This is an amazing book worth giving any Marine or former Marine or any of those many people who are interested in the story of the United States Marines. On top of the navy blue canvas cover features the ornate United States Marine Seal that buldges up in its nooks and crannies and has the feel of a metal that provides this feeling of pride for the Marines and ownership of the history of such a exceptional military institution. However the good stuff is inside with informative information of the Marines from beginning of their formation to what is expected of them in the 21st century and its tied in with a multitude of pictures in which most I never seen before (despite me being military enthusiast) that explains the text perfectly and will wow you.

This book is one of the most impressive I've ever seen. Very well put together with a wealth of easy-to-read information concerning the "World's Finest" United States Marine Corps. Designed with the class and style in which only the Marine Corps is capable of inspiring. (Thank you mom for this Christmas treasure!) Semper Fidelis!

This book is a meticulously compiled, beautifully crafted history of our nation's finest military force. It goes beyond the battles and looks at the minutiae that made Marines what they are - from weapons and recruiting posters, to sea stories and folklore, to the heroism and valor that have been hallmarks of the Marine Corps since 1775. Of the many books on this almost mythical institution that I have read, the best by far is this unique and all encompassing volume by one of the Marine Corps most prominent and loving chroniclers. Heritage is the thread that makes the Marines what they are - the tangible link between the first Sea Soldiers and the current Marines even now serving the flag in dangerous places like Kosovo. For those who hold the Corps sacred, this book should become the Holy Grail of Marine Corps histories.

A few weeks ago i read Acceptable Loss for the second time after first reading it several years ago. Over the last ten years ive read well over a 100 memoirs written by guys who served in WW2 and Vietnam and in my opinion this book ranks up there as one of the better ones. Its fast paced and interesting yet its not just a book of war stories, in comparison with my other fav vietnam memoirs like Chickenhawk, Ghosts and Shadows, Baptism, Killing Zone, Father Soldier Son and Hundred Miles it too delves a few layers deeper than your average memoir in describing the physical and psychological toll combat in an unpopular war has on a young man. After finsishing the book while down the jersey shore on vacation this past summer i made it a point to see for the first time the n.j. vietnam veterans memorial during my trip north on the garden state parkway and find the name of the ranger who was killed while on patrol with Kregg towards the begining of the book. .... As for the book i highly recommend it to military buffs and many others who may be thinking about reading a first person account of the war.

Kregg Jorgenson takes you through his very personal and both physically and mentally painful account of his entire time in Vietnam. Although a decorated "hero", he shows us how he found something far more improtant than his medals or cause: his "buddies". He guides the reader through the numerous harrowing experiences that re-shaped his whole way of thinking and does not try to gloss over his own shortcomings. The one over-riding thing I can say about this book is that it is honest. There are no stats, no overall perspective, just the plain truth about what he witnessed and felt during his tour. That is the most shocking, honourable, moving and often funny thing he can write. An immensely enjoyable book, so much so I read it virtually everywhere I got a chance to sit down; gripping to the last.

I have to admit that after reading Kregg Jorgenson's book that I have begun to think differently of Vietnam. He gives a truthful account of the brutalness of war. The descriptions and the situations are very well described and I felt as I was living vicariously through his accounts. If you have an interest in the war and the not just the media account of it, read this book and you will see through the eyes of the soldier.

Let me start this review by confessing that I am biased. One of my letters from Vietnam is included in the book. I therefore view the book differently from the average reader.

I also got an advance copy of the book a week before the official release date, and have been able to read it.

Andrew Carroll produced this book by reading through almost 50,000 letters and selected roughly 200 that best show what everyday life in the military - and in war - are like from the viewpoint of the average soldier, sailor, marine, and airman.

Andy was able to get these letters by persuading Dear Abby to publish an appeal in her column on Veteran's Day in 1998. The column urged readers to contribute these letters so that the sacrifices of the writers would not be forgotten. The result was a flood of 50,000 letters - some faded, some muddy, some blood-stained, and one pierced by a bullet. One letter was written on Hitler's personal stationary by an American sergeant who worked in Hitler's personal quarters in Germany just after WW II. What could be a better symbol of justice?

