New insights into the senior command levels of the United States fighting elite. Stories include accounts of men in battles from World War II. This book fills a void in the literature of Marine Corps leadership. Supplying the biographies of the first eleven men to hold the proud title of Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Uncommon Men offers new insights into the senior command levels of the United States' fighting elite. This book portrays not only the lives of those pioneers, but also gives us a social history of the Corps since 1942 as only a Marine could tell it. The Sergeants Major of the Marine Corps come from all parts of the country. Chapin reminds us of their humanity, their families, and off-duty friendships and hobbies, and how they rose through the ranks.