I served as an infantry platoon leader, reconnaissance platoon leader, and rifle company commander in Vietnam and observed the direct results of snipers. I am the author of 30 non-fiction books on the military (six specifically about the Vietnam War), sports, and health that have sold more than 1.1 million copies in 15 countries and 12 languages.
There are many books, some greatly fictionalized, claiming just who was the most effective USMC sniper in Vietnam. Although extremely brief, this book confirms just who was the top Marine sniper in the Vietnam War. Mawhinney had 103 kills. Unlike other snipers who have embellished their accomplishments, Mawhinney has remained modest and off the grid. He alone sits at the top of the list of "Marine snipers with the most kills."
When I was in my early 40’s I walked into the hospital room of a 99-year-old near-death relative who mistook me for my father’s brother who had been killed on the beachhead in Normandy during World War II. I was always a history buff, but this moment changed my life. I directed my energies to military history, starting with memoirs and writing a column for Armchair General magazine when it was in circulation. Published official histories (American Iliad, Aachen, Old Hickory) followed that were reliant on well-expressed memoirs written by participants, so full circle I’ve come back to my passion for writing, and reading war memoirs.
This is one of the best military memoirs I’ve gotten into. Why? Because it’s about a different war. Not World War II, my passion. It’s Viet Nam this time, an experience too many in my generation didn’t come home from. Archer was a Marine during the pivotal battle of Khe Sahn, and he retells his experiences and that of his buddies in a heartfelt, necessarilygraphic, and sometimes humorous way—the latter so often used to mask the horrors of war and losing close friends.
A poignant, often humorous, recollection of the siege of Khe Sanh--a pivotal turning point in the American war in Vietnam. Under constant bombardment from the enemy, Michael Archer and his cadre of young Marines--Orr, Pig, Old Woman and Savage, just to name a few--managed to survive and, in the process, learn about manhood, sacrifice and the darkest recesses of fear and loneliness.
I’ve always enjoyed reading the books from which movies are derived from or from which are written after the movie is released, and add more in-depth analysis to the characters and story. Mostly though, I’ve seen the movie first, then read the book. The book almost always has more information about the characters, their reactions, emotions, and feelings. Sometimes, as in the case of Rounders by Kevin Canty, you find out where and what the main character is up to after the end credits roll. Book versus movie: Which is better? It’s a debate that will be here till the end of time.
The book (which came out after a few months of the movie), is written by military veteran Dale E. Dye, who served in the Marines during the Vietnam War.
The book takes the reader from the beginnings of a 'wet behind the ears' (Chris Taylor) Private entering Vietnam, and ending with an 'almost' seasoned veteran. The descriptions Dye gives of the scenery, the men, the voices, being in the brush or jungle, truly is remarkable.
When I read this, I felt like I could literally see everything Chris Taylor did through his own eyes. There's a lot more depth to the characters than in the movie. I feel this is one of the most underrated books among readers because most do not know it even exists. The book gives you a greater understanding of why Sgt. Barnes is the man he is, from his background and his thoughts.
Passionate military members are my jam, and I feel pretty confident writing about them. First, I write erotic romance myself, giving me something of an inside view of what makes a good erotic romance with a military vibe. Second, I read a lot of them. Even if the story is a mite slow, you’ve got that alpha military guy who’s going to pull the story out. Or at least, that’s the way it’s worked in every military erotic romance I’ve read. Last, as I mentioned earlier, I was raised in the Navy. I’ve seen lots of men in uniform and the sight never fails to give me a thrill. I think I recognize that passion when I see it.
Sometimes I don’t have time for my steamy military fixes. In those cases, I like to read novellas or even short stories. Naughty Heroes is just that. Sitting in the doctor’s office (free, guilt-free reading time), I can get through at least one of these sexy stories. Have just half an hour to yourself at lunch? One of these tales will fit neatly into that time frame. I like killing two birds with one stone if it means I can enjoy a naughty Marine at break time…
Featuring NY Times, USA Today, Amazon & International bestselling authors! Written by the Naughty Literati™ N.J. Walters, Nicole Austin, Belle Scarlett, Katherine Kingston, and Elizabeth Lapthorne.
