3 comments about Once a Legend: Red Mike Edson of the Marine Raiders.

1. As a Marine Corps veteran, it surprises me how unfamiliar many contemporary Marines are with the extremely noteworthy and noble Mr. Edson. The author, Mr.Hoffman, also a Marine veteran, tells us the story of Mr. Edson's truly eventful life.
   
   To think that in his early career, in the last days of World War I, Red Mike was seriously considering resigning! Yet, despite long periods of stagnation and limited opportunities for advancement, he stayed the course. During his life, Edson, a very humble and kindly man, never realized what a profoundly positive effect his contribution to the Marine Corps would have. This champion of the Marines was highly influential in planting the seeds of many of the U.S.M.C.s major institutions in the modern age. In fact, the thoroughly established status as a separate branch is significantly due to Red Mike's efforts.
   
   -He contributed to the establishment of M.C.I., the Marine Corps Institute. This was his first major post WWI assignment.
   -Being a highly proficient rifleman, he was a frequent member of the Marine Corps' competitive shooting teams. Although advanced marksmanship has always been a Marine Corps characteristic, Edson's influence in that field made it the institution it is today.
   -He served as Vice-President of the National Rifle Association (an organization EVERY Marine should be a member of!).
   -He was an aviator in the inter-war years, a rare qualification amongst his peers.
   -His experience hunting Sandinista rebels in Nicaragua during the "Banana wars" era of the 1920s and 1930s gave him the knowledge to thoroughly revise the U.S.M.C. Small Wars manual. This is a guide to guerilla war and counter-insurgency still highly valid today.
   -He was a founder of the Raiders during World War II. In fact, he was its greatest war-leader.
   -He recieved the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valorous defense of the allied airfield on Guadalcanal, an action that very likely saved the entire allied effort in its most direly critical moment.
   -He bravely and righteously stood up for the U.S.M.C., in the face of an aggressive and malicious campaign by Harry Truman and various army generals ...to disband, and abolish the Marines, ...or assimilate it into the army. Thankfully, common sense prevailed, and the Marines march on!



2. If you are really interested in the Marine Corps or WW2 History, this is something worth buying. Instead of just making 'Red Mike' Edson a saintly hero of great virtue and courage, the author describes Edson the man with warts and all.

   My only complaint about the book (it wasn't that big because the rest of the book is excellent) was that book didn't go into as much detail about Bloody Ridge (the pinnacle of Edson's combat leadership and which won him the CMH) which is surprising considering how much detail was spent describing the fight against the Sandinistas between WW1 and WW2.




3. "Red Mike" Edson was one fearless warrior. His frontline exploits on Tarawa, Saipan, and Guadalcanal (where he won the Medal of Honor and probably saved the campaign) are the stuff of legends, but he was also, improbably, a first-class staff officer.
   This unusual talent for organization brought him two stars and a role in the highest echelons of the Corps, but it also took him into the fierce politics of the Pentagon and may have indirectly caused his death.
   The history of this fine Marine is well told in this outstanding biography; with photos, bibliography, and index. Highly readable; essential for Marine Corps readers and of great interest to general military history readers and WWII buffs.

   (The numerical rating above is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not employ numerical ratings.)

5 comments about All American: Football, Faith, and Fighting for Freedom.

1. Captain Robert P. McGovern had to work extraordinarily hard to survive roughly four seasons in the NFL. He was no more than a marginal player and had to constantly worry about being cut. It is safe to say, that McGovern was the last one picked and the first one released. He truly became the best that he could possibly be. His strong work ethic served him well as a both a prosecutor and U.S. Army officer.
   
   The leftist establishment slanders our soldiers as usually some sort of social reject or even psychotic. Capt. McGovern is living proof that this is utterly false. His story is well worth reading. You may wish to provide a copy to the younger people in your family. It should motivate them to also aspire to greatness. Those like myself who never served in the military have a particular obligation to thank McGovern for his self-sacrifice and dedication on behalf of our country. May God bless him.



