Book excerpt: The United States Marine Corps is the largest such force on the planet, and yet it is the smallest, most elite section of the U.S. military, one with a long and storied history and some of the most rigorous training procedures. Here, in the most current version of the manual used by the Corps itself, is the guidebook used by the service to physically prepare its troops for their dangerous work. Areas covered include: . the fundamentals of physical fitness for Marines . development of fitness training programs . conditioning drills . guerilla exercises . the basics of orienteering . individual exercise programs . the basics of combat water survival . team contests and athletics . physical readiness tests . and much, much more. Military buffs, athletes, and anyone seeking to understand how American armed services train for the ever-changing arena of modern warfare will find this a fascinating and informative document.