Marine Corps Officer Research Articles

Low psychological resilience and physical fitness predict attrition from US Marine Corps Officer Candidate School training

ABSTRACT The objective is to examine the predictors of attrition in male and female candidates undergoing a 10-week early career military training program. 1006 candidates (79.5% male, 24.7 ± 3.2 years) consented to participating in a larger study examining predictors of injury during US Marine Corps Officer Candidates School (OCS). Participants completed a blood draw, demographic and psychological characteristics questionnaires, and two fitness tests. Participants were then grouped based on successful completion of OCS or not. Associations between potential predictors and attrition were analyzed using simple logistic regression analyses, followed by a backward stepwise elimination method. Area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the accuracy of the attrition prediction model. 260 candidates (25.8%) attritted over the 10-week training, with the highest number of discharges during week 5. Musculoskeletal injury (MSKI) was the most common cause of attrition (30%), followed by non-MSKI medical (21.5%), and volitional withdrawals (19.6%). Sex, body mass index (BMI), resilience, initial physical fitness test score, combat fitness test (CFT) score, and prior military service were all significantly associated with attrition from OCS (all p < .05). The final prediction model of attrition included CFT score (p = .027) and resilience (p = .018). Multiple demographic, psychological, and fitness characteristics are associated with attrition from an early career military training course (OCS) and may be utilized as part of early screening procedures to identify and provide guidance for individuals at risk for not completing OCS.

Sex-differences In Body Composition Changes During Marine Corps Officer Candidates School

Sex-differences In Body Composition Changes During Marine Corps Officer Candidates School

Changes In Bone Turnover Biomarkers In Men And Women During Marine Corps Officer Candidates School

Changes In Bone Turnover Biomarkers In Men And Women During Marine Corps Officer Candidates School

Inflammatory and Oxidant Responses to Arduous Military Training: Associations with Stress, Sleep, and Performance.

Arduous military training frequently consists of prolonged physical activity, sleep disturbance, and stress that increases musculoskeletal injury risk and performance decrements. Inflammatory and oxidative stress responses have been reported in response to arduous training, but with inconsistencies across markers and with under-representation of women. The purpose of the current report was to measure circulating inflammation and oxidative stress responses to military training and to correlate biomarkers with subjective measures of stress and sleep quality as well as military fitness test performance. Candidates undergoing the 10-week Marine Corps Officer Candidate School (OCS; 101 men; 62 women) were monitored, with demographic and questionnaire data collected, and blood drawn before and after OCS. Blood was analyzed for six markers of inflammation and three markers of oxidative stress. Associations between biomarkers and questionnaire and fitness test performance were tested. All measured inflammatory markers as well as plasma antioxidant capacity were elevated following OCS. The inflammatory increase was higher in women for several markers. Sleep disturbance and stress perception were associated with IL-6, IL-10 and CRP concentrations, suggesting that low sleep disturbance and stress perception were associated with low inflammatory load. Additionally, those with the highest inflammation at each time point performed worse on fitness tests than those with low inflammation. Following arduous military training, the circulating environment in a significant portion of officer candidates resembled chronic low-grade inflammation. This circulating inflammatory environment appeared worse with poor sleep, high stress perception, and poor fitness test performance, with utility observed for CRP, IL-6, and IL-10 as biomarkers of these responses. Since inflammation may contribute to musculoskeletal injury and performance decrements, minimizing chronic inflammation during military training should be explored.

Allostatic Load Is Associated with Overuse Musculoskeletal Injury during US Marine Corps Officer Candidates School.