2. This simpleton of a jerk-off & his ilk are EXACTLY what is wrong with my country. I cannot f+cking wait to leave this country & never return. Enjoy your fascism.



3. Several reviews I have read have come down hard on the author for his stand on the war in Iraq. But this is his autobiography, the story of his life, and his opinion of the war is just one part of it. It is a well-written account of his childhood, his family, his education and his aspirations, and continues into his adulthood to the present time. He lets us know how he was trained by his parents to be unselfish and give back to the community some form of service, and this was undoubtedly the motivation for joining the Army Reserve, and eventually finding himself on active duty in Iraq.
   
   A good part of his story comes before that. He was competing with his older brothers in athletics, trying to be as good as they had been in high school football, and then in college football. He received an athletic scholarship from Holy Cross, an enormous accomplishment in his eyes, and he was grateful for the opportunity. And then came pro football, four years of it on three different teams. He was pretty good at it, but not outstanding. He simply was not big enough (hefty, bulky) to be a great linebacker. He was thankful for this chance to make the big league, but took the advice of one of his coaches to give it up. From there he decided to study law and with his law degree took a job as an Assistant DA in New York City. Then came 9/11, to which he was an eyewitness. In his role as a US Army Reserve officer he volunteered to help. Immediately following, he applied for active duty, leaving his job as assistant DA, and became a prosecutor for the Judge Advocate General Corps, and then deployed to Afghanistan and later to Iraq. His experiences there were extraordinary because he was involved in the trial of Hasan Akbar, the US Army Sergeant who killed two Army officers and wounded a number of others when he threw hand grenades into the tents of the soldiers.
   
   This is a well-written account of the life of a man who became a soldier in the US Army. Why would anyone find it strange that he has strong opinions in favor of the war in Iraq ? It is his contention that we are there as part of the war on terrorism. The patriotic feeling that he had on 9/11 was something that almost all of us shared at that time. For him it continued; for many of us it disappeared.
   
   Should we still be in Iraq? That is a matter for debate, which has been ongoing for some time now. Captain McGovern feels that we are making a difference, and that is why we are still there.
   
   This book is certainly worth reading, if only to gain some insight from a different perspective.



4. The life story of Captain Robert McGovern, is almost "Forrest Gump" like. Rob is one of nine Irish Catholic children, born to Howard and Terry McGovern in New Jersey. Though born in New Jersey, if I were to describe his morals, character, and upbringing, I would describe it in the highest of terms, that most Americans would consider as "mid-western". One of the many, emotionally uplifting themes in this book, is the absolute, enduring, love, and respect, that Rob, constantly proclaims for his parents. He was raised from the beginning, to have high goals, and his older brothers got football scholarships to Holy Cross, as Rob also did later on, but with less fanfare. Just as importantly, he and his siblings were raised to "service" the community. To give something back, and Rob continued this process in college at Holy Cross and while in the National Football League, with outreach programs. When Rob graduated college, no one gave him a chance of making it in the NFL. But he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs, as an undersized, underdog, linebacker, and special team's player. He lasted a few years with numerous teams, making the most of his non-star ability. The way he accomplished this, is with dogged, determination and dedication. To quote Rob: "Being the best at what you do has to be more important to you than partying or chasing girls or hanging out with your buddies. It has to be worth sacrificing the comforts and pleasures of an undirected life and replacing them with long hours of sweat and tears. In football, it also helps to be one tough character." At the end of Rob's short NFL career, he attended law school, and upon graduation, became an assistant D.A. in Manhattan. In keeping with his personal goal, of giving service to his community/country, he also joined the Army Reserves.
   
