Try free for 30 days

  • Backbone

  • History, Traditions, and Leadership Lessons of Marine Corps NCOs
  • By: Julia Dye
  • Narrated by: Julia Dye
  • Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Backbone cover art

Backbone

By: Julia Dye
Narrated by: Julia Dye
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $22.99

Buy Now for $22.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

Noncommissioned officers stand as the backbone of the United States Marine Corps. The Corps is among the most lasting institutions in America, though few understand what makes it so strong and how that understanding can be applied effectively in today's world. In this insightful and thoroughly researched audiobook, Julia Dye explores the cadre of noncommissioned officers that make up the Marine Corps' system of small-unit leadership.

To help us better understand what makes these extraordinary men and women such effective leaders, Dye examines the 14 leadership traits embraced by every NCO. These qualities—including judgment, enthusiasm, determination, bearing, and unselfishness—are exemplified by men like Terry Anderson, the former Marine sergeant who spent nearly seven years as a hostage in Beirut, John Basilone, the hero of the Pacific, and many others. To assemble this extraordinary chronicle, Julia Dye interviewed Anderson and dozens of other Marines, mining a rich trove of historical and modern NCO heroes that comprise the Marine Corps' astonishing legacy, from its founding in 1775 to the present day.

©2012 Julia Dye (P)2022 Julia Dye

Critic Reviews

"Few people have the privilege of serving as a noncommissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, but anyone who is interested in leading the kind of purpose-driven and values-centered life that marks the best Marine NCOs can learn from this book. And anyone in the business of leading people—whether it's in business, the classroom, or the playing field—should study the men and women Dye writes about with such insight. These NCOs don't just teach young Marines; they have a great deal to teach anyone smart enough to read, listen, and learn." (Ed Ruggero, author of The First Men In: US Paratroopers and the Fight to Save D-Day)

More from the same

Narrator

What listeners say about Backbone

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.