Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War

by Robert Coram

To understand the enormity of the changes Boyd wrought, one must know something about the Marines. First, the Marine Corps, at about one hundred seventy-three thousand troops, is considerably smaller than the Air Force (three hundred fifty-seven thousand), Army (four hundred eighty thousand), or Navy (three hundred seventy-two thousand). Marines live with the constant fear of being subsumed into the Army or Navy. When the Navy, of which the Marines are a part, portions out dollars, Marines always end up holding the short end of the stick. Old equipment that nobody wants? Give it to the Marines. The U.S. Marine Corps is a separate and distinct culture within the military. Marines are considered both primitive and elitist—primitive because all Marines are basically infantrymen, and elitist because they are so few in number and so good at what they do. They are warriors and for them there is no higher calling than defending their country in battle. The battle flags of these proud, sea-going troops go back to the “halls of Montezuma and the shares of Tripoli.” They are the first to fight and they are given the dirtiest and bloodiest assignments. Got a beach held by vastly superior forces that needs taking? A country that needs taming? Send in the Marines. Other services recruit by making promises. The Marines recruit by looking for a few good men. Almost from the beginning, the Marines have been considered the military’s knuckle draggers, men who charge up a hill until they ta...