The letter writers' views are very different than the views you will get by reading the memoirs of a general or an admiral. When I was in the Army, there was a wonderful comment that explained life in the Infantry:

"The general gets the glory, The family gets the body, and We get another mission."

Your view of the military - and of war - changes depending on your position in this food chain.

Overcoming an enemy machine gun is an interesting technical problem when you are circling a firefight in a helicopter at 1,000 feet. You take a very different view of the problem when you are so close to the machine gun that your body pulses from the shock wave of the muzzle blast.

These letters were written by soldiers while they were in the military. They are describing events that happened that day, the pervious day, or the previous week. Their memories are very fresh. Their views also are very different from the views that someone might have when writing his memoirs thirty years later. In thirty years the everyday pains, problems, and terrors could very well be forgotten or become humorous.

The book groups these letters by war or police action. There are sections for letters from the Civil War, WW I (the war to end wars), WW II, Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and Somolia/Bosnia/Kosovo.

Some things never change. The Civil War letter writers grumble about poor food, tiresome marches, mindless sergeants and incompetent officers. The Vietnam letter writers (myself included) grumbled about the same things.

One anguished letter was from an officer in Vietnam who was torn by his need to hide his opposition to the war for fear of demoralizing his men. At the end of the letter is a brief comment explaining that the officer stepped on a mine and died shortly after writing this letter.

Welcome to life in the military. Welcome to war.

You should read this book if you want to see what life was like and is like in the military and in war.

Let me start this review by confessing that I am biased. One of my letters from Vietnam is included in the book. I therefore view the book differently from the average reader.

I also got an advance copy of the book a week before the official release date, and have been able to read it.

Andrew Carroll produced this book by reading through almost 50,000 letters and selected roughly 200 that best show what everyday life in the military - and in war - are like from the viewpoint of the average soldier, sailor, marine, and airman.

Andy was able to get these letters by persuading Dear Abby to publish an appeal in her column on Veteran's Day in 1998. The column urged readers to contribute these letters so that the sacrifices of the writers would not be forgotten. The result was a flood of 50,000 letters - some faded, some muddy, some blood-stained, and one pierced by a bullet. One letter was written on Hitler's personal stationary by an American sergeant who worked in Hitler's personal quarters in Germany just after WW II. What could be a better symbol of justice?

The letter writers' views are very different than the views you will get by reading the memoirs of a general or an admiral. When I was in the Army, there was a wonderful comment that explained life in the Infantry:

"The general gets the glory, The family gets the body, and We get another mission."

Your view of the military - and of war - changes depending on your position in this food chain.

Overcoming an enemy machine gun is an interesting technical problem when you are circling a firefight in a helicopter at 1,000 feet. You take a very different view of the problem when you are so close to the machine gun that your body pulses from the shock wave of the muzzle blast.

These letters were written by soldiers while they were in the military. They are describing events that happened that day, the pervious day, or the previous week. Their memories are very fresh. Their views also are very different from the views that someone might have when writing his memoirs thirty years later. In thirty years the everyday pains, problems, and terrors could very well be forgotten or become humorous.

The book groups these letters by war or police action. There are sections for letters from the Civil War, WW I (the war to end wars), WW II, Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and Somolia/Bosnia/Kosovo.

Some things never change. The Civil War letter writers grumble about poor food, tiresome marches, mindless sergeants and incompetent officers. The Vietnam letter writers (myself included) grumbled about the same things.

One anguished letter was from an officer in Vietnam who was torn by his need to hide his opposition to the war for fear of demoralizing his men. At the end of the letter is a brief comment explaining that the officer stepped on a mine and died shortly after writing this letter.

Welcome to life in the military. Welcome to war.

You should read this book if you want to see what life was like and is like in the military and in war.

