One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer | 
 enlarge | Author: Nathaniel C. Fick
Publisher: Mariner Books
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  149 reviews
Sales Rank: 977
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 1
ISBN: 0618773436
Dewey Decimal Number: 359.96092
EAN: 9780618773435
ASIN: 0618773436
Publication Date: September 7, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: With pride from Motor City. All books guaranteed. Best Service, best prices.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
If the Marines are "the few, the proud," Recon Marines are the fewest
and the proudest. Nathaniel Fick's career begins with a hellish summer
at Quantico, after his junior year at Dartmouth. He leads a platoon
in Afghanistan just after 9/11 and advances to the pinnacle?Recon?
two years later, on the eve of war with Iraq. His vast skill set puts him
in front of the front lines, leading twenty-two Marines into the deadliest
conflict since Vietnam. He vows to bring all his men home safely, and
to do so he'll need more than his top-flight education. Fick unveils the
process that makes Marine officers such legendary leaders and shares
his hard-won insights into the differences between military ideals and
military practice, which can mock those ideals.
In this deeply thoughtful account of what it's like to fight on
today's front lines, Fick reveals the crushing pressure on young leaders
in combat. Split-second decisions might have national consequences or
horrible immediate repercussions, but hesitation isn't an option. One
Bullet Away never shrinks from blunt truths, but ultimately it is an
inspiring account of mastering the art of war.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 144 more reviews...
 Excellent Book September 3, 2008
I bought this book after watching Generation Kill on HBO and have to see if is a very well written and very interesting book.
Fantastic August 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is a fantastic read, the only word that can describe the heart, soul, and energy of this author. You can feel the pride, the confusion, and the frustration with every word written by Capt. Fick. It was one of those books that you wish would never end. A must read.
Beyond Generation Kill August 20, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought Generation Kill when it first came out. Lt. Fick came across as the type of leader you would want if you had to go into combat. Finding that balance between following ambitious orders and not callously risking Marines lives can't be easy. One Bullet Away is more proof that ordinary people can do extraordinary things under difficult circumstances. It seems that the company grade officers and front line troops are much more aware of the ramifications of bad command and political decisions. Maybe we should reverse the Command structure and let the Lieutenants and Captains plan and conduct our operations... I certainly hope that Nate Fick plans on a political career after Graduate School. We need leaders like him.
 Not quite, Captain August 4, 2008
3 out of 10 found this review helpful
I'm applying for OCS myself, so I'm going through absolutely as much Marine Corps literature as I can. This book was most valuable for me in its relation of Fick's life before the Corps and during OCS. Somewhere along the way, though, he really just lost my interest. I suppose Fick is an intelligent person, and that comes across in his writing. But the writing doesn't really get beyond that--it seems like an A- paper written by a Dartmouth undergrad. It's just not very compelling--light-years behind a book like Jarhead. So if you are looking for an entertaining book about the Corps, go for Jarhead, but keep in mind that its portrayal of the Marines is rather sour. I could really only recommend this book to aspiring officer candidates, and even then, WARLORD by Ilario Pantano, in my opinion, offers a more candid, gritty, unapologetic and entertaining view of a Marine officer's experience in Iraq.
The real heroism of our armed forces July 21, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book has a beautiful grit and honesty. Fick doesn't talk up or down to the reader. He doesn't glorify or embellish the life of a marine. He doesn't judge or condemn politicians, military or brass, his superiors or his troops. He just tells his story, in a clear, resonant, powerful voice. The simplicity of his style conveys the clarity of a marine's values - honor, loyalty, duty, having the back of every other marine in your platoon.
I listened to this book unabridged on audio CD narrated by Andy Paris. His narration is exceptional - a strong, unwavering voice well-suited to the confidence of a marine officer, but also very adept at capturing Fick's battle to make sense out of war's daily insanity.
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