The Corps, which celebrates its 239th anniversary on Nov. 10, wants troops who can think clearly under fire and make calm and intelligent decisions.
So it comes as no surprise that the Corps' top officer - a four-star general known as the Commandant - publishes a list of books that Marines of all ranks have to learn from.
The books cover a range of topics, from the warfighting techniques discussed in "Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication 1: Warfighting" to leadership in "Battlefield Leadership." Even the anti-war novel "All Quiet on the Western Front" makes the list.
The Corps has led a recent push for Marines to pick up a book from the always-expanding list, of which you can see in full here. We picked out 12 of our favorites.
This post was originally written by David M. Brooks.