Epme Adv 7001 SG Prof Read

United States Marine Corps
Professional Reading Program

Student Guide

Enlisted Professional Military Education
ADVANCED COURSE
EPME-ADV-7001
15 July 2008
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EPME-ADV United States Marine Corps Professional Reading Program
7001 Student Guide
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1
Purpose of Student Guide ............................................................................................ 1
Educational Objectives................................................................................................. 2
Lesson Purpose Overview........................................................................................... 2
Completion Time ........................................................................................................... 2
Lesson Preview ............................................................................................................. 3
Topic Preview: What is the United States Marine Corps Professional Reading
Program? ....................................................................................................................... 3
Topic Preview: Techniques for Facilitating a Book Discussion............................... 3
Topic Preview: Small Group Reading Discussion Activity....................................... 3
Annex ............................................................................................................................. 4
Annex A: Student Reading – United States Marine Corps Professional Reading
Program? ....................................................................................................................... 5
Annex B: Reading Discussion Activity ...................................................................... 8
Annex C: United States Marine Corps Professional Reading Program List ......... 10
Annex D: Internet/Phone Resources ........................................................................ 14
Appendix A: References............................................................................................. 15
15 July 2008 Page i

7001 Student Guide
Introduction
This period of instruction will provide students the knowledge and skills necessary to
develop a professional reading program in their units.
Purpose of Student Guide
This Advanced Course classroom lesson uses engaging, student-centered, and

dynamic methods of instruction.
This Student Guide will inform you about the USMC professional reading program. It
also provides materials you will use to be an active participant in classroom discussions
and activities.
Prior to attending this class, you will be expected to have read and understood the pre-
reading (Annex A) and activity (Annex B) contained in this Student Guide. You must
bring this Student Guide to the classroom as well. The sequence and exact content of
the classroom instruction will reflect, but not completely follow, this guide.
The Student Guide is organized as follows:
1. Educational Objectives – this is a lesson purpose lesson that provides the
student knowledge and skills necessary to develop a professional reading
program in your unit.
2. Completion Time – the estimated time for both pre-reading of the Student Guide
and attending the classroom instruction are provided for planning purposes.
3. Lesson Preview – outlines the discussions and activities in which you will
participate during the classroom instruction. You will refer to the Lesson Preview
during the classroom instruction.
4. Annex – contains materials (e.g., student reading, glossary, activities, articles,
rubrics, worksheets) that are lesson requirements and supplement the lesson
content.
5. Appendix – contains materials (e.g., articles, references) that are not lesson
requirements, but supplement the lesson content.
Note: Additional materials may be provided by the instructor during the

classroom instruction.
15 July 2008 Page 1

7001 Student Guide
Educational Objectives
Lesson Purpose Overview
The purpose of this period of instruction to provide the students with the necessary tools
to implement the United States Marine Corps Professional Reading Program within their
units, and develop their leadership skills in order to conduct a book discussion in
accordance with the Commandants intent.
Completion Time
The approximate completion time for this period of instruction is one hour. The time is
broken down as follows:
1. Reading of Student Guide and completion of Reading Discussion Activity – 20
minutes
2. Classroom Instruction – 40 minutes
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7001 Student Guide
Lesson Preview
Topic Preview: What is the United States Marine Corps Professional

Reading Program?
It is essential that, as a leader, you know how to implement a professional reading

program in your unit.
As a large group, discuss the following:
• How can reading enhance the warrior ethos of the individual Marine and the
Corps?
• Why does the Commandant want to encourage critical thinking among all
Marines?
• How can reading about history or publications broaden our understanding of the
current operating environment?
Topic Preview: Techniques for Facilitating a Book Discussion
You will participate in a short large-group lecture, stressing the importance of

recommended techniques for leading a book discussion.
Topic Preview: Small Group Reading Discussion Activity
The instructor and faculty advisors will lead the class in a book discussion that will serve
as an evaluated practical application. You must complete the Reading Discussion
Activity (Annex D) prior to coming to class. The discussion will begin upon
establishment of the small groups and entering the break out areas.
15 July 2008 Page 3

