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9th out of 89 books
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One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer
If the Marines are t an option. One Bullet Away never shrinks from blunt truths, but ultimately it is an inspiring account of mastering the art of war.
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
September 7th 2006
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
(first published 2005)
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"Soldiering has one great trap...To be a good soldier you must love the army. But to be a good officer you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love. This is...a very hard thing to do. No other profession requires it. That is one reason why there are so few good officers. Although there are many good men."
-- Michael Schaara, The Killer Angels
My friend overnighted this book to me when I told him I was joining the National Guard. He told me to read it be...more
-- Michael Schaara, The Killer Angels
My friend overnighted this book to me when I told him I was joining the National Guard. He told me to read it be...more
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As a retired Marine officer myself, I believe this may be the best job I've seen yet of getting inside the mind of a Marine leader. Nathaniel Fick is smart, caring, conscientious, brave, and introspective. Upon leaving the Corps he went to grad school with the goal of getting into politics, and I hope to hear his name a lot in the years to come - he has much more to give our country.
Incidentally, in another book titled Generation Kill, you can get the perspective of a reporter attached t...more
Incidentally, in another book titled Generation Kill, you can get the perspective of a reporter attached t...more
I've read this book twice now and I have enjoyed it both times. The author is very good at his narration, and is neither ultra gung-ho nor cynically going through the motions. Mr. Fick is a Marine; a thoughtful Marine and one whose sense of duty is deeply held and not the product of jingoism or testosterone laden "hoo-rah" culture.
In short, I enjoyed the heck out of this book and would heartily recommend it. There are plenty of books that delineate and define how the str...more
In short, I enjoyed the heck out of this book and would heartily recommend it. There are plenty of books that delineate and define how the str...more
This book is a memoir; the author became a marine officer after graduating from Dartmouth in the late 90s and though he began serving in peacetime, he managed to be among the first marines into both Afghanistan and Iraq. The details about training are interesting, but the dramatic and honest look at the drive towards Baghdad at the beginning of the conflict is riveting--the details and the action will keep you reading late into the night. Highly recommended for both the good writing and the im...more
Nate Fick seems like a classy guy and this is a classy, classy book. After graduating with a degree in Classics from Dartmouth, Fick joined the US Marine Corps as an officer candidate. While his friends when to med school, law school or became “consultants” (as Fick points out, what exactly can a 22-year-old consult on?), he became a peacetime officer who was abruptly thrust into wartime after September 11.
After serving in Afghanistan, Fick joined the infamously-tough First Reconnais...more
After serving in Afghanistan, Fick joined the infamously-tough First Reconnais...more
My discovery of One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer was a bit of an interesting genesis. When the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, a number of journalists embedded with military units to report on the war. Rolling Stone's Evan Wright joined the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of US Marine Corps for the invasion, which provided material for articles in the magazine, a book called Generation Kill, and eventually an HBO mini-series by the same name. I enjoyed the series, which led me to...more
Good. Standard Lieutenant reading. Some real lessons to be taken from here, like how and when people will pee in a wetsuit. If you can't find a copy, go to Quantico. Every TBS barracks room will have at least two. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in knowing a little about the Marine Corps, training, modern warfare or even just a look at humanity and Rules of Engagement. Nathaniel Fick does a wonderful job detailing his experience, and manages to not step on Evan Wright’s w...more
Nate is one of my favorite characters in Generation Kill, so when I realized that he had written a book of his very own that treated on some of the same events, I snapped it up immediately. I like Nate because he is an officer and a gentleman, a Dartmouth classics major who joined the Marine Corps in a fit of idealism, and one of only two competent officers portrayed in Generation Kill. Why I love Nate can be best understood first hand.
The rules of engagement harked back to my coll...more
Many people go to war. Many people write books. Only a few people go to war and write books about it, and among those books, One Bullet Away is a masterpiece. Insightful, well-crafted, bring into focus the mind and soul of a modern warrior, and the endless screw-ups of war. This book is probably the best way to get a sense of the Marines, short of joining up.
Nathan Fick takes us from OCS in the peaceful days of 1998, through the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. In the process, h...more
Nathan Fick takes us from OCS in the peaceful days of 1998, through the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. In the process, h...more
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I first read about Nate Fick in Evan Wright's Generation Kill. I admired his intelligence and leadership then despite being covered rather briefly. Much to my delight I found this book at my favorite source for books these days (besides Goodreads of course) which is the "$1.00 bookstore" in downtown Long Beach. I was not aware that Nick wrote his own account. When I saw this book it immediately shot to the top of my list despite my large volume of books to read.