Contents
MARINE ON A MISSION N.J. Walters When Mitch McCoy left rural Kentucky to join the U.S. Marines he never thought he'd return. Now he's undercover with a state drug task force. He's not only facing his past, but also Sara Hawkins, the woman who broke his heart. This investigation will risk their lives and their hearts.
When reading about famous battles such as Thermopylae, Tarawa, the Chosin Reservoir, or Taffy-3’s gallantry off Samar: have you ever wondered “what makes young men fight against such overwhelming odds?” Or a more important question: “would I do the same?” I know I wondered. Both my mom and dad were WW2 Marines, and I was raised with the stories of the Marines at Tarawa wading a half-mile ashore against horrific Japanese fire, along with their epic Korean War 79-mile fighting retreat in -50’F bitter cold and snow while grossly outnumbered by the Chinese army; these were often our dinnertime discussions and impromptu leadership lessons.
If “Shared misery” bonded the Spartans together at Thermopylae in 485 BC, it was those bonds that enabled 19,000 U.S. Marines to fight their way 79 miles to safety through 300,000+ Chinese soldiers in sub-zero temperatures in December 1950.
Author Martin Russ is a former Marine who fought at Chosin Reservoir, going on to a career as a writing professor. Well-researched, Breakout is both historically accurate, as well as filled with information and personal anecdotes offered to Russ when interviewing his fellow Marines.
Although the Chinese had warned about not approaching their border, Gen Douglas MacArthur disregarded them, and as his Army-Marine force approached China, icy Manchurian winds and snow dropped the temperatures to the minus 30-50’ range; vehicles had to be kept running 24/7 and the Marines and soldiers learned to urinate on their rifles in order to unfreeze them. Then the Chinese attacked – in huge force.
On General Douglas MacArthur's orders, a force of 12,000 U.S. Marines were marching north to the Yalu river in late November 1950. These three regiments of the 1st Marine Division--strung out along eighty miles of a narrow mountain road--soon found themselves completely surrounded by 60,000 Chinese soldiers. Despite being given up for lost by the military brass, the 1st Marine Division fought its way out of the frozen mountains, miraculously taking thier dead and wounded with them as they ran the gauntlet of unceasing Chinese attacks.This is the gripping story that Martin Russ tells in his extraordinary book. Breakout is…
I love the Marines. After spending 12 years trying to join the Corps, with numerous rejections, I graduated from Parris Island at 31. As much as I love the Marines, I love reading and writing more. Reading and writing foster deep thought and wisdom in ways that coding, calculating, and puzzle-solving can’t. Having worked as a newspaper reporter, a military analyst, and a Marine, I couldn’t help but loathe the foolish ideas that made the wars on terror so frustrating. I have faith in the Marine Corps (“Semper Fidelis”), and I believe reading thoughtful books can make Marines wiser.
I love the part in this book when Germano is preparing to go to the Marine Corps Birthday Ball, and many guys are stunned to learn she will wear her uniform, not a dress. These male Marines believe a woman should attend the November gala dressed not like the Marine she is but as a civilian.
I’ve witnessed this attitude elsewhere. I was a freshman at Washington & Lee University when the school, which has been around since 1749, finally admitted women. The old guard wasn’t happy to see them, but doubling the brain pool made the school smarter. Women are about 10 percent of the Marine Corps these days, so I kept thinking about Washington & Lee as I read Germano’s book.
One woman's professional battle against systemic gender bias in the Marines and the lessons it holds for all of us.
