Product DescriptionIf the Marines are ''the few, the proud,'' Recon Marines are the fewest and the proudest. Nathaniel Fick's career begins with a hellish summer at Quantico, after his junior year at Dartmouth. He leads a platoon in Afghanistan just after 9/11 and advances to the pinnacle—Recon— two years later, on the eve of war with Iraq. His vast skill set puts him in front of the front lines, leading twenty-two Marines into the deadliest conflict since Vietnam. He vows to bring all his men home safely, and to do so he'll need more than his top-flight education. Fick unveils the process that makes Marine officers such legendary leaders and shares his hard-won insights into the differences between military ideals and military practice, which can mock those ideals.
In this deeply thoughtful account of what it's like to fight on today's front lines, Fick reveals the crushing pressure on young leaders in combat. Split-second decisions might have national consequences or horrible immediate repercussions, but hesitation isn't an option. One Bullet Away never shrinks from blunt truths, but ultimately it is an inspiring account of mastering the art of war.
What Others Say
One Hell of a Book!
Most of us believe that we make reason-based decisions, and, most of us do much of the time. "One Bullet Away" is a masterful book, not only because it explores, as it does, Nate Fick's decision to go from a classics-major Dartmouth graduate into the most rigorous unit of the Marine Corps, but also because Fick explores decision-making under great stress when those decisions can be the proverbial difference between life and death. All-too-often, though, the decisions Fick and his colleagues in the field of fire are cabined by career-focused strategies of those higher in the chain of command.
"One Bullet Away" is a must-read, not only for those in our civilian society curious about the men and women who help preserve our freedoms, ... Read More
What Future Presidents Are Made Of
Mr Fick has the Character, Courage, and Integrity this country needs now, to shape the future for the next generation.
"A terminal LtCol in the US Marine Corps"
The reality of war
'One Bullet Away' by Nathaniel Fick
Nathaniel Fick's literary debut does not disappoint. The author's engaging narrative recounts his decision to join the US Marine Corps in 1998, through Officer Candidate School, Recon Training and eventually tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively.
'One Bullet Away' is a solid boots on the ground portrait which reveals the good, the bad and insane of war: from incompetent commanders to maddening postwar planning tactics to unparalleled bravery displayed daily by the grunts to the soul wrenching effects of battle. Fick's idealism is challenged by the realities of battle, however, his solid decision making and focus on keeping his Marines alive and safe while still accomplishing ... Read More
Outstanding read for warriors and civilians alike
In a time when many people already consider the war in Iraq pure hubris and stretching of muscles by a superpower gone mad, it is refreshing indeed to read true, honest stories from the men who fought the war.
The good intentions, the fears, the disappointments and triumphs all paint a picture that is very different from the cynical jeering presented to us from almost all media outlets.
While Nate Fick's "One Bullet Away" dedicates a lot of its 369 pages to events that occurred before the war and made Captain Fick the man he is today, the book really earns its keep during the section dedicated to Fick's combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The action is frenetic, the musings are deep and the humor is ... Read More
Outstanding piece of truth!
Amazingly written by "one of the few and the proud" to inform the readers of the honor, courage and commitment that it takes to be a leader of one of the finest fighting force on the planet.