   Then, on the forever-fateful day, of September 11, 2001, Rob was on the way to work in Manhattan, when he saw the smoke, and the planes, at the World Trade Center. He couldn't get to work, so he went home and put on the TV, and heard an announcement, that military men were needed at "ground-zero" to help look for bodies. Even though he was in the reserves, he donned his uniform, and went to "ground-zero", and helped recover the remains of victims for days. Rob, happened to be there, when President Bush arrived, and shook the Commander In Chief's hand, and was so moved, he decided he wanted to go on active duty and help America fight back. Because Rob was 38 years old, they wouldn't let him go on active duty. He persisted in every way possible, and was finally accepted as a Judge Advocate General. (JAG) He proceeded to go to Afghanistan and Iraq and assisted in "Rules Of Engagement" (ROE) enforcement. From there, he went in to criminal prosecution. He wound up on the successful prosecution team, that convicted Sergeant Hasan Akbar, probably the worst, United States Military criminal, in the last 30-40 years. To refresh your memory, Akbar, was the traitor, who the night before, we were going to launch Operation Iraqi Freedom, attacked his comrades, with grenades and small-arms fire. He wounded more than a dozen troops. Two were dead.
   
   There is much more, to the life story, of a man who loves his country, loves his family, loves God, and has dedicated his life to enforcing freedom throughout the world, but let me conclude my review, by having Rob tell you why he named his book "All American". "You might wonder about the use of "All-American" in the title. First of all, let me say off the bat that I'm not talking about myself here. What is an "All-American" anyway? I've met some real "All-Americans- quiet, unassuming, heroic people who inspire students, protect us from crime, and defend our values. They are "All-American" in every sense of the phrase. I chose this title in part to pay tribute to these "All-American", I've been lucky enough to meet and work with through the years. I also chose it to pay special tribute to the men and women of our armed forces, especially those in the 82nd Airborne Division. That famous unit happens to be called the All-American Division."



5. An extraordinary account of one good man standing tall for the best of American values.

1 comments about In Their Own Words - WWII: The European Theater (Topics Entertainment-History (CD)).

1. Nothing can really substitute for listening to the accounts of the soldiers themselves who fought in war. Much has been written by former soldiers of their trials in combat but rarely are they recorded in an interview. This is an excellent compilation, well recorded and produced, of such accounts from a cross section the various campaigns of WWII. Not many veterans open up to discuss war to their family or anyone so listening to these heroes is a rare exception. My father, a veteran of the ETO, saw horrible combat as he battled through France and into Nazi Germany but never mentioned a word of it to his children. These interviews help fill in some of the gaps in understanding the war from their perspective. Thanks to those soldiers who reopened those painful moments to be recorded for others to hear. Even if you are not a student of history I recommend these just for the inspiring stories themselves.

3 comments about Billy Mitchell: Crusader for Air Power (Midland Books: No. 180).

1. The book was pretty much what I expected, but there were some bits of information that I had never read before.



2. "Billy Mitchell: Crusader For Air Power" by Alfred F. Hurley (Professor of History, University of North Texas, publisher of `Air Power History, and a retired USAF Brigadier General) is the biography of the pioneer aviation visionary Billy Mitchell (1879-1936) whose contributions to modern military develop simply cannot be underestimated. The subject of a court-martial in 1925, Brigadier General William `Billy' Mitchell has been celebrated in books, film and television before. But Alfred Hurley's biography of this influential general goes beyond the more sensational aspects of a controversial military career to provide a fuller and more complete picture of the man who dropped out of college in 1898 at the age of 18 to enlist in a volunteer regiment of the army and fight against Spanish forces in the liberation of Cuba, was an avid horseman and hunter, and became the youngest Army captain at the age of 24, and the youngest member of the General Staff at the age of 32. Enhanced with the inclusion of an appendix, notes, bibliography, index, and historic photos, "Billy Mitchell: Crusader For Air Power" is an impressive and strongly recommended addition to community and academic library Military History, Aviation History, and American Biography collections.



3. As an Air Force officer, I read this book because I wanted to learn more about Billy Mitchell and also because it was on the Air Force Chief of Staff recommended reading list.
   
   The book fulfilled my expectations of being a very good introduction to Mitchell and it heightened my appreciation for this amazing airpower visionary. I only gave it 4 stars because it was at times difficult to follow and not exactly a "page-turner." It was, however, very short (less than 200 pages) and thus a fairly quick read.
   
