSPIRATIONAL MEMOIR OF COMBAT, COURAGE, AND RECOVERY" BY NICK POPADITCH AND MIKE STEERE; AND "THE LAST STAND OF FOX COMPANY" BY BOB DRURY AND TOM CLAVIN.
B.  THE FOLLOWING BOOKS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND ABOVE:  "THE COLDEST WINTER:  AMERICA AND THE KOREAN WAR" BY D. HALBERSTAM; AND "TIGER FORCE:  A TRUE STORY OF MEN AND WAR" BY M. SALLAH AND M. WEISS.
C.  THE FOLLOWING BOOKS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO CORPORAL, SERGEANT, WARRANT OFFICER, CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 2, SECOND LIEUTENANT, FIRST LIEUTENANT,  AND CAPTAIN:  "BAGHDAD AT SUNRISE:  A BRIGADE COMMANDER'S WAR IN IRAQ" BY P. MANSOOR; AND "BATTLE EXHORTATION, THE RHETORIC OF COMBAT LEADERSHIP" BY K. YELLIN.
D.  THE FOLLOWING BOOKS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO E-8, E-9 AND FIELD GRADE OFFICERS:  "THE CULTURE OF WAR" BY M. VAN CREVELD; AND "DECODING CLAUSEWITZ:  A NEW APPROACH TO ON WAR" BY J. SUMIDA.
E.  "DESCENT INTO CHAOS" BY A. RASHID HAS BEEN ADDED TO LIEUTENANT COLONELS.
F.  "TRIED BY WAR" BY J. MCPHERSON HAS BEEN ADDED TO COLONELS AND GENERAL OFFICERS.
G.  "THE LEXUS AND THE OLIVE TREE" IS REPLACED BY "THE WORLD IS FLAT 3.0" BY T.L. FRIEDMAN; AND "THE HISTORY OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR" IS REPLACED BY "THE LANDMARK THUCYDIDES:  A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR" BY THUCYDIDES EDITED BY R. STRASSLER, TRANSLATED BY R. CRAWLEY.
H.  THE COMPLETE LIST CAN BE FOUND ON THE PROFESSIONAL READING PROGRAM WEB PAGE AT HTTP:(SLASH SLASH)WWW.TECOM.USMC.MIL/MCU/LLI/PROFESSIONAL(PERCENT SIGN)20READING(PERCENT SIGN)20PROGRAM.HTM
5.  SEMPER FIDELIS, JAMES T. CONWAY, GENERAL, U.S. MARINE CORPS, COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS.//