"The Man in the Arena" is the title of a speech given by President Teddy Roosevelt in Paris on 23 April, 1910.  It was reprinted in his book Citizenship in a Republic.

I became acquainted with the quote when one of my Marines spotted it in the Stars and Stripes.  He cut it out and gave it to me during a hard week during deployment when nothing seemed to be going right.

I've carried it in my wallet ever since and it has served me well on many occasion.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

The Full Speech

                             

General James F. Amos USMC currently serves as the 31st Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps (ACMC).   A Naval Aviator, General Amos has served in a variety of high level assigments including in combat as Commanding General of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

General Amos has also served in a variety of Staff and Joint assignments including: The Basic School, MAG-15, with NATO,  Deputy Commandant for Aviation and as the Commanding General Marine Corps Combat Development Command (MCCDC).

General Amos was nominated to succeed General James Conway as Commandant of the Marine Corps in July of 2010.  When he assumes duty he will be the first Aviator to as Commandant.

Resources for Marines

General James F. Amos (Wikipedia)

General James F. Amos  Official USMC Biography

The Commandant of the Marine Corps ordered be development of the CFT, USMC Combat Fitness Test. USMC units and individual Marines would be tested in order to better measure the functional elements of combat fitness.   His guidance further directed that the CFT consist of events that more closely replicate the physical demands of combat.  The Commandant’s intent was clear “Associate Combat Fitness with Combat Functions”.

                            

Combat in Iraq and Afghanistan plainly identified the requirement to focus physical training on the demands on combat.  General Conway further explained Marine Corps Order 6100.13 by stating "Recognizing that Marines are 'warrior athletes,' our fitness program was modified to reflect the same collaboration of effort found at the collegiate and professional sports level." The CFT allows the USMC as a whole, and Marines in particular, to better prepare for and test combat fitness.  

Physical Fitness is an often overlooked, but essential element of Marine Corps Leadership.  Every Marine Corps leader is responsible to ensure that his or her Marines are physically capable of performing in combat.   Each leader must also set the example of physical fitness for their Marines. 

Ensuring your Marines are mentally and physically prepared to perform their mission in combat is an inherent leadership responsibility.  The CFT and CFT type training allows the USMC to better prepare Marines for the physical strain of combat by giving leaders a measurable and scored event. Leaders can evaluate and assess the physical capacity of each individual Marine as well as their unit as a whole.  

CFT USMC

The benefits of exercise and fitness have been well documented.  By failing to ensure you are physically fit, you are hurting yourself and ultimately your unit.   You may be the most technically proficient leader in your outfit, but if you are not physically ready for the demands of your job when it counts, who will your Marines look to when you’re not there because you failed to prepare?

Not convinced?  Watch the two videos of Marine Officer Brian Chontosh talking about the direct benefits he and his Marines experienced called CrossFit for Combat .

Marines-helping-Marines - Military Uniform Exchange

The Battle of Belleau Wood was a seminal point in modern Marine Corps history.   Marines exploits against the Germans are a large part of the foundation of the lore, history, tradition and leadership of the Marine Corps. 

           
          Belleau Wood Marines

Located near the Marne River in France, the Battle of Belleau Wood took place during the 1918 German Spring Offensive during WWI.

Ordered to "hold where they stand" by Army General James Harbord, Marines dug shallow prone positions with bayonets.  German infantry attacked with fixed bayonets on 3 June through the wheat fields and were mowed down in waves by the Marines.  Survivors retreated into Belleau Wood.  The Germans dug a defensive line from Hill 204 (east of Vaux) north through Belleau Wood to Torcy.

"Retreat Hell, we just got here."

Urged to withdrawal by retreating French forces, Captain Lloyd Williams, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines uttered the words that are now etched in every Marines vocabulary "Retreat Hell, we just got here."  Over the next two days Marines repelled the continuous German assaults.

At dawn on the morning of 6 June, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, commanded by Major Julius Turrill attacked Hill 142 with two companies to protect the French Flank.  Marines advanced with fixed bayonets in the open accross a wheat field against German infantry supported by machine guns and artillery.  The 67th Company Commander was killed almost immediately while the 49th Company, Commanded by Captain Hamilton, fought into the dug in German positions, over running them.  Hamilton lost all of his junior officers.  Only one officer remained from the 67th Company.  Hamilton reorganized both companies and established a defense against German counter-attack.  By afternoon Hill 142 was secure at the cost of nine officers and most of the 325 man battalion.  