Overuse musculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs) remain a significant medical challenge in military personnel undergoing military training courses; a further understanding of the biological process leading to overuse MSKI development and biological signatures for injury risk are warranted. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between overuse MSKI occurrence and physiological characteristics of allostatic load (AL) characterized as maladaptive biological responses to chronic stress measured by wearable devices in US Marine Corps officer candidates during a 10-week training course. Devices recorded energy expenditure (EE), daytime heart rate (HR), sleeping HR, and sleep architecture (time and percent of deep, light, REM sleep, awake time, total sleep). Flux was calculated as the raw or absolute difference in the average value for that day or night and the day or night beforehand. Linear mixed-effect model analysis accounting for cardiorespiratory fitness assessed the association between overuse MSKI occurrence and device metrics (α = 0.05). Sixty-nine participants (23 females) were included. Twenty-one participants (eight females) sustained an overuse MSKI. Overuse MSKI occurrence in male participants was positively associated with daytime HR (β = 5.316, p = 0.008), sleeping HR (β = 2.708, p = 0.032), relative EE (β = 8.968, p = 0.001), absolute flux in relative EE (β = 2.994, p = 0.002), absolute EE (β = 626.830, p = 0.001), and absolute flux in absolute EE (β = 204.062, p = 0.004). Overuse MSKI occurrence in female participants was positively associated with relative EE (β = 5.955, p = 0.026), deep sleep time (β = 0.664, p < 0.001), %deep sleep (β = 12.564, p < 0.001) and negatively associated with absolute flux in sleeping HR (β = -0.660, p = 0.009). Overuse MSKI occurrences were associated with physiological characteristics of AL including chronically elevated HR and EE and greater time in restorative sleep stages, which may serve as biological signatures for overuse MSKI risk.

Trump(ing) Tradition: Old Laws, New Norms, and the Danger to Civil–Military Relations

Before, during, and after his presidency, Donald J. Trump’s behavior and statements provoked segments of the U.S. military and civil society, with some decisions criticized and declared illegal by critics. Some current and former U.S. military personnel openly criticized and displayed contempt toward the president, thereby violating Article 88 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Prior to the 2021 conviction of a Marine Corps officer, the last Article 88 conviction occurred in 1966 when an off-duty Army Lieutenant held a sign criticizing President Johnson at an anti-Vietnam War protest. Despite Trump engaging in norm-eroding behaviors that politicized the Armed Forces, these actions were well within his legal rights. However, open criticism against President Trump by many retired flag officers was illegal per UCMJ laws, yet not enforced. The paradox of a UCMJ law becoming dead letter law indicates a major disjuncture between normative civil–military relations and the laws regulating the behavior of active and retired U.S. military officers. We conclude that UCMJ laws must be enforced, rewritten, or abolished because non-enforcement degrades civil–military relations and military professionalism.

Higher Psychological Resilience Is Associated With Successful Completion Of Marine Corps Officer Candidate School

Higher Psychological Resilience Is Associated With Successful Completion Of Marine Corps Officer Candidate School

Sex differences in musculoskeletal injury epidemiology and subsequent loss of tactical readiness during Marine Corps Officer Candidates School

IntroductionThe US Marine Corps (USMC) Officer Candidates School (OCS) is a 10-week training course for Marine Officer Candidates (MOCs). OCS training is rigorous and demanding, which results in a high...

The Influence of Mobile Technology-Assisted Flipped Classroom Model on Student Learning Outcomes of Map Read Material

This study aims to determine the effect of using the flipped classroom learning model assisted by mobile technology on the learning outcomes of Infantry Officer School of Indonesia Marine Corps students about reading maps. Officer graduates are required to have a good understanding of the concepts in each topic related to assignments. The ability to read maps is a top priority that must be mastered by the marine corps in war military operations. Time allocation in class is not enough for mastering the concept of map reading. It takes more time to master the material for the soldiers. The use of mobile technology provides access for Marine Corps students to additional study time online. The research method used is quasi-experimental or quasi-experimental using t-test data analysis techniques. The research design used a static group comparison design. Comparing the two groups that were taught using the flipped classroom model assisted by mobile technology and the conventional model. The subjects of this research were 133 students of Marine Corps Officer Formation Education at the Advanced Stage (Sargolan) who were divided into two groups, namely the experimental group of 67 students and the control group of 66 students. The findings in this study indicate that students who are taught with the flipped classroom model assisted by mobile technology obtain a better average learning outcome score. The flipped classroom model with the help of mobile technology is very suitable for Marine Corps Officer Formation Education students at the Advanced Class Basic Stage (Sargolan).