This book, War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars, by Andrew Carroll (Editor) is a touching book. With the recent release of the movie Pearl Harbor, the questions that my generation wants to ask the veterans of war are rising out of the ashes once again. Carroll did an excellent job of putting together a collage of soldier's letters which portrays the true emotions of our freedom fighters. Recently having studied many of the wars included in this book, War Letters pulled everything into one book; from the Civil War all the way through Bosnia/Kosovo. The letters in WWI and WWII seemed more hopeful, and 'the great generation' seemed more patriotic. While the soldiers fighting Vietnam had more of a sense of urgency, kind of 'get this over with already' attitude. A common theme with all the letters was they were writing to loved ones, and would claim they would see them soon. Unfortunately, many of these letters were the 'last letters' to the families, some even written on backs of photographs, on scratch paper, or on Hitler's personal stationary. Also, these letters are written a few hours, days, or weeks after the events happened. The soldier has no opportunity to hear what the media said, or how the nation reacted to such a horrific event. They write with their souls, spilling their guts to their families, and shedding their blood for their nation. Granted, having just completed one year of US History helps me understand these events just that much more, but all in all, this book was everything from terrifying to heart warming.

In the words of Rush Limbaugh, "War is about killing people and breaking things." Personally, I think Rush Limbaugh is a jerk. And I assumed that John Carl Roat's book, CLASS-29: THE MAKING OF U.S. NAVY SEALS would be about training a bunch of 20-something jerks with inflated egos and terminal testosterone poisoning. I was wrong.

The candidates for SEAL training may well have started out that way, but by the time the few survivors had graduated (a minescule percentage of the original applicants) they were very different men indeed.

In an odd sort of way, Roat's CLASS-29 is a love story. We watch as the young trainees learn from their own experience that no matter how tough they think they are, they can only survive with help from the guy beside them. Soon this evolves into a sort of reliance, as they learn that they will only survive as a team; and then into genuine affection and respect. These kids come in all puffed up and clueless, and they come out as men who would lay down their lives for the good of the team, for the survival of their teammates. That they are superbly conditioned fighting machines is secondary - vitally important, but secondary none the less. Now that macho attitude has a vital core of respect and integrity.

It's a wonderful story. Roat spins a good yarn. The physical challenge of the training will make your hair stand on end. That these guys were able to joke in the midst of it is a tribute to their resiliance. That they came out of it imbued with absolute respect for another as well as love of country is a tribute to the training.

Too many times we have heard the stories of impossible jobs done by incredible men. John Carl Roat's "Class-29" is not the newest story or version of such. Roat's book is the unabashed and almost unbelieveably unbiased truth about the creation of a U.S. Navy SEAL. Roat's ability to write honesty and forthrightly about himself and those members of Class-29, keeps you on the edge of incrediblity as to just how much stamina and drive one can find to keep themselves going.

Most know and understand a Navy SEAL is, at minimum, most celebrated for his ability to face any and all odds and serious adversity and still successfuly complete a nasty, impossible assignment; survive, and be immediately prepared to begin and complete yet another dirty outrageous assignment.

We have all heard and read of the many stories of SEAL valor, courage and various abilities under fire and against any and all odds. But, until now, we did not have the opportunity to understand just how one becomes eligible to be a SEAL, or what testing is necessary to assure a SEAL candidate will be able to give all, take the unpredictable and indeterminate punishment, and still complete almost any and all assignments.

John Carl's book clearly demonstrates basic truth a SEAL must face to become fortunate enough to earn the right to wear the "Trident."

Roat writes in a passioned and understanding way, remarkably remembering clearly, despite his tender age during that time, the obstacles and comraderie experienced by himself and his Class 29 mates. He is able to make the training, testing and truth finding experience come alive, facilitating the reader's ability to understand how a mere man can become a U.S. Navy SEAL and the most highly trained and dangerous warrior in the arsenal of any armed force.