7001 Student Guide
Annex
The information provided on the following pages is supplemental and a lesson

requirement.
Annex A: Student Reading
Annex B: Reading Discussion Activity
Annex C: United States Marine Corps Professional Reading Program Reading List
Annex D: Internet Resources
15 July 2008 Page 4

7001 Student Guide
Annex A: Student Reading – United States Marine Corps Professional

Reading Program?
Origins. The United States Marine Corps Professional Reading Program began as the
Commandant's Reading List in 1988, although recommended reading lists have been
generated for Marines since the 19th century.
ALMAR 127/89 officially established the Marine Corps Professional Reading Program in
1988 and directed that it be incorporated into the existing Professional Military
Education Program of every command and unit. Each Commandant since 1988 has
placed his personal stamp on the program, but many of the books have remained
constant.
Our profession is warfighting, and the emphasis of the Professional Reading Program is
on books that will make the individual Marine a better warfighter.
Today’s Program. The new professional reading program differs from earlier reading
lists by requiring leaders to ensure their Marines get more out of the books they read.
The Commandant of the Marine Corps has established a Marine Corps Professional
Reading Program composed of three parts, outlined in ALMAR 030/07:
• A single book (called the Marquee Title) for all Marines to read and discuss.
• A streamlined by-grade Commandant’s Reading List.
• A broader web-based reading program organized by warfighting functions,
regions of the world where Marines serve, and other topics ranging from
recruiting skills to personal financial management.
Great books will always remain a staple of informal, self-paced professional
development, but technology promises greater convenience and flexibility for today's
Marine. MCU is exploring books on tape (CD) and downloadable audio files for the
IPod©.
The Commandant states in ALMAR 030/07, “I expect all Marines to read their grade-
appropriate books – that is your minimum standard. Once you have achieved the
minimum, you can then exercise the initiative to read more broadly.”
Appendix A contains the complete United States Marine Corps Professional Required
Reading Program list.
Objectives of the Professional Reading Program. The goals of the program are to
enhance the warrior ethos of the Corps, encourage critical thinking, and broaden
understanding of the current operating environment. Professional reading enriches our
knowledge and understanding of war and enhances our ability to make timely and
sound military judgments and decisions. Reading is imperative.
Types of Readings. The United States Marine Corps Professional Reading Program is
designed to enhance every Marine’s understanding of the art and science of war. The
program also recognizes that it is important for Marines to gain a historical perspective.
15 July 2008 Page 5

7001 Student Guide
As a result, the program promotes three types of reading materials:

• Reading in depth about a single battle. The thorough study of a single
battle goes a long way toward attaining military literacy. You can learn about
higher levels of war – operational and strategic.
• Reading about many battles. Further rewards come from reading about
many battles. You will discover that some aspects of battle are timeless,
never changing from ancient times through present, in cold climates or hot, in
jungle or desert. Other aspects of battle do change. One of the best ways
you can gain professional insights into which things stay the same and which
things change is to read about different battles.
• Reading about Subjects other than Battles. History gives you an essential
appreciation for the realities of your profession, but you should read more
than history. Military theory, good fiction, and books other than those on the
United States Marine Corps Professional Required Reading Program list will
also broaden your outlook.
Reading Beyond the Program’s Requirements. Marines should pick their books
according to their own needs, filling in areas where they are weak and reinforcing where
they are strong. Commanders may also make choices for the unit, especially when he
or she identifies a need for the unit to read a single work or to read on a specific topic.
There is nothing that Marines are discouraged from reading. We are not in the business
of book-banning or censorship. Marines can and should read whatever they want.
Developing a United States Marine Corps Reading Program. Implementing a
program in your unit is not complicated. Everything you need to start can be found at
the Professional Reading Program web site at
www.mcu.usmc.mil/ProvDev/ProfReading Pgm.htm. It provides an overarching picture
of the reading program, offers tools for forming a book discussion group, and provides
instruction for accessing the available products. Other information is outlined in ALMAR
030/07 and MCRP 6-11A, A Book on Books. The manner in which the program is
implemented is left to the discretion and initiative of commanders and individuals.
Acquiring the books. Commanding officers may authorize operations and
maintenance funds to purchase professional military education items. The Marine Corps
Doctrinal Publications (MCDP) have publication control numbers (PCN) so military units
can obtain them through the publications system. All official Marine Corps publications
featured in the Professional Reading Program are already available as electronic files
and are posted to the Marine Corps University (MCU) web site. Audio files for these
same readings are under development.
Another source for help in acquiring books is the Marine Corps University Foundation
(MCUF). It has an ongoing initiative to supply every battalion- or squadron-sized unit in
the Marine Corps with books from the Commandant’s Reading List. The MCUF is a
private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide resources that enhance
Marine Corps professional military education. For information on receiving books,
Marine units and organizations may contact MCUF at (866) 367-6283, or via e-mail:
sschimd@mcuf.org.
15 July 2008 Page 6