Predictive utility of commercial grade technologies for assessing musculoskeletal injury risk in US Marine Corps Officer candidates.

Recently, commercial grade technologies have provided black box algorithms potentially relating to musculoskeletal injury (MSKI) risk and functional movement deficits, in which may add value to a high-performance model. Thus, the purpose of this manuscript was to evaluate composite and component scores from commercial grade technologies associations to MSKI risk in Marine Officer Candidates. 689 candidates (Male candidates = 566, Female candidates = 123) performed counter movement jumps on SPARTA™ force plates and functional movements (squats, jumps, lunges) in DARI™ markerless motion capture at the start of Officer Candidates School (OCS). De-identified MSKI data was acquired from internal OCS reports for those who presented to the Physical Therapy department for MSKI treatment during the 10weeks of training. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to validate the utility of the composite scores and supervised machine learning algorithms were deployed to create a population specific model on the normalized component variables in SPARTA™ and DARI™. Common MSKI risk factors (cMSKI) such as older age, slower run times, and females were associated with greater MSKI risk. Composite scores were significantly associated with MSKI, although the area under the curve (AUC) demonstrated poor discrimination (AUC = .55-.57). When supervised machine learning algorithms were trained on the normalized component variables and cMSKI variables, the overall training models performed well, but when the training models were tested on the testing data the models classified MSKI "by chance" (testing AUC avg = .55-.57) across all models. Composite scores and component population specific models were poor predictors of MSKI in candidates. While cMSKI, SPARTA™, and DARI™ models performed similarly, this study does not dismiss the use of commercial technologies but questions the utility of a singular screening task to predict MSKI over 10weeks. Further investigations should evaluate occupation specific screening, serial measurements, and/or load exposure for creating MSKI risk models.

Fighting for Time: Rhodesia’s Military and Zimbabwe’s Independence by Charles D. Melson

<i>Fighting for Time: Rhodesia’s Military and Zimbabwe’s Independence</i> by Charles D. Melson

Changes in eating pathology symptoms during initial military training in men and women and associations with BMI and injury risk

Nutritional fitness, which comprises food choices, meal timing, and dietary intake behaviors, is an important component of military service member health and performance that has garnered recent attention. This study utilized generalized linear mixed effects modeling (GLMM) to investigate changes in eating pathology symptoms in men and women during initial military training (Marine Corps Officer Candidates School (OCS)). Associations among eating pathology, musculoskeletal injury risk and BMI were also assessed. This investigation includes data from the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (EPSI) and BMI at the start of OCS (n = 598: Male n = 469, Female n = 129) and end of the 10-week program (n = 413: Male n = 329, Female n = 84), and injury surveillance throughout. At baseline, female candidates presented with greater body dissatisfaction, binge eating, purging, and restricting, but lower negative attitudes toward obesity compared to male candidates (p < 0.001). Eating symptoms changed during military training indicated by decreased body dissatisfaction in women (p = 0.003), decreased excessive exercise and negative attitudes toward obesity in men (p < 0.001), decreased cognitive restraint (p < 0.001), restricting (p < 0.001), purging (p = 0.013), and muscle building (p < 0.001) and increased binge eating (p < 0.001) in both sexes. Changes in restricting were significantly related to changes in BMI during training (p < 0.05). The likelihood of future injury was 108 % higher in female candidates than males and decreased by 5 % for each unit increase in excessive exercise. Eating attitudes and behaviors change during military training environments and are associated with military health and readiness outcomes including BMI and injury risk.