Roat lets the reader see that the SEAL starts with an individual's basic interior framework, and continues to test his strength with the harsh truths from which the SEAL is trained.

John Carl Roat writes from the heart and in truth. I personally vouch for his characterizations of himself and his teammates as although I did not have the honor to serve with John, I had the opportunity and honor to serve with other members of Class-29. I was fortunate and lucky enough to become a member and graduate of Class 40, and serve with Underwater Demolition Team 21.

SEALS are still created from TRUTH.

The author's retelling of what he and his fellow teammates wentthrough during U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Team training is anexcellent account of determination and teamwork. This book is not a typical special warfare, shoot-em-up, Rambo-type story. It's just the real deal, no BS description of what it takes, and what kind of person has what it takes, to make it through the world's hardest training program. Alot of what John Roat describes about what he and his fellow teammates had to do, has parallels with many other aspects of everyday life; not just military training. Having the motivation, ingenuity, and just plain guts to tough it out when the going seems impossible, and you could just as easily quit. A great read!

This book was one of the best books on 75th rangers in vietnam. The deadly 6 man hunter killer teams that stalked the VC and NVA for days at a time with no words spoken is facinateing. They are the best at what they did..killing and they were the best in the business. This book is the best. Read it and you will feel difrent about what you thought you were about to read.

Marvelous book - I've read it twice. Don's a "hometown boy" and like many young men from our county,was eager to challenge the adventures of life. Unfortunately for so many of us, that first adventure was war. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a factual account of young men in combat. (Don will be a featured guest on a forthcoming edition of Veterans For Veterans, a 30 minute weekly TV show broadcast on TCI Cable channels 38 and 3 in McHenry County, IL on Wednesdays at 2100) James W. Doran, Superintendent, Veterans Assistance Commission of McHenry County, IL

This is the best of the books I have read about the LRP rangers. You feel like you actually know the them, and feel for them when one of them dies. It gives a very real look at not only what happens on the battlefield, but also what goes on at their base camp. All the drugs, sex, and police calls you can handle. Of the two I found the John L. Rotundo portion to be the most interesting, but Ericson still does a fantastic job. Whether they are hiding from MP's in the local bar or out in the field ambushing a group of half-stepping NVA, it's exciting throughout.

The only complaint I can say I have about this book is that it gets mildly confusing. They switch back in forth telling their own stories in no particular order, which, as you might think, gets annoying. But this is not enough to hamper enjoyment of this great book. Recommended to anyone who likes war stories or the LRP books.

John Leppelman gives an unvarnished, first hand account of an Airborne soldier in 3 tours of Vietnam. The battle descriptions are very detailed and description of life there very lucid. The book is well written and moves quickly. The totality of the book's battles and struggles hits you like a sledgehammer. Definitely a read if you want to understand the Vietnam War or soldier.

I got word of John Leppleman's book from the author himself. Upon entering the sport of skydiving, I bought my first rig from John. He gave me a few details on his new book that he just wrote. Grabbing a copy of it, I found it to be fascinating from start to finish. This book told it all. From the line duty of a grunt, to a ranger, to boat support, John did it all in Vietnam. I have now read over twenty vietnam books focusing on Rangers and Lurps. I don't think I would have gotten into them as much if I had not read John's book. I am now in the process of reading it again. I think that there is enough detail and information in his book that I didn't catch it all the first time. For anyone who wants to read a thorough book on the war, this is a must.

One day I asked my dad if he could loun me a good reading book on the Vietnam war. He handed me Blood on the Risers! I learned many things by reading John's book like how the press lied and hid things from the men and wemon at home, and how the War was limited like it shouldn't have been. After all it was a War not a picnick. I wish I could meet Mr. Leppelman and speak with him. I'v read many nonfictional and fictional books but nothing compares to Blood on the Risers!