7001 Student Guide
The Lifelong Learning Branch, Personal and Family Readiness Division, Manpower and
Reserve Affairs Department, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps purchases and sends
reading materials to deployed unit locations. More information on this program is
available at www.usmc-mccs.org/education/lll.cfm.
Challenges with the Program. Perhaps the greatest challenge associated with the
Professional Reading Program is convincing Marines to read. Two typical questions
raised are:
• Does it count toward my composite score for promotion as with Marine Corps
Institute courses or other off-duty education?
• Will reading get me or my Marines promoted?
The Marine Corps Individual Records Administration Manual (IRAM) indicates that
assignment of duty proficiency marks involves the “whole Marine” concept. “Such
attributes,” it says, “as mission accomplishment, leadership, intellect and wisdom,
individual character, physical fitness, personal appearance, and completion of
professional military education, Marine Corps Institute courses, and off-duty education
should also be evaluated and incorporated into the duty proficiency mark.”
The United States Marine Corps Professional Reading Program can be used by those
recommending and assigning proficiency marks. Reporting seniors can factor
professional reading into required fitness reports. Reading by sergeants, staff
noncommissioned officers, warrant officers, and commissioned officers is evaluated and
recorded in required periodic Performance Evaluation System (PES, MCO P1610.7F)
reports. In Section G, “Intellect and Wisdom,” of the fitness report, item one on page
four indicates that professional military education resources include “a personal reading
program that includes (but is not limited to) selections from the Commandant’s Reading
List, participation in discussion groups and military societies, and involvement in
learning through new technologies.”
15 July 2008 Page 7

7001 Student Guide
Annex B: Reading Discussion Activity
Directions:
1. Read Chapter 1: The Nature of Planning of MCDP 5 Planning, and complete the
following;
a. Select one passage from the chapter which can be used to support the
argument of those who defend the planning for the invasion of Iraq.
b. Select one passage from the chapter which can be used to support the
argument of those who criticize the planning for the invasion of Iraq.
c. Select one passage from the chapter, which can be used to support the
arguments of both sides of this issue.
d. Present and explain your selections to your group when called upon by
the instructor.
Note: The passages you select should generally be no more than one to two
paragraphs in length. You can identify them by citing the page number
and writing the first few words of the passage.
“The Issue”
In the current operating environment, Marines must be aware that the strategic
planning for the 2003 invasion of Iraq has been criticized by some individuals. These
people believe that this planning did not properly determine and deploy adequate troop
levels needed to “win the peace” and inaccurately forecasted the impact of the fall of
Saddam Hussein’s regime on the political and social fabric of the Iraqi nation. These
critics argue that planning miscalculations fueled the insurgency and led to a prolonged
and costly fight that could have been avoided with improved strategic and operational
planning.
Opponents of these critics defend the pre-invasion planning and argue that
significant planning was conducted as evidenced by coalition forces’ unprecedented
success in toppling Saddam’s regime. They argue that while the post-invasion did not
proceed as envisioned, plans often don’t survive contact with the enemy and continuous
planning was conducted to react to the evolving situation on the ground.
15 July 2008 Page 8

