One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer

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, bringing 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, he discusses the energy and discipline needed to impose order on the chaos of battle, lead men to victory, and bring them all home. At the same time, no matter how professional a leader is, they can’t account for the stupidity of their superiors, the human limitations of their men, or the fatal lottery of combat.

The primary lesson every Marine Lieutenant learns is “If you fuck up, your men die.” Too bad that somewhere between bars and stars, that lesson is lost.