Last Stand of Fox Company by Bob Drury & Tom Clavin

 Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of Marines in Combat by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin -353 pages

These authors have collaborated on several history related topics, and this book recounts a harrowing episode during the Korean War in late 1950. A Marine company of the 1st Division was assigned to hold a hilltop overlooking a key road junction to allow U.N. forces to retreat from the Chosin Reservoir area that came under relentless attack from Chinese Communist Forces in North Korea. For several days, the Marines and corpsmen fought off an entire enemy division while enduring sub-zero weather. During firefights, the corpsmen even had to keep morphine syrettes in their mouths to keep the morphine from freezing solid. The conditions were especially brutal for the wounded who could not be evacuated. Three Marines were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during this battle. This is a graphic book, but well worth reading for anyone wanting to know more about the Korean War.

Perfectly Good White Boy by Carrie Mesrobian

Perfectly Good White Boy by Carrie Mesrobian - 304 pages

Sean's life doesn't seem to be heading in a great direction.  His father has left the family after an incident last spring that caused them to move to a rundown rental house on the outskirts of town.  His girlfriend has just broken up with him before leaving town for college.  And he has no plans for after high school except to maybe join the marines, which his family opposes.  The only bright spot in his life is his new co-worker Neecie who is quickly becoming his best friend.

I enjoyed this book.  It was nice to see the teen characters figure out their lives in a realistic way.  I would suggest it for older teens as it does focus on sex quite a bit and with some detail.

Something Like Normal by Trish Doller

Something Like Normal by Trish Doller-214 pages (Kindle Edition)

Travis Stephenson returns from a year of Marines deployment in Afghanistan to a different home. He has nightmares and probably PTSD because of a traumatic experience involving the death of his Marine best friend Charlie. He falls in love with someone unexpected from his past named Harper Gray. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, although (understandably, since he is a Marine) it has a bit more cursing than I would like.

Guadalcanal, Tarawa and Beyond by William Rogal

Guadalcanal, Tarawa and Beyond by William Rogal -201 pages

This an informative memoir of one marine's gritty experiences throughout the Pacific in World War II. Rogal left an impoverished childhood to serve throughout the war and went on to be a successful attorney. His recollections of Guadalcanal are most harrowing both for the miserable conditions, and series of friendly-fire shellings that caused many casualties. He also fought on Tarawa, where he witnessed the devastation of the second wave of marines to land, and Saipan. The book is ultimately uplifting, as Rogal managed to survive these invasions and build a successful life in peacetime.

Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice by Adam Makos

Devotion by Adam Makos -411 pages

This book details the loss of the U.S. Navy's first African-American aviator, Jesse Brown, and the efforts of his wingman, Tom Hudner, to rescue him. It also provides a good abridged account of the Chosin Reservoir campaign that took place in Korea in December, 1950. Hudner and Brown were from very different backgrounds, but built a friendship while flying Bearcats and Corsairs. The author interviewed several veterans and Brown family members to give the reader some idea of the life of carrier-based pilots, and the bitter campaign fought on the ground by the Marines in Korea the carriers supported. The book also includes several photos of Jesse Brown taken for a Life magazine story only a few days before his final mission.