Nick shares...more
Nick shares...more
I had seen this book, but avoided it for a while because it is hard to find military autobiographies that are insightful and meaningful and not just a vehicle for "hoo-ahh!" Then I stumbled upon the HBO miniseries "Generation Kill" (which was great) and was amazed to discover that "Lt. Fick" was the author of this book. As one of the more admirable characters depicted in the film, I was eager to read his book. I was not disappointed.
Fick rarely shrink...more
Fick rarely shrink...more
this has been my favorite book this year, which is hard to say after all the great books ive read. it is a war book about a man that joins the marines. the book is from his point of veiw and shows what is going through his head as a soldier. i like that because it is like he is writing a letter to someone and then receiving all his thoughts and his personality. when he was setting up a spot near the enemy and he could have gone farther but then just did his orders, i would have thought that he w...more
Compassionate warrior, very identifiable. Just the right mix of action and reflection when war memoirs tend to be dominated by one or the other. Focuses on personal growth, coming of age vs. being politically charged or polarizing (never really gives an opinion of the war).
You may be familiar with Nathan Fick because a Rolling Stone reporter stayed with his platoon for awhile. Or because of his role in Generation Kill. Or maybe not at all because, though you have lots of political opinions about the two wars the US in engaged in, you've either ignored the service members fighting them or thought of them in the same tired cliches used since liberals commented on the Vietnam War most of them never served in. This is a great book if you'd like to read a bit about ...more
A bunch of reviews have been written for this book. I'm just going to say a few things:
1. Fick, through his Marine Corps career got put at a historical junction. He participated at the beginning of OEF and was part of the spearhead of OIF I in RCT-7. He was at the beginning of where we are now this his book was historically worthy.
2. Fick wanted to communicate the values of the infantry officer to the reader with the right assumption that "grunts" would be reading his book ...more
1. Fick, through his Marine Corps career got put at a historical junction. He participated at the beginning of OEF and was part of the spearhead of OIF I in RCT-7. He was at the beginning of where we are now this his book was historically worthy.
2. Fick wanted to communicate the values of the infantry officer to the reader with the right assumption that "grunts" would be reading his book ...more
I couldn't put this book down, but I didn't want it to end. Captain Fick gives equal attention to the tactical and logistical challenges of war, and the moral and ethical ones. A classics major with all the historical and philosophical lessons and ideas of a first-rate liberal arts education in his thinking, he is also a highly trained warrior. He shows a belief in and dedication to the highest ideals of the Marine Corps, with a practical grasp of all the ways in which the reality can and someti...more
One Bullet Away is Nathaniel Fick’s memoir of being a US Marine Corps officer during the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. His unit in Iraq was memorably profiled by Evan Wright’s Generation Kill, which was subsequently turned into a series on HBO. I haven’t read Generation Kill yet or seen the miniseries, but Fick emerges from the pages of his own memoir as a thoughtful, compassionate and admirable young man (not that he would ever refer to himself as any of those things; his work is marked ...more
This book is a great read. It shows the difference between theory and reality. It shows the grey areas of war (yes American soldiers can do some shit on a battle field that will seem wrong-but when the other side is shootiong you shot back and shit happens). Before you ever offer an opinion on the US in the Middle East read this book with your mind open and try to understand what he is saying. If you get a chance to see him do an interview. Watch and listen. When they say the Best and Brightest...more
Fick is a red blooded dude who joined the Marine Corps so he could struggle his way into the toughest jobs inside an already tough organization. This is red meat for those who served, and well-written enough to carry along everyone else. The story covers Fick’s training, and takes the reader through the early days of the March 2003 invasion. Elements of distrust, signs of poor leadership and acts of laziness that cause Fick to question the value of what he was doing at times read better knowing ...more
i think this book captures pretty well the internal conflict one feels as an officer. on the one hand, you want to support your chain of command, but on the other, you want to be loved by your joes and be seen as a good leader by your led. lt fick eventually sees during the opening days of the second gulf war that most of the time, anyone above the rank of captain is a blithering fucking idiot and that the real backbone of the army (and marines) are the one, two, and three-stripers, not the fa...more
Stanford 2012 Freshman book list.Theme for all three books is War Ethics. The class of 2015 will read:
'March' by Geraldine Brooks, fiction. About the father of the March women from Little Women
'The Violence of Peace: America's Wars in the Age of Obama' by Stephen L. Carter, non-fiction.
'One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer' by Nathaniel Fick, non-fiction. memoir of a marine who served in Afghanistan right after 9/11, and also served in Iraq in 2003
...more
'March' by Geraldine Brooks, fiction. About the father of the March women from Little Women
'The Violence of Peace: America's Wars in the Age of Obama' by Stephen L. Carter, non-fiction.