The Marine Corps continues to be the only service where men and women train separately in boot camp or basic training. This segregation negatively affects interaction with male marines later on, and, lower expectations of female recruits are actively maintained and encouraged. But Lieutenant Colonel Kate Germano arrived at the Fourth Recruit Training Battalion at Parris Island--which exclusively trains female recruits--convinced that if she expected more of the women just coming into Corps, she could raise historically low standards for…
When reading about famous battles such as Thermopylae, Tarawa, the Chosin Reservoir, or Taffy-3’s gallantry off Samar: have you ever wondered “what makes young men fight against such overwhelming odds?” Or a more important question: “would I do the same?” I know I wondered. Both my mom and dad were WW2 Marines, and I was raised with the stories of the Marines at Tarawa wading a half-mile ashore against horrific Japanese fire, along with their epic Korean War 79-mile fighting retreat in -50’F bitter cold and snow while grossly outnumbered by the Chinese army; these were often our dinnertime discussions and impromptu leadership lessons.
If you were among the millions who watched the award-winning HBO series The Pacific, you know the story of the bloody Marine advance as they fought their way across the Pacific.
Based on the combat experiences of author Robert Leckie who fought on Guadalcanal and beyond until he was wounded and evacuated stateside, Leckie chronicles the ferocity of the no-surrender combat practiced by both sides.
A skilled writer and journalist post-war, Leckie had an eye for details and an ability to set a scene that makes the reader feel part of the action:
Bouganville; “the Japanese attacked, closing with yells and rifle shots as the Marines repulsed them. One machinegunner needed a tripod, so was firing with the butt braced against his right leg while holding the hot barrel with his left hand. When the tripod arrived and he withdrew his left hand, much of its flesh remained on the…
Strong Men Armed relates the U. S. Marines' unprecedented, relentless drive across the Pacific during World War II, from Guadalcanal to Okinawa, detailing their struggle to dislodge from heavily fortified islands an entrenched enemy who had vowed to fight to extinctionand did. (All but three of the Marines' victories required the complete annihilation of the Japanese defending force. ) As scout and machine-gunner for the First Marine Division, the author fought in all its engagements till his wounding at Peleliu. Here he uses firsthand experience and impeccable research to re-create the nightmarish battles. The result is both an exciting chronicle…
I am a fantasy and science-fiction author with a soft spot for books cut with a sharp sense of humour, impaled on the absurd, or littered with the brutal slaughter of conventions and tropes. I love crisp one-liners and surreal worlds, awkward anti-heroes, and kick-ass heroines who bring their own ruthless horde to the fight. If I were to pick out one feature of a book, film, or television show that really catches my attention it would be “Wow. Didn’t see that one coming.”
Grunts is one of my ultimate laugh-out-loud books, followed by a look round to make sure there’s no one nearby I have to explain it to. It’s a tale of the orcs after the final battle between good and evil, out of a job and in the tricky position of being on the losing side. Grunts delights in turning every fantasy trope on its head, cracking jokes I certainly wouldn’t want to explain to my mother, and at every step rooting for undeniable bad guys who were just there to do the job of fighting for the Dark Lord.
Oh, and the orcs are cursed with a cache of weapons from our world that is turning them into US Marines. I don’t know why that makes it so much funnier, but it does.
Don’t embarrass yourself - remember to pee before you start reading.
A fantasy tale, with black humour, by the author of "Rats and Gargoyles" and "The Architecture of Desire". The usual Last Battle of Good against Evil is about to begin. The forces of Light are outnumbered, full of headstrong heroes devoid of tactics - but the Light's still going to win.
I served in Vietnam in 1969 carrying a radio on my back with the 12th Marines on the DMZ. In 1970, I was a door gunner with HMM-364 (Purple Fox Squadron) out of Marble Mountain. Beginning in 1996, I have led 68 tours for veterans, their family members, historians, active-duty military personnel, and others to the jungles, mountains, and battlefields of Vietnam. I currently serve as president and bush guide for the non-profit tour company, Vietnam Battlefield Tours. As an avid reader of non-fiction books on the Vietnam experience, this knowledge base has helped tremendously in my non-profit volunteer service.
This is a memoir that does not read like a memoir. It brings to the reader the harsh reality