Sex-differences In Bone Density, Geometry, And Estimated Strength Adaptations To 10-weeks Of Military Officer Training

Mechanical loading (e.g. physical activity) is associated with changes in bone density and structure; however, few investigations have examined the adaptive bone response to arduous military training in men and women. PURPOSE Investigate the effects of military training on volumetric bone density (vBMD), geometry, and strength in men and women who complete Marine Corps Officer Candidates School (OCS). METHODS Male and female candidates (n=267) completed a tibial peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) scan before and after a 10-week physically intensive military training course. Three-dimensional vBMD, geometry, and estimated bone strength were assessed at the 4%, 38%, and 66% sites. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests assessed changes across training. Data are mean±SEM, α=0.05. RESULTS Subjects were aged 19-35 (25.3±0.2 yrs) with a BMI 25.5±0.1 kg/m2. At the distal (4%) tibia, increases in total vBMD (pre: 354.5±2.7, post: 356.3±2.7 mg/cm3), trabecular vBMD (294.3±2.2, 295.6±2.2 mg/cm3), and estimated compression strength (BSI; 154.7±2.2, 156.2±2.1 mg2/mm4) were observed in men (n=222, p<0.001). In women (n=39), total vBMD (324.2±5.1, 326.5±5.2 mg/cm3 p=0.03), trabecular vBMD (262.7±4.8, 264.4±4.9 mg/cm3 p=0.01), and BSI (105.9±3.3, 107.4±3.4 mm3 p<0.01) also increased. At the midshaft (38%) tibia, total vBMD (938.1±3.7, 938.9±3.7 mg/cm3 p=0.03), cortical thickness (6.8±0.1, 6.8±0.1 mm, p<0.01), periosteal circumference (77.0±0.3, 77.1±0.3 mm p<0.01) and estimated bending strength (SSI; 2182.7±25.9, 2193.8±25.1 mm3 p=0.02) increased in men (n=208). In women (n=40), only periosteal circumference increased (70.0±0.6, 70.1±0.6 mm p=0.05). At the proximal (66%) tibia, no significant changes (p>0.05) were observed in men (n=200). In women (n=38), total vBMD decreased (735.9±9.0, 732.7±8.8 mg/cm3 p=0.04) and periosteal circumference increased (82.5±0.9, 82.8±0.9 mm p<0.01) following training. CONCLUSION Bone adaptations in response to 10 weeks of military training are slight (≤1.5%), but statistically significant and may be sufficient to improve estimates of bone strength. Changes are further dependent on biological sex and anatomical location.

Unsupervised Clustering Techniques Identify Movement Strategies in the Countermovement Jump Associated With Musculoskeletal Injury Risk During US Marine Corps Officer Candidates School.

Musculoskeletal injuries (MSKI) are a significant burden on the military healthcare system. Movement strategies, genetics, and fitness level have been identified as potential contributors to MSKI risk. Screening measures associated with MSKI risk are emerging, including novel technologies, such as markerless motion capture (mMoCap) and force plates (FP) and allow for field expedient measures in dynamic military settings. The aim of the current study was to evaluate movement strategies (i.e., describe variables) of the countermovement jump (CMJ) in Marine officer candidates (MOCs) via mMoCap and FP technology by clustering variables to create distinct movement strategies associated with MSKI sustained during Officer Candidates School (OCS). 728 MOCs were tested and 668 MOCs (Male MOCs = 547, Female MOCs = 121) were used for analysis. MOCs performed 3 maximal CMJs in a mMoCap space with FP embedded into the system. De-identified MSKI data was acquired from internal OCS reports for those who presented to the OCS Physical Therapy department for MSKI treatment during the 10 weeks of OCS training. Three distinct clusters were formed with variables relating to CMJ kinetics and kinematics from the mMoCap and FPs. Proportions of MOCs with a lower extremity and torso MSKI across clusters were significantly different (p < 0.001), with the high-risk cluster having the highest proportions (30.5%), followed by moderate-risk cluster (22.5%) and low-risk cluster (13.8%). Kinetics, including braking rate of force development (BRFD), braking net impulse and propulsive net impulse, were higher in low-risk cluster compared to the high-risk cluster (p < 0.001). Lesser degrees of flexion and shorter CMJ phase durations (braking phase and propulsive phase) were observed in low-risk cluster compared to both moderate-risk and high-risk clusters. Male MOCs were distributed equally across clusters while female MOCs were primarily distributed in the high-risk cluster. Movement strategies (i.e., clusters), as quantified by mMoCap and FPs, were successfully described with MOCs MSKI risk proportions between clusters. These results provide actionable thresholds of key performance indicators for practitioners to use for screening measures in classifying greater MSKI risk. These tools may add value in creating modifiable strength and conditioning training programs before or during military training.