Belleau Wood Marine Attack

At 1700 on 6 June 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines and 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines advanced through a waist high wheat field against overwhelming machine gun fire.  Gunnery Sergeant Dan Daly, already a legend in the Corps for his two Medals of Honor, urged Marines forward with his famous quote: "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?"  The first wave of Marines were mowed down, but Marines from 3/6 made it into the south end of Belleau Wood and fought the Germans with bayonets and in hand-to-hand combat.  U.S. Marines had made it to their objective at the highest cost in casualties sustained in Marine Corps history to that day.  31 Officer and 1,056 Marines.  

Heavy fighting continued in Belleau Wood by Marines for most of June. A total of six attacks were required before Belleau Wood was secure. Marines fought off parts of five German Division, often with bayonets and hand-to-hand combat.

On 26 June 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines Reinforced by 4th Machine Gun Battalion and a Company from 6th Machine Gun Battalion made the final attack to clear Belleau Wood.  The report stated "Woods now U.S. Marine Corps entirely."

Legacy, Legend and Leadership

-Belleau Wood was one of one of the bloodiest battles U.S. forces would fight during WWI. U.S. forces suffered 9,777 casualties, included 1,811 killed. 

-The impact of the Marines' success and sacrifice was so great that it firmly established the Marine Corps as the "Worlds Finest Fighting Force".   The tide in World War I had been turned by U.S. Marines.

-The French renamed Belleau Wood "Bois de la Brigade de Marine" ("Wood of the Marine Brigade") in honor of the Marines' tenacity.

-The French government awarded the 4th Marine Brigade the Croix De Querre. Only Marines of the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments are authorized to wear the Frence fourragère while serving with the regiments.  This uniform change continues to this day.

- The nickname "Devil Dogs" came from Belleau Wood. The Germans called the Marines "Teufel Hunden" for their ferocity.

-The Commander of the AEF, General Pershing was quoted "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle!"

-An American battle monument was built in 1923 at Belleau Wood. There are 2,289 graves, 250 for unknown service members, and the names of 1,060 missing men adorn the wall of a memorial chapel.

A hallmark of the Marine Corps is dedication to proficiency in drill.  USMC formal ceremonies, such as the Marine Corps Birthday Ball, a change of command, or a retirement, will almost always incorporate some form of close order drill.

Discipline is instilled by close order drill and USMC leadership requires discipline. One of the foundations of USMC leadership is discipline.  

"In battle, the discipline they learned through drilling will keep their platoon working together as one team and focused on the mission"


Close Order Drill USMC

The Marine Corps uses close order drill to teach discipline by instilling habits of precision and automatic response to orders, increase the confidence of junior officers and noncommissioned officers through the exercise of command and give Marines an opportunity to handle individual weapons.

The five purposes of USMC close order drill are: 

-Instill discipline through precision and instant obedience to orders.

-Increase a Marine leader’s confidence through the exercise of command by giving proper commands and drilling troops.

-Provide simple formation from which various combat formations could readily be assumed.

-Move units from one place to another in a standard and orderly manner, while maintaining the best possible appearance.     

-Provide the Marines an opportunity to handle individual weapons. 

Resources for Marines

Marine Corps Drill and Ceremonies Manual

WAR is Sebastian Junger's brilliant and empathetic eye toward the reality of combat--the fear, the honor, and the trust among men in an extreme situation whose survival depends on their absolute commitment to one another. His on-the-ground account follows a single platoon through a 15-month tour of duty in the most dangerous outpost in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. Through the experiences of these young men at war, he shows what it means to fight, to serve, and to face down mortal danger on a daily basis.

                           

Sebastian Junger is the internationally acclaimed author of The Perfect Storm, which spent over three years on the New York Times bestsellers list and was the basis for a major motion picture starring George Clooney. He is also the author of the New York Times bestsellers Fire and A Death in Belmont. He is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, and has been awarded a National Magazine Award and an SAIS Novartis Prize for journalism. He lives in New York City.

Junger's time in the Korengal is also the subject of the documentary feature film Restrepo, which Junger directed with award-winning photographer Tim Hetherington. In 2009 Junger made his first film, the documentary feature Restrepo, as director with photographer Tim Hetherington. The two worked together in Afghanistan on assignment for Vanity Fair. Junger and Hetherington spent a year with one platoon in the Korangal Valley, which is billed as the deadliest valley in Afghanistan.

They recorded video to document their experience, and this footage went on to form the basis for Restrepo. The title refers to the outpost where Junger was embedded, which was named after a combat medic, Pfc. Juan Restrepo, killed in action. As Junger explained, "It’s a completely apolitical film. We wanted to give viewers the experience of being in combat with soldiers, and so our cameras never leave their side. There are no interviews with generals; there is no moral or political analysis. It is a purely experiential film."

Resources

WAR by Sebastian Junger

Restrepo the Movie