Mills' book tells it like it was! I should know, I'm Joe Crockett, his first crewchief mentioned in Chapter Four. I find Hugh Mills' to be a great pilot, and great man, and a great author. This isn't an easy story to tell, but Hugh manages to allow even the novice to the Vietnam War, a chance to ride in the cockpit of a Hughes OH-6A "Loach"! It had been 28 years since Hugh and I flew missions together and reading "Low Level Hell" took me back to a time, rich in experience. I highly reccomend this book to anyone with the slightest interest in Army Aviation and the Vietnam War!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Low Level Hell" by Hugh L. Mills. From July, 1968 to July, 1969 I was with the Big Red One assigned to Alpha Company, 2nd Bn., 16th Infantry. Mills book brought back many memories - both good and bad. It was particularly meaningful for me since A-2/16 worked all over the Division's TAOR and the names of the villages and towns Mills wrote about were familiar to me. I have often remarked that the BRO's air support was exceptional and reading "Low Level Hell" reminded me of that once again. It also gave me a better understanding and appreciation of the role of the hunter / killer teams and how they were a major factor in minimizing casualties. To quote from the book "First Infantry Division in Vietnam" at page 126: "As the year 1968 was about to pass into history, the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry reviewed the year with a profound sense of pride. Much was accomplished but they were not content to rest upon past laurels. The year 1969 was met with the same loyalty, skill and determination which made the 1st Squadron, 4th United States Cavalry the most respected and feared unit of the 1st Infantry Division." - I know from reading "Low Level Hell" that Hugh Mills and the rest of Troop D (air) significantly contributed to the loyalty, skill and determination that earned the reputation that has become legendary.

I think "Low Level Hell" would make an excellent movie. There's lots of action sequences: The chemistry between Hugh Mills and Rod Willis would play well not to mention the camaraderie among Troop D (air) at Phu Loi. I hope it will be playing some day soon at a theatre near me - And, I will keep my eye out for another Mills book chronicling his and Willis' second tour with "Darkhorse" and, if we're lucky, a third one all about his days as a Cobra pilot with the 101st.

Excellent book about some of the dedicated aviators that supported us infantrymen in the Big Red One in Vietnam. As a LRRP in Co.F/52nd Inf. (LRP), 1st Inf. Division in 1968, I always felt that we had tremendous helicopter support. Our LRP company originated as a part of 1st Sq./4th Cavalry, and they regarded us and watched over us from above like brothers. We often called upon the Cobra gunships of D Troop (Air), 1st Sq./4th Cav, call sign: Darkhorse, and they never let us down. Mills book provides us with a cockpit view of their hunter-killer team missions, as opposed to the direct gun-ship support role in which we generally saw Darkhorse. But the 'guns blazing' tactics were obviously the same for the scout ship pilots as they always were for the gunship pilots/co-pilots. Very interesting reading, and the place names brought back many exciting memories of those days over 30 years ago, when we ourselves operated around Phu Loi, Lai Khe , An Loc, the Iron Triangle, Catchers Mitt, and other locations he mentions. Knowing that Darkhorse pilots like Mills always 'had our back', was a reassuring feeling. Could not possibly express enough gratitude to such pilots and crews for the way they supported us. An excellent addition to any Vietnam library.

I read this book a number of years ago and saw it in a [local store] recently with a new cover on it. I picked it up and read the new information in the front and back. Johnnie tried getting this book published for four years before someone actually did. Even that is a neat story. I'm a Vietnam vet too. I spent two years there. ...My book is similar to Johnnies.

I must admit I was a bit surprised at how good this book is. Having been through my share of paperback Vietnam War books, I find a lot of lousy books out there written by veterans whose reasons for writing were only because they've been there, not because they write well, or even because they have a good story to tell. Not so for J. Clark's "Guns Up!" This book contains a wealth of characters that the author had met in Vietnam. His story pays tribute to the heroics and personalities of each and everyone of them. Through the author's narratives, readers will find themselves developing special bond to these characters. I even managed to find several tear-jerking moments within the book. The author accomplishes all this and more without pretention -- the book is absolutely easy to read and events within are involving. If you find yourself browsing the Vietnam War paperbacks, and yet can't decide on a good book, I recommend to you Clark's "Guns Up!"