Dr. Leon S. Dure, III (1931-2014).

with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, and then served as a Marine Corps officer in the mountains of Korea. After returning home and leaving formal duty in the Marines (because of Leon’s loyalty and love for the Marine Corps as well as his patriotism, he remained an active reserve Officer, reaching the rank of Colonel before retiring from the Marine Reserves), Leon returned to the University of Virginia where he received an M. S. degree in plant embryology. He then continued his graduate education at the University of Texas where he received his Ph.D. in plant physiology. After this, Leon joined the developing faculty of biochemistry of the UGA in 1960 as a postdoctoral researcher working on bioluminescence—a pioneering step as he was in fact the first postdoctoral researcher at the UGA! He continued on the faculty of biochemistry and retired in 2003 as Franklin Professor of Biochemistry after a distinguished research career. Leon was also greatly respected as a masterful teacher, which the Franklin professorship validated as one of the best. In the mid-1960s, Dr. Dure developed his independent research laboratory where he focused on the molecular bases of seed germination. During this early period, one of the important findings was discovery and characterization of long-lived messenger or mRNA that coded for specialized proteins in germinating cotton seed. This was one of the earliest reports on the long-term stability of at least some eukaryotic mRNAs. Leon’s group did one of the most thorough and excellent studies at the time on PolyA + and Poly A– mRNAs in a plant system. Dr. Dure’s research continued to focus on many aspects of cotton seed embryogenesis and germination, including additional work on the seed mRNAs and studies on cotton seed storage proteins from general characterization of their complexity and abundance to biosynthetic pathways. The role of abscisic acid in these processes represents another major group of contributions. Dr. Leon S. Dure III passed away on May 11, 2014. He was Franklin Professor of Biochemistry at the time of his retirement from the University of Georgia (UGA), Athens, Georgia, where he spent his entire faculty career from 1960 to 2003. Born in January 1931 in Macon, Georgia, Leon grew up at his family home in East Belmont Farm, Kenswick, Virginia. He graduated from the University of Virginia

Functional Movement Screen and Aerobic Fitness Predict Injuries in Military Training

This study investigated associations between injuries and individual components of the Marine Corps physical fitness test (PFT), self-reported exercise and previous injury history, and Functional Movement Screen (FMS) scores. A cohort of 874 men enrolled in either 6 wk (n = 447) or 10 wk (n = 427) of Marine Corps officer candidate training was recruited. They completed an exercise history questionnaire, underwent an FMS during medical in-processing, and completed the standardized PFT (pull-ups, abdominal crunch, and 3-mile run) within 1 wk of training. Injury data were gathered throughout training from medical records and classified into overuse, traumatic, and any injury. Three-mile run time (RT) was the only PFT component predictive of injury: candidates with RT ≥20.5 min were 1.7 times (95% confidence interval = 1.29-2.31, P < 0.001) more likely to experience an injury compared with those with RT <20.5 min. Prior injury, frequency of general exercise and sport participation, and length of running history were predictive of any, overuse, and traumatic injuries, respectively. Combining slow RT and low FMS scores (≤14) increased the predictive value across all injury classifications: candidates scoring poorly on both tests were 4.2 times more likely to experience an injury. The pull-up to exhaustion test was related to four of the seven FMS tests and the only PFT test positively related to total FMS score, although correlations were generally low (r ≤ 0.11). Slow RT was associated with increased injury risk, and combining poor RT and low FMS scores significantly increased the injury predictive value. Additional research is warranted to further clarify what combination of PFT and FMS tests are most suitable for predicting injuries.

