Intrigued by the mystique and challenge of the Marine Corps, eighteen-year-old Wesley Fox enlisted in the summer of 1950, shortly after the outbreak of the Korean War. He saw action with the First Marine Division in Korea and was wounded in 1951. After Korea, Fox advanced steadily in the enlisted ranks, reaching the rank of first sergeant, and, early in the Vietnam War, he received an appointment as second lieutenant. While serving as a rifle company commander with the Third Marine Division in 1969, he was twice wounded in a vicious battle during Operation Dewey Canyon. Early in this battle,...

Intrigued by the mystique and challenge of the Marine Corps, eighteen-year-old Wesley Fox enlisted in the summer of 1950, shortly after the outbreak of the Korean War. He saw action with the First Marine Division in Korea and was wounded in 1951. After Korea, Fox advanced steadily in the enlisted ranks, reaching the rank of first sergeant, and, early in the Vietnam War, he received an appointment as second lieutenant. While serving as a rifle company commander with the Third Marine Division in 1969, he was twice wounded in a vicious battle during Operation Dewey Canyon. Early in this battle,...

-I have only two men out of my company and twenty out of some other company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold.- First Lt. Clifton B. Cates's report on July 19, 1918, reminds us that controlling one's fear is key to success on the battlefield. Cates--a future commandant of the Marine Corps--held, but if his fear had bested him, he might not have been able to think clearly or lead his men successfully, possibly sacrificing his men's...