   Before reading this book I didn't know much about Billy Mitchell except that he was old enough to have been around since before there were airplanes and the fact that he was court-martialed. After reading this book, I learned the following on this remarkable airpower pioneer (all of this was amazingly done in the early to mid 1920's):
   
   1. Since World War I, he pushed for a separate Air Force to operate under a new Department of Defense, which he also pushed for. He wanted the Air Force, Army and Navy to all have equal footing under this yet non-existent DoD. This he pushed very hard and was what eventually got him court-marshaled.
   
   2. He was the first one to stress the importance of airpower in future conflicts and basically said that whoever had air superiority would also control the ground.
   
   3. He mentioned having 60% of the force as fighters to gain and maintain air supremacy, 20% strategic bombers, and 20% recon planes.
   
   4. He wrote doctrines on strategic bombardment and stressed, as his Italian counterpart Giulio Douhet originally did, that air forces must target the enemy's vital centers and their capabilities to wage war - factories, fuel, railroads, headquarters, ammo dumps, etc. This went against the early uses and thoughts on airpower - to be used to attack enemy frontline forces only.
   
   5. He foresaw the importance of aircraft carriers and the role they would play in the next conflict.
   
   6. He visited Japan and reported that war with Japan was inevitable. He also posited that the Japanese would attack the US from aircraft carriers and would hit Wake Island, the Philippines, and then finally the islands of Hawaii.
   
   7. He visited Germany and reported back that the Germans were still "militaristic" and that war with Germany was inevitable in the next decade or two. He noted the Germans heavy investment and interest in aviation and foresaw the usage of airpower in the coming Blitzkrieg.
   
   8. He was one of the first to realize the strategic importance of Alaska as a future US state due to it's proximity to Russia, Japan, and the other Pacific islands. He proposed stationing strategic bombers and fighters there - a vision that would be fulfilled in the Cold War. The same can be said for Mitchell's recognition of Guam as a strategic staging island for US bombers.
   
   Nearly all of his predictions would come eerily true in the decade or two after his death in 1936.
   
   The author also handled the court-marshal in a balanced way, in my opinion. He conveyed to the reader that although Mitchell's ideas were revolutionary, and ultimately mostly correct, the means he used to get his point across were less than professional.
   
   Overall, a good read for anyone interested in the origins and development of airpower.

2 comments about The Autobiography of a Seaman.

1. The autobiography of Admiral Lord Cochrane was first published in 1860, the year Cochrane died at the age of 85. Richard Woodman has added an introduction to the present edition. Cochrane only covers the period of his life up through 1814 when he was 39. Consequently, he covers nothing of his later career in Chile, Brazil, and Greece; nothing of his reinstatement in the Royal Navy; and nothing of his immediate family other than a brief account of his marriage to Kitty Barnes (about 20 years younger than Cochrane) by whom he had 5 children.

   Autobiographers always have a bias as the authors are presenting their side of the case (see, for example, Bligh's "Mutiny Aboard the H.M.S. Bounty"). While presenting the details of his early naval career, the main thrust is his campaign against corruption in the Admiralty Courts, the Royal Navy, and the Government in general. Some accounts are almost like comic opera, e.g., the Admiralty Court in Malta.

   Cochrane's service commanding the Speedy from 1800 to 1801 has been fictionalized by Patrick O'Brien in the novel "Master and Commander" in which he replaces Cochrane with the fictional James Aubrey. All the major details are the same, but O'Brien added considerable color to the account.

   Like many good military commanders, Cochrane lacked tact and was not a diplomat. He was promoted to command the Speedy at the age of 25 without having the experience to deal with the protocols of the Royal Navy. He could best be described as a loose cannon. He was unwilling to compromise when a little tact, a closed mouth, and a small amount of back scratching would have achieved major results. His lack of diplomacy caused others to reject well thought out plans simply because he proposed them. Cochrane damaged others around him simply by trying to be their champion, undoubtedly being responsible for Parker's ruin - people in power who Cochrane had offended would naturally take it out on his proteges.

   While not great literature, the autobiography is both a good account of naval service from 1793 to 1809, and a good first-hand account of corruption within politics and the government. The writing style is somewhat like Churchill's history of World War II.