I've read this book five times, twice to my sons. Each time I've read it I have come away with a new admiration for Johnnie Clark and his buddy Chan. It is an incredible story about a Marine's struggle in Vietnam and the gruelling hardships they had to endure. Johnnie through his friend Chan saw how the power of God can be seen even in War. Meet such characters as "Swift Eagle", the full blooded Indian who felt more at home in Vietnam than the US, and the strange "Sam the blooper man" who loves to shock new troops to Vietnam by sucking on a human ear. Having read countless books about Vietnam, I have enjoyed this the most! One day I want to meet Johnnie M. Clark.

Although I am an avid reader of American military history, I read few first-person accounts of war because I tend to prefer books about geopolitics, grand strategy, and decisive weapons systems. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book about a marine officer's experience during the Korean War. It was easy reading, its narrative was straightforward, informative, and, I believe, honest, and it provided some valuable insights into the harsh realities of the first of the Cold War's regional conflicts.

The United States' "forgotten war" began on June 25, 1950, when the People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) invaded the Republic of Korea (South Korea). At the time, Author Joseph Owen was a Marine Corps lieutenant stationed in North Carolina, living with his wife and their two young children. According to Owen: "Nobody at Camp Lejeune had expected a shooting war. Nor were we ready for one." A captain who had been an adviser to the South Korean Marine Corps predicted Korea would be "[o]ne lousy place to fight a war. Too hot in summer, too cold in winter, and straight up and down mountain terrains all year round. Except for those stinking rice paddies down in the valleys. Human manure they use. Worst stink in the world." Nevertheless, according to Owen: "The possibility of American Marines in a combat role excited us." Owen writes: "The North Koreans continued to overpower the meager resistance offered by the South Korean soldiers....Seoul, the South Korean capital, fell with hardly a fight, and the Red blitzkrieg rolled southward. In response, President Truman escalated American involvement in the war. He ordered General MacArthur, America's supreme commander in the Far East, to use U.S. Army troops stationed in Japan to stem the invaders." And: "General MacArthur called for a full division of Marines to help him turn back the North Koreans. According to Owen: "The Marine Corps welcomed the call, but we did not have a full division to put in the field;" and "More than seven thousand of us at Camp Lejeune received orders to proceed by rail to Camp Pendleton. There they would form into companies and embark for Korea." Owen's unit, "Baker-One-Seven became one of three rifle companies if the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment....Our ranks were filled by 215 men and 7 officers who had never before served together....Many of [the privates] were beardless teenagers with little training beyond the basics of shouldering a rifle and marching in step." While training, there was much concern about the readiness of the Marines for combat. At one point, after a sergeant remarks that the troops need more training in boot camp, Owen succinctly invokes reality: "They are not going to boot camp. They are going aboard ship. And they are going to fight." On September 1, the company boarded a Navy transport for the three-week voyage to east Asia. According to Owen: "Ready or not, we were on the way to war." And, according to Owen, the 1st Marine Division's orders were "to go for the Yalu River," North Korea's border with China. At one point, a veteran officer provides this paraphrase of William Tecumseh Sherman's famous dictum: "War is hell, but you never know what particular kind of hell it's going to be." The Korean War hell was cold and barren. Owen writes: "We were chilled through and bone tired as we slogged our way back to battalion....The bivouac was lumpy with rocks and boulders;" "The cold weather was as formidable an enemy as the Chinese;" and "Rarely did the [daily action] reports exceed zero degrees, and there were lows of twenty below."

