Maurice Jacques served for thirty years with the U.S. Marine Corps, nearly six of them in combat. As an accomplished infantryman, parachutist, recon patroller, marksman, combat swimmer, and record-setting drill instructor, Jacques personifies the hard-fought, hard-won legacy of the Marines.

With the help of Bruce Norton, he recounts the lessons learned in blood and the courage tested under fire-from the razor-backed hills and icy cold of Korea to the steamy, Vietcong-infested jungles of Nam. In this tough, gripping narrative, he reveals the emotion and chaos of close combat and the...