2. Readers familiar with Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series will immediately recognize the source of many of those novels in Admiral Lord Cochrane's "Autobiography of a Seaman."

   Admiral Lord Cochrane was born into a noble Scots family whose fortunes had declined by the time of his birth (1775). Through family connections, he secured a berth as a midshipman at the age of 17 on a British man-of-war in the early years of the Napoleonic Wars. Thereafter, he rose through the ranks of the British navy on the strength of several truly daring and remarkable attacks, capturing or destroying many French and Spanish vessels in a small sloop, and later, a frigate.

   This book tells the stories of those triumphs.

   The romantic aspect of the Napoleonic era is here too, and the tales abound with numerous examples of the dubious military notions of honor among combatants. Moreover, Cochrane moved in the highest circles of the navy and government, and it is surprising to see many prominent names in naval history, (e.g., Admiral Nelson, Captain Bligh) appear casually in these pages.

   Lord Cochrane's exploits - at sea, in politics and in business - are clearly the source of O'Brian's Jack Aubrey. However, whereas O'Brian presents his tales in a highly-polished narrative style similar to Jane Austen, Cochrane croaks out his stories with bombastic self-apology, and delivers the narrative in a choppy and archaic military style, viz., by attaching copies of his despatches to superior officers to explain the events.

   Anyone interested in naval warfare or anyone who likes a good adventure story should read this book. Napoleon's characterization of Cochrane as "le loup des mers" is well deserved. It is unfortunate, however, that Cochrane did not spend more time at sea. The last 100+ pages of this book (except for a trip to Malta) are tedious. Cochrane, perhaps at the peak of his career as a naval officer, became embroiled in reform politics, the court martial of a superior officer, and a stock fraud trial. These three episodes ended his career in Britain, (although he did go on to great success in Chile commanding its revolutionary navy.) Cochrane whines and complains about the most minute details of each case in an attempt to prove his innocence. As a practising litigator, I have represented a few clients who became obsessed with two or three facts which the client believes proves his or her innocence, in the face of dozens of facts which indicate guilt. It is difficult to listen to this type of complaining, but Cochrane takes it to new heights: this autobiography, written in 1865, spends a score of pages reviewing the 1814 testimony of witnesses on whether one stock-fraud participant wore a red or a green coat. Dreary stuff.

   Readers who hope to glean some Freudian insight into his psychological make-up, or anyone hoping for a character like Diana Villiers will not enjoy this work. Although Cochrane says of himself, "my life has been one of the most romatic on record", (p.316), it is not the romance a modern reader might think. The section dealing with his marriage comprises three pages. His wife and mother are the only women mentioned, and only in passing.

   Once again, a major flaw with this, like other nautical books, is the absence or inadequacy of maps. The action at Basque Roads would be much more comprehensible if the reader knew the position of the British fleet, the French fleet, Isle d'Aix, etc.

   This book is a good read to the extent it focuses on Cochrane's naval actions, but that portion of the autobiography that focuses on politics and trials is no more interesting to readers now than it was when it was written.

No comments about Valor: A Gathering of Eagles.

5 comments about Ultimate Spy (expanded).

1. This book has more pictures than text. It basically is a photo album of some spying equipment, this equipment is mostly pre cold war. It has very short description with the pictures, that are at times not even accurate or that miss crucial information. This a great book for the average eight year old, as it will surely appeal to their fantasy..............



2. An excellent compendium of espionage gadgets up to and including the cold war. Many from the World War II era. Some history describing the more prominant practioners. Current gadgets as modified by current miniature electronics are not gone into as most of them are still classified. Excellent pictures and some proofreading goofs (none that serious).



3. This book is filled with excellent photos with great descriptions. The best historical book on spy hardware that I have ever seen. It does need to be re-proof read though... I noticed at least 3 spots where the text just ends in mid sentence which seemed really odd for a book of this caliber. It's just a minor irritation but otherwise it's a 5 star book.



