Crucibles - History's Most Formidable Rites of Passage

"An exploration of the initiation rituals of fourteen elite groups, both historical and contemporary, providing a roadmap for modern organizations to better themselves by implementing and managing their own rigorous portal processes"--

List of contents

PROLOGUE: On Being a Plebe (Part One), Annapolis, Maryland, Summer of 1982
INTRODUCTION: Trials by Fire: The Roles of Crucibles in Defining Elite Groups and Cultures
CHAPTER ONE: We Make Marines: Boot Camp at M.C.R.D. Parris Island
CHAPTER TWO: Kung Fu and Koans: The Shaolin Monks
CHAPTER THREE: Space Is the Place: The U.S. Astronaut Program
CHAPTER FOUR: Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ: The Knights Templar
CHAPTER FIVE: Knives in the Mountains: The Gurkhas
CHAPTER SIX: Our Mothers: The Dahomey Amazons
CHAPTER SEVEN: Honor and Fidelity: The French Foreign Legion
CHAPTER EIGHT: Crouching Dragons and Divine Wind: Japan’s Special Attack Units
CHAPTER NINE: An Offer You Can’t Refuse: Mafia Made Men
CHAPTER TEN: Great Tiger Sharks Swimming on Land: The Hawai’ian Koa
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Fiercely and Faithfully: The Swiss Guard
CHAPTER TWELVE: Doctor, Doctor: The White Coat Ceremony and Beyond
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: The Poor Widow’s Sons: American Freemasonry
CONCLUSION: Elites Everywhere: Crucibles in Context
EPILOGUE: On Being a Plebe (Part Two), Annapolis, Maryland, Autumn of 1982 through Spring of 1983
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
SOURCES AND RECOMMENDED ADDITIONAL READING
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHORS

About the author

James R. McNeal is a retired rear admiral in the U.S. Naval Supply Corps, currently serving as an adjunct leadership professor and sprint football coach at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. 

J. Eric Smith is a former U.S. Naval Supply Corps officer, retired nonprofit executive, and management consultant who lives in Sedona, Arizona. 

Product details

• Authors: James R McNeal, James R. McNeal, J Eric Smith, J. Eric Smith
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 10.06.2025, delayed
• EAN: 9781572843523
• ISBN: 978-1-57284-352-3
• No. of pages: 264
• Illustrations: Illustrationen, nicht spezifiziert
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Ethnology > Folklore; Cultural Studies, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Decision-Making & Problem Solving, Sociology: customs & traditions, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Management, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Motivational, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Customs & Traditions, Management: leadership & motivation, Management & management techniques, Social and cultural history, Management: leadership and motivation, Management decision making, Cultural studies: customs and traditions, Management and management techniques