By the time Owen's outfit arrived in Korea, he writes, "we were making bets that the war would be over before we got into it." Owen's Marines could not have been more wrong. While Owen is inspecting his men's weapons, a private asks: "Think we'll get shot at today, Lieutenant?" Owen replies: "We're taking the point for the regiment. If the gooks are there, they'll be shooting at us." A few pages later, after the outfit's first experience in combat, Owen comments: "We were fortunate that the enemy had not chosen a "fight-to-the-death" defense of this hill, as they would when we advanced farther north." But some fighting was hand-to-hand. At one point, Owen writes: "Judging from the noise they were making, and the direction of their grenades, the North Koreans were preparing to attack, not more than thirty yards away." The Captain tells Owen and the other subordinate officers: "The Chinese have committed themselves to this war....The people we will fight are the 124th Division of the Regular Chinese Army....They're tough, well-trained soldiers, ten thousand of them. And all of their officers are combat experienced, their very best....A few hours from now we'll have the Chinese army in our gunsights. We'll be in their gunsights. You damn well better have our people ready for some serious fighting." The combat was, indeed, brutal. According to Owen: "The Chinese attacked in massive numbers, an overwhelming weight, but they also endured terrible casualties." Owen recalls that, while waiting for one Chinese attack, the "men stacked Chinese bodies in front of the holes for greater protection." And the fighting around the frozen Chosin Reservoir may have been the most brutal of the war. Owen ultimately suffered wounds requiring 17 months of treatment, and he never regained full use of one arm.

A few months ago, I reviewed James Brady's wonderful The Coldest War: A Memoir of Korea here. This book has different charms. Whereas Brady is a gifted professional writer, there is no elegant prose here. But Owen provides an equally vivid account of this ugly war. Big, sophisticated studies of military history focusing on geopolitical principles and grand strategy rarely offer narrative moments like the ones in this book. Reader are unlikely to forget the Korean War after reading Joseph Owen's Colder than Hell.

Colder than Hell: A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin Reservoir. By Joseph R. Owen. Reviewed by Mike Davino

Army Korean War expert Lieutenant Colonel Roy Appleman has called the 1st Marine Division of the Chosin Reservoir campaign "one of the most magnificent fighting organizations that ever served in the United States Armed Forces." The remarkable and inspiring story of the division at the Chosin Reservoir has been the subject of numerous books and several films. During their fighting withdrawal, the Marines decimated several divisions of the Chinese People's Liberation Army while at the same time fighting an exceptionally harsh winter environment.

Joseph Owen's new book on the subject tells the story from the cutting edge perspective of a rifle company. The author served as a mortar section leader and rifle platoon commander in Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines from its activation in August 1950 through the Inchon-Seoul and Chosin fighting where he was severely wounded.

There are many reasons given for the outstanding performance of the Marines in northeast Korea during the winter of 1950. It is clear from this book that a large measure of the credit goes to the Marines and their leaders at the small unit and rifle company level.

Owen's narrative covers the hasty activation and training of the company, its brief participation in the fighting north of Seoul after the amphibious assault at Inchon and the details of its intense fighting at Chosin. He candidly discusses the mistakes made by the leaders and Marines of Baker Company, to include his own. More importantly, Owen covers what they learned from these mistakes and how they used that knowledge to defeat the Chinese in a series of intense actions.

Although focused at the company level, the author frames his story with the overall conduct of the campaign. Refreshingly, unlike many books about the Chosin campaign, it is free of partisan sniping about the contributions made by the various services involved. Owen gives credit to the Army units that fought at Chosin as well as the contributions of naval and air forces and our British allies.

This book is rich in lessons about small unit leadership, training and combat operations. It is an excellent addition to the personal narratives on the Korea War.

When preparing to travel to an Asian country on business, I seek context by reading of the wars the U.S. has fought there. When I look in those Japanese, Chinese and Korean eyes, I see the children of old enemies and old friends. While plowing through Fehrenbach's canonical Korean War history, "This Kind of War", I took a break and lost a weekend of yard work to "Colder Than Hell" which I ordered based on the praise given by my fellow Amazon reviewers. My thanks to the other reviewers, for this is a superb first person account of a Marine company fighting it's way up and then back down the Korean peninsula in 1950. Marines of Baker one-seven fought and froze to the death too often, but their sacrifice has let 47 million Koreans in the South build a democracy and learn the meaning of freedom. The price of freedom was huge for Baker one-seven, but the esprit de corps so crisply described by ex-Second Lt. Owen carried his Marines from hill to hill. This is an excellent book and a must read for fans of first person stories of war and sacrifice.