Wartime orthopaedic residency

Abstract : The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the ensuing war on terror including major conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have lead to changes in many aspects of the world. This is true even in medical education, and the experiences of current residents and recent graduates have been affected in many ways, developing the field of orthopaedic surgery and its practitioners in areas of technical innovation, military experience, personal maturity and a sense of duty while providing opportunities for mentorship and interservice collaboration. The authors present their unique experiences as a prior Marine Corps Officer and General Medical Officer and the benefits of orthopaedic residency training in military training facilities during a time of conflict.

My Father’s House

My Father’s House Robert Lacy (bio) Reading My Father: A Memoir by Alexandra Styron (Scribner, 2011. 304 pages. Illustrated. $25) Alexandra Styron was the last born of the late William Styron’s four children, arriving long after the other three. She was not her father’s favorite, and she knew it. Yet she also knew, as she wrote in her journal in 2000, “that I, at the last, will have to tell this story. Someday.” Reading My Father represents her effort to do so. It’s the story of a talented but troubled man and his much abused wife and children. William Styron was, by his daughter’s account, a tyrant and a bully in his own home, even as he was being lionized in the larger world for his charm and wit and novel-writing skills. At home he was the Great Man who was not to be disturbed on any account while he pursued his muse. His wife, Rose, bore the brunt of his verbal attacks, but the children also came in for their share. At age sixty, forced by his failing health to give up the alcohol that had long fueled him, he cracked up and fell into a deep clinical depression. But, being Bill Styron and the gifted writer that he was, he managed to capitalize even on that grim situation by writing Darkness Visible, which became a surprise best seller. His daughter, after poring over the hundreds of letters from troubled readers of the book she found in her father’s archives at Duke University, was moved to ask herself: “How could a guy whose thoughts elicit this much pathos have been, for so many years, such a monumental asshole to the people closest to him?” William Styron, at least in his daughter’s version, was in many ways a man at war with himself. A southerner by birth, reared in Virginia and educated at Duke, he spent most of his adult life living in the Northeast, in places like Brooklyn and Manhattan, and in the family homes in Roxbury, Connecticut, and on Martha’s Vineyard. Buoyed by the success of his first novel, Lie Down in Darkness, he married Rose Burgunder, a department-store heiress from Baltimore, in 1953; and, despite the household cruelties and his many infidelities, the marriage would endure until his death in 2006. Together the two of them embarked on a life among the rich and famous at the time: the youthful hell-raising Teddy Kennedy was a favorite neighbor on the Vineyard; Arthur Miller a friend and neighbor in Connecticut; Norman Mailer, Truman Capote, George Plimpton, Peter Matthiessen, James Jones, Mike Nichols, Carlos Fuentes, Willie [End Page xvi] Morris—the list of pals and drinking buddies goes on and on. But the man little Alexandra Styron saw when he came home was not the bon vivant, not the literary man about town. “My father used to scare the crap out of me,” she told the mourners at a memorial service for him in 2007, and then she related how he used to come into her room at night and tell her stories about ghosts and demons in the Roxbury house, leaving her lying there shivering in the dark. Once, when she was eight and in a girlish horse-loving phase of her life, he told her that the governor of Connecticut had banned horses in the state and then left her alone to deal with that. She could never decide whether he was being consciously cruel or merely carelessly indifferent. “He’d lob his invective into the room, storm away, and leave everything behind him in flames,” she writes. Styron had been a Marine Corps officer in the waning months of World War ii, but, like Scott Fitzgerald before him in World War i, did not experience combat then or in Korea. This appears to have been critical to his development, both artistically and emotionally. Mailer and Jones had served overseas and had come back home to write big best-selling novels about their experiences. War was to be the theme for writers of his generation, Styron saw; and he wanted, his daughter says, “to paint on that...