7001 Student Guide
Your Reading Selections:

Identify below the page on which the corresponding selection from MCDP 5 Planning
can be found and annotate a few comments about why you selected this passage.
1. Passage supporting the argument of defenders (enough planning was completed).
Comments:
2. Passage supporting the argument of critics (not enough planning was completed).
Comments:
3. Passage supporting the argument of both groups.
Comments:
15 July 2008 Page 9

7001 Student Guide
Annex C: United States Marine Corps Professional Reading Program

List

Professional Reading Program
Reading List
All Marines
First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps
by LtGen. Krulak
Private to Lance Corporal

• First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps by LtGen.
Krulak
• MCDP 1 Warfighting
• A Message to Garcia by E. Hubbard
• Rifleman Dodd by C.S. Forester
• The Soldier’s Load by S.L.A. Marshall
• The Ugly American by W. Burdick
• Enders Game by O.S. Card
Corporal
• First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps by LtGen
Krulak
• MCWP 6-11 Leading Marines
• Battle Leadership by A. Von Schell
• Flags of Our Fathers by J. Bradley
• Gates of Fire by S. Pressfield
• Imperial Grunts by R. D. Kaplan
• Small Unit Leaders Guide to Counterinsurgency
Sergeant
Krulak
15 July 2008 Page 10

7001 Student Guide
• MCDP 1-3 Tactics

• The Art of War by Sun Tzu
• Tip of the Spear by G.J. Michaels
• Attacks! By E. Rommel
• With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge
• The Village by B. West
Staff Sergeant
Krulak
• MCDP 1-2 Campaigning
• This Kind of War by T.R. Fehrenbach
• Band of Brothers by S.E. Ambrose
• The Face of Battle by J. Keegan
• A Bell for Adano by J. Hersey
• Utmost Savagery by J. Alexander
Gunnery Sergeant
Krulak
• MCDP 5 Planning
• The Savage Wars of Peace by M. Boot
• We Were Soldiers by H. Moore
• On Combat by D. Grossman
• Breakout by M. Russ
• Victory at High Tide by R.D. Heinl
Master Sergeant / First Sergeant

Krulak
• MCDP 1-1 Strategy
• Reminiscences of a Marine by J.A. Lejeune
• Fields of Battle by J. Keegan
• Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence
• On Killing by D. Grossman
• Battle Cry of Freedom by J.M. McPherson

7001 Student Guide
Master Gunnery Sergeant / Sergeant Major

Krulak
• The General by C.S. Forester
• No Bended Knee by M.B. Twining
• Achilles in Vietnam by J. Shay
• The Mask of Command by J. Keegan
• The Arab Mind by R. Patai
Officer Candidate / Midshipman

Krulak
• MCDP 1 Warfighting
• The Armed Forces Officer, DoD 2006
• A Message to Garcia by E. Hubbard
• Rifleman Dodd by C.S. Forester
• Enders Game by O.S. Card
2d Lieutenant / Warrant Officer

Krulak
• MCWP 6-11 Leading Marines
• Fields of Fire by J. Webb
• The Art of War by Sun Tzu
• The Anatomy of Courage by L. Moran
• On Infantry by J.A. English
• Small Unit Leader’s Guide to Counterinsurgency
1st Lieutenant / Chief Warrant Officer 2

Krulak
• The Bridge at Dong Ha by J.G. Miller
• The Face of Battle by J. Keegan
• Reminiscences of a Marine by J.A. Lejeune
• Counterinsurgency Warfare by D. Galula
• Battle Cry of Freedom by J.M. McPherson