4. 100% recomend to learn about spy history



5. I was given this book as a gift and think the photographs in it are absolutely great! The text that accompanies all the photos is interesting, but I've noticed more than just a few spots in the book where the captions to the photos stops in mid-sentence. I still love the book and if those captions were complete; it would rate 5 stars.

3 comments about By Duty Bound: Survival and Redemption in Vietnam.

1. Thank You General Ware! - Sir!
   This book should be required reading for high school and, or college students.
   This is an amazing story of survival, and of the two men who had to over come enormous obstacles to save themselves.
   I don't want to say to much about the story. So, I'll just say Mr Ware (his title when he was shot down) and his pilot at the time they are forced down in the jungle and must find a way to survive for longer then I thought possible in that jungle.
   That being said, this is not just a war story. This is the story of a man who refused to be told he wouldn't be able to accomplish his long held goal/dream. And the opposition to his aspirations started very early in rural Mississippi.
   This much more then a war story this is lesson for all young people about how to reach those goals you have set for yourself.
   I can't recommend this book to highly. I found it hard to put down, but by the same token I hated to see it end. I will be reading again.
   General Ware has joined a small group of people I consider my heroes.
   
   91B20 1967



2. This is the most gripping suspense-filled book that I've read in years.
   I honestly couldn't put it down. And it's hard to believe that it's a true story.
   Brigadier General (ret) Ezell Ware's story will hold your interest from
   page one to the very end. His heroism and courage will inspire whether or not you're a military fan.
   I highly recommend this book.



3. Oh man! i just kind of happened on this book and real glad I bought it. He is a black officer, shot down in the jungles of Vietnam, with him is only one other person. That person HATES blacks. So they have to try to work together. Oh yeah, the racist is injured and can't walk by himself. Very good read.

No comments about Chief of Staff, Vol. 2: The Principal Officers Behind History's Great Commanders, World War II to Korea and Vietnam.

5 comments about The Last Parallel: A Marine's War Journal.

1. I first read this book when I was nineteen, I am now 55. I must have read it at least twenty times since that first time. What draws me in every time is that this author is very similar to me. We both have an approach to life that wavers between the philosophical and to finding humor in all situations. It's like you are always standing outside any situation you are in, observing it. The approach is similar to Appocalypse Now, where Martin Sheen is exposed to a bewildering array of experiences, that astound, fascinate, repel and induce deep thought trying to comprehend. Humor is the salve that prevents implosion. Standing on top of a pillbox, with the possibility of getting shot, and yelling "What, after all, is art?" is the type of goofy thing I did, and still do. When they go out on patrol, in the middle of the night, in no man's land, it is like entering dream/nightmare world. I was pleased to find an article about Martin Russ, in the "celebrity" section last page of Parade magazine, that magazine included in the Sunday paper, maybe seven years ago. Very satisfying was the revelation that Stanley Kubrick the director had optioned the book, and had spent six months working with Russ on a script. Sadly never produced. Perhaps it's better there are no-one else's big-screen visions that don't match my inner screen's take. This book has it's share of the exciting shooting stuff, but it is not the main focus. The part when they are in no-mans land, in the middle of a confused nighttime firefight, and the young liutenant is dying, in a muddy field, asking for his mother in delerium, well, that gets to me. The true essence of war. I highly recommend this book.



2. to the universe of memoirs that came out of the Korean War but like many similar books the reader is forced to wade through lots of personal rememberances and vague references to encounters with various women to find the interesting parts about serving as a combat infantryman. Perhaps a re-editing of the book to about 100 pages would help. Also I would his 'hipster' 50s style tone rather grating.