A Maelstrom of Discontent

A Maelstrom of Discontent Robert Lacy (bio) Townie: A Memoir by Andre Dubus II (Norton, 2011. 388 pages. $25.95) Andre Dubus III is the son of the late Andre Dubus, a short-story writer of some distinction whose reputation continues quietly to grow. The elder Dubus was crippled when he was hit by a car in 1986, and he died of a heart attack, alone in his home, twelve years later. He had taught writing at Bradford College in northern Massachusetts, where he lived with his wife, Pat, and their four children, two boys and two girls, after being graduated from the Iowa Writers' Workshop in the mid-sixties. By the end of the sixties Andre and Pat were divorced, and Andre was living with one of his female students. Cast adrift, Pat and the four Dubus kids began a rocky hand-to-mouth existence that would take them from one run-down former mill town to another along Massachusetts's polluted Merrimack River in what must be as desolate a region of this country as anyone could imagine. Townie is the story of what that existence was like as told by the elder of the two sons, himself already a writer of some note, whose novel The House of Sand and Fog (1999) was an Oprah Winfrey selection and was made into a well-received film. The relationship between father and abandoned son is at the heart of the story and is the best thing about the book. Andre III is seriously conflicted about his father. He loves him but has trouble admiring him, and he resents strenuously his father's [End Page xlvi] relatively comfortable life in college-provided housing on the Bradford campus while he and his mother, brother, and sisters are struggling just to stay alive in the wretched towns their poverty has forced them into. By the book's end the roles of father and son have been reversed, with Andre III taking care of his handicapped father with a patience and solicitude he might have wished for himself in earlier years. Another strength of the book is the author's loving portrait of his mother. Patricia Lowe Dubus was a former high-school homecoming queen in Dubus's hometown of Lake Charles, Louisiana, when Andre the elder wooed her away from another suitor and married her. She followed him through his six-year career as a Marine Corps officer, a career that ended when Captain Dubus resigned his commission to enroll at the Iowa workshop. All four of the Dubus children were born on Marine Corps bases. But the doughty, indomitable Pat of those earlier years seems to have been undone by the divorce that became inevitable once they reached Massachusetts. She takes employment as a social worker, which requires her to commute down to Boston, and in the process she loses control of her family. The children roam wild without her supervision; drugs, alcohol, sex, and violence invade their lives. Wherever they live, the house is a wreck; meals are served out of cans, dirty dishes stack up, grime accumulates, and the tv set becomes the focus of everyone's life. It is in this maelstrom of discontent that the Dubus children measure out their lives until each in turn becomes old enough to leave home. As for Pat, she eventually meets a man who will rescue her from poverty, but not before the damage to her children has been done. By book's end she is tanned, fit, and living with him in Florida. What drives the narrative of Townie, however, is not the father-son relationship or the loving depiction of the abandoned wife and mother. It is the son's determination, and ensuing project, to transform himself from easy prey to steely predator in order to survive in the places in which he finds himself, places where, he tells us, "Kids roamed the neighborhood like dogs," places where, when his father shows up once a week to take him and his siblings out for a movie and a soft drink, he thinks, "it was like being on furlough from a penal colony." Because they are small and weak, Andre...

‘A leatherneck reports’, part 1: The correspondence of lieutenant general James Carson Breckinridge, USMC, assistant us naval attache to Petrograd, 1916–17

Lieutenant General James Carson Breckinridge, USMC, (1877–1942) a veteran and well‐respected Marine Corps officer during the first four decades of the twentieth century, had the distinct honor of being one of only a handful of US military officers with an intimate knowledge of Russian history and civilization. His personal papers, on repository at the Marine Corps University Archives, Quantico, Virginia, contain reports, observations, newspaper clippings and articles dealing with Russian affairs, as well as his own reflections of events then ongoing in Russia and afterwards. In his position as the Assistant US Naval Attache to the US Embassy in Petrograd prior to and during the February 1917 Revolution, Breckinridge served in Russia at a pivotal time in US‐Russian relations. From the vantage point of the US Embassy in Petrograd and later from consulates in Christiania (Oslo, Norway), Stockholm, and for a short while Copenhagen, Breckinridge's letters, mainly to his mother, reflect the hectic days in the Russian capital as the Tsar abdicated, Kerensky's government fell, and the Bolsheviks under Lenin and Trotsky assumed control of the city of Petrograd and then the country.