7001 Student Guide
Captain / Chief Warrant Officer 3

Krulak
• For the Common Defense by A.R. Millet
• The Mask of Command by J. Keegan
• Savage Wars of Peace by M. Boot
• On Combat by D. Grossman
• The Arab Mind by R. Patai
Major / Chief Warrant Officer 4

Krulak
• Once an Eagle by A. Myrer
• The Guns of August by B.W. Tuchman
• History of Peloponnesian War by Thucydides
• The Lexus and the Olive Tree by T.L. Friedman
• Grant Takes Command by B. Catton
Lieutenant Colonel / Chief Warrant Officer 5

Krulak
• Masters of War by M. Handel
• Supplying War by M. Van Creveld
• Carnage and Culture by V. Hanson
• Defeat into Victory by W. Slim
• Triumph Forsaken by M. Moyar
Colonel to General *
Krulak
• Dereliction of Duty by H.R. McMaster
• Supreme Command by E.A. Cohen
• Diplomacy by H. Kissinger
• Feeding Mars by J.A. Lynn
• The Crisis of Islam by B. Lewis
* Current, topical titles provided by Marine Corps University at each Executive Off-Site.

7001 Student Guide
Annex D: Internet/Phone Resources
The following is a list of resources for the United States Marine Corps Professional
Reading Program.
• Professional Reading Program Web Site at:
http://www.mcu.usmc.mil/ProDev/ProfReadingPgm.htm.
• To acquire books, contact the Marine Corps University Foundation at (866) 367-
6283, or via e-mail: sschimd@mcuf.org.
Note: The Internet site addresses above are subject to change.

7001 Student Guide
Appendix A: References
ALMAR 030/07. (2007, May 06). Marine Corps Professional Reading Program.
Retrieved May 15, 2008 from:
http://www.marines.mil/news/messages/Pages/Forms/ALMARs.aspx.
Griffin, S.D. Maj. (Dec 2007). Read a Book, Get Ahead. Leatherneck Magazine.

Enlisted Professional Military Education Curriculum Branch
2041 South Street
Quantico, VA 22134

Epme Adv 7001 SG Prof Read

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United States Marine Corps

Professional Reading Program

United States Marine Corps

15 July 2008 Page i

Purpose of Student Guide

This Advanced Course classroom lesson uses engaging, student-centered, and

Note: Additional materials may be provided by the instructor during the

15 July 2008 Page 1

Lesson Purpose Overview

15 July 2008 Page 2

Topic Preview: What is the United States Marine Corps Professional

It is essential that, as a leader, you know how to implement a professional reading

Topic Preview: Techniques for Facilitating a Book Discussion

You will participate in a short large-group lecture, stressing the importance of

Topic Preview: Small Group Reading Discussion Activity

15 July 2008 Page 3

The information provided on the following pages is supplemental and a lesson

15 July 2008 Page 4

Annex A: Student Reading – United States Marine Corps Professional

15 July 2008 Page 5

As a result, the program promotes three types of reading materials:

15 July 2008 Page 6

15 July 2008 Page 7

Annex B: Reading Discussion Activity

15 July 2008 Page 8

Your Reading Selections:

1. Passage supporting the argument of defenders (enough planning was completed).

3. Passage supporting the argument of both groups.

15 July 2008 Page 9

Annex C: United States Marine Corps Professional Reading Program

United States Marine Corps

Private to Lance Corporal

15 July 2008 Page 10

• MCDP 1-3 Tactics

Master Sergeant / First Sergeant

15 July 2008 Page 11

Master Gunnery Sergeant / Sergeant Major

Officer Candidate / Midshipman

2d Lieutenant / Warrant Officer

1st Lieutenant / Chief Warrant Officer 2

15 July 2008 Page 12

Captain / Chief Warrant Officer 3

Major / Chief Warrant Officer 4

Lieutenant Colonel / Chief Warrant Officer 5

15 July 2008 Page 13

Annex D: Internet/Phone Resources

15 July 2008 Page 14

15 July 2008 Page 15

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