This gut-wrenching book is five stories. Each is fascinating... The first is that of a young man growing up in the shadow of his famous father, Marine Corps General "Chesty" Puller, "the most decorated man in Marine Corps history." The second is that of a young marine corps lieutenant leading a 40-man platoon in combat, trying (sometimes unsuccessfully) to keep everyone alive. He was doing what he thought was right. His tour ends in disaster; he is med-evaced out with horrific injuries. The third story is his hospitalization -- missing legs, missing fingers, he fights through a pain-ridden recovery. The fourth tale is his humiliating 1978 defeat in a Congressional race against Republican Paul Trible. The final story is Lewis Puller's battle against alcoholism. "Fortunate Son" was published in 1991, and won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1992. But in the alcohol war, this book just marked the eye of the storm. Shortly after it was honored with the prize, Lewis Puller relapsed into alcoholism; he and his wife separated. And on May 11, 1994, Lewis B. Puller, Jr., picked up a gun and killed himself. ---- Sometimes (to boomers) the Vietnam era and its aftermath now seem dreamlike; Puller's book is an icy hook, pulling us into the river of times past. It was VERY real! Throughout this book, the thought keeps recurring, this was a man who trusted too much, too many, too often, and was destroyed. He was indeed a tragic figure. There are many lessons to be learned from his life... but I suspect every reader will take different ones from this work...

What separates a good book from a great book is its ability to change the way the reader perceives the world and himself. Lewis Puller, Jr. has accomplished this difficult feat with his autobiography. Fabulously written and lavishly detailed, it takes the reader on a journey from Puller's hometown to the rice paddies of Vietnam and back. Lewis Puller, Jr's pain can be felt when the booby-trapped howitzer round erupts beneath his feet and when he struggles to learn how to use prosthetics in a military hospital. His emotional suffering is also felt when he loses the Virginia congressional election, and when he deals with both alcoholism and his growing bitterness for the war he gave so much to. Then, after all he fought through, after everything he accomplished, Lewis Puller, Jr. committed suicide three years after publishing his book. The book was powerful, but the knowledge that he could not, in the end, survive the horrors of a war that ended nearly twenty years earlier is truly moving. This book provides insight into what war really is, and into the lives of the everyday men and women that comprise our armed services. It is a lasting memorial to the sacrifice of those soldiers that offered their lives to protect our country, and to the shame all Americans should feel because of the way those veterans were treated when they returned to the States. I am convinced that Mr. Puller would still be with us today, sharing his incredible gift and influencing the world if the American people had been more supportive of his sacrafice in the years following Vietnam. He and those like him did not, after all, direct the war and the make the mistakes that lost it. Their country called and they answered, for better or for worse, and because of that we should have a great deal of respect for all veterens.

I just read this book for the second time. The spread between the first and second reading is nearly a decade. The first time I read this book I became emotional. Now that I have read it again, with added maturity...I fully appreciate its greatness.

Lewis B. Puller, Jr. is the patriotic son of a beloved Marine Corps legend. "Fortunate Son," is the story of how the author follows his father's footsteps...joining the Marines and going to war. What follows is a chilling portrait of the Vietnam war. It is also a fabulous window of understanding of how many Vienam veterans turned against the war.

The author's narrative of his childhood and his relationship with his famous military father is outstanding. Moreover, the tale of his combat wound and his subsequent survival along with other American casualties of the war while in military hospitals in the States is comprehensive and objective.

Puller does an enormous service for the nation. He honestly delivers one of the most powerful...as well as painful first hand testimonies of the longest war in the history of the United States of America. This book will endure the test of time.