'One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer' by Nathaniel Fick, non-fiction. memoir of a marine who served in Afghanistan right after 9/11, and also served in Iraq in 2003
...more
Nathaniel Fick received a degree in classics from Dartmouth before joining the Marines, and that blend of scholar and soldier proves to be a good mix in writing this book. Though Fick goes into detail about his training and war experience, I rarely felt lost, as can happen with me when military slang and terminology is tossed around. Occasionally I forgot the meaning of an acronym while reading and wished for a glossary, but it didn’t impede my comprehension overall.
I liked reading...more
I liked reading...more
I really liked this book alot. I remember my mom asking me to go to Barnes and Noble with her to get a book for my dad that some Marine wrote. We got there and it was a book signing and Q&A session by the author. Very smart guy and very insightful during his talking, and answering questions concerning the current conflict ( this was several years ago). If your into military and current issues than this is a great book to read. Basically one devil dogs tale of going through officers training...more
Oceana2602
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone even the least bit interested in the subject, and then everyone else
Note: I've read this book a couple of weeks and my review is based on the notes I took while reading it.
Review:
I have no doubts that "One Bullet Away" by Nathaniel Fick is going to be one, if not the best book, I'm going to read this year. After I finished it, it took me along time to stop thinking about it (actually, I still haven't), and it moved me in a way I didn't expect. And that was before I watched the excellent HBO TV series "Generation Kill", which...more
Review:
I have no doubts that "One Bullet Away" by Nathaniel Fick is going to be one, if not the best book, I'm going to read this year. After I finished it, it took me along time to stop thinking about it (actually, I still haven't), and it moved me in a way I didn't expect. And that was before I watched the excellent HBO TV series "Generation Kill", which...more
I loved the account of Nathaniel Fick in "Generation Kill", so was thrilled to see this autobiography. He comes across as a thoughtful, moral person in GK and that's backed up by what he's written here; it starts before Fick has even thought of joining the armed forces, and blends pretty seamlessly with the GK account.
It's not hard to see why Evan Wright wrote of the affection and trust soldiers had for Fick. Character shines through on the page, and his writing feels hon...more
It's not hard to see why Evan Wright wrote of the affection and trust soldiers had for Fick. Character shines through on the page, and his writing feels hon...more
An excellent telling of one man's journey from civilian to Marine Officer. The author tells the story with a stripped down spartan frankness which I greatly appreciated. You get the sense that here is an author who isn't after glory, fame, or riches with his story. He sets it down more as a historical account of events. He leaves the reader free to judge his actions and the events by their own lights and gave me supreme confidence that he was relaying the unvarnished truth. Granted I did at tim...more
When I saw this book first come out, I knew I had to read it. Sure enough, I was transported back in time to my training to become an Officer of Marines. It is uncanny how much the training has remained so similar since the 10+ years before when I went through OCS, TBS, my first platoon command, and eventual deployment for Desert Shield/Storm. Actually I'm not surprised because that tradition is what makes the Marine Corps what it is. Anyway, this is a great book, brought back fond memories, and...more
This book has garnered some scathing reviews due to its unflinching look at how the military really works. Some reviewers have had some rather unflattering things to say about Mr. Fick. To those reviewers I would say: Don’t read this review. I found this book to be very interesting and I appreciated the author’s decision to tell it the way it is and not the way people think it should be.
I found One Bullet Away to be written in such a way that it didn’t come across as just a recou...more
I found One Bullet Away to be written in such a way that it didn’t come across as just a recou...more
When a Dartmouth classics major (class of '99) joins the Marine Corps through OCS, then leads a platoon in both Afghanistan and Iraq, this is what you get: an insightful, honest, and immensely good read.
I appreciated his thoughtfulness on the culture of the Corps and its effects on him both internally and as a leader, a theme throughout the book. Lines are drawn repeatedly between style and substance, tradition and personal formation, intentions and effects in a way very helpful for my own...more
I appreciated his thoughtfulness on the culture of the Corps and its effects on him both internally and as a leader, a theme throughout the book. Lines are drawn repeatedly between style and substance, tradition and personal formation, intentions and effects in a way very helpful for my own...more
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Nathaniel Fick was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1977. He graduated with high honors from Dartmouth College in 1999, earning degrees in Classics and Government. While at Dartmouth, Fick captained the cycling team to a US National Championship, and wrote a senior thesis on Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War and its implications for American foreign policy.
He was commissioned ...more
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