3. Russ hits the nail on the head when it comes to the boredom and then instant terror of war. The smells, sounds and foolishness of what we went through is already being glossed over by the liberal revisionists of our history. I was there, a good 11 months before Russ, and we had just come from Chosin and 1st Mar Div units were sectoring to the west. God (and a Navy Corpsman) kept me alive to at least read this narrative and comment on it. From where Russ begins his story he is right on, as scores of Marines I've talked to who were there in '52-'53 corroborate his view. We lost as many dead and wounded during his period as the Inchon to Seoul to the Yalu and back to Pusan period. As the "notebook" diary he kept was a no-no, at least he can quote times and places that I have long since refused to remember. A must-read book, along with Brady's "The Coldest War" narrated from an officer's perspective. Both books tell it as it was. In case anybody wants to store a trivia fact,
   there is no such label as an "ex-Marine". Semper Fi---



4. This is the third first-person account of the Korean War I have reviewed here during the last year (the others were James Brady, The Coldest War : A Memoir of Korea, review date May 27, 2000, and James R. Owen, Colder Than Hell : A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin Reservoir. review date December 8, 2000), and I have enjoyed all three. No war is pretty, but the Korean War was especially ugly: Most of the fighting took place over cold and barren ground from World War I-style trenches; the enemy, North Koreans and Chinese, was tough and relentless; and the conflict ended in a cruel stalemate that essentially persists to this day. The author of this memoir, Corporal (later Sergeant) Martin Russ describes Seoul, the capital of South Korea, as "a huge trash heap," and the countryside as "a frozen patchwork of fields and rice paddies."

   By the time Russ arrived in Korea in December 1952, the war had been in progress for two and one-half years. Although Russ was trained to be a small-arms mechanic, he informs us that all marines underwent advanced infantry training before being sent to Korea, and he spent most of his time as a rifleman in trenches. Five days after he arrived in at his post in the field in January 1953, he wrote: "I consider it an honor to be here." It was, however, a hard life. An occasional chocolate chip cookie is balanced by "an obscene putrescence in one of the cans which is labeled `Ham and Eggs.'" According to Russ: "It is impossible to keep anything clean; showers of dirt fall each time an incoming shell lands anywhere nearby." At one point, Russ describes himself and his fellows as "bearded, filthy, and stinking." As a result, Russ writes: "The portable showers [were] a real luxury."

   The trenches of the Chinese forces were no more than 200 yards away, and firefights occurred every night. The fighting often lasted only for a few minutes (in one instance, Russ writes: "The fire fight lasted for at least five minutes - a hell of a prolonged encounter for this type of situation"), but it could be terrifying. Even when they weren't fighting, the marines were almost continuously exposed to danger. They often patrolled through heavily-mined rice paddies, looking for "line jumpers,...Korean or Chinese spies that had gotten through" the Allies' main line of resistance. The possibility of imminent combat was so great that it was, according to Russ, "mandatory to carry one's weapon when outside" at all times. On one occasion, a Chinese mortar round lands in the middle of a group of marines, and Russ reports that another marines described the scene as a "slaughterhouse." On another occasion, after "heavy assaults" by the Chinese on several successive nights, Russ characterizes the marine casualties as "appalling." Russ's crude drawings and diagrams help to illustrate the points he is making.

   Russ writes revealingly about his peers: "As a marine, one almost feels obliged to conceal any emotion except anger;" and "The average marine...hates sailors, is not averse to beating up homosexuals, and loathes civilians." It probably was inevitable that some marines would turn that anger inward, and Ross reports: "Suicide is not a rare occurrence in the Corps." According to Russ, "the men of the Corps are the most skillful killers in the world." Russ describes one instance in which a marine is killed while hunting for souvenirs, and this is the verdict of one of his peers: "He was a fool. I don't feel sorry for him; only for his folks."

   Russ's writing often is colorful, and he clearly has a gift for observation. However, like the Brady and Owen books, his account makes few references to the geopolitical struggle at the heart of the Korean War. And readers wanting to learn about the big picture of the early Cold War also must look elsewhere. But I now believe that there is considerable value in reading about the individual infantryman's experience in this or any other conflict, and Russ's battlefield memoir is one of the best from the Korean War. Thanks to Brady, Owen, and Russ, this is no longer the "forgotten war."




5. For people who want to get a good idea on what it's like to be a Marine, I think that this is a great book. The book takes the reader through not only the excitement in war, but also the mundane parts of it. Very few books that I've read do this, and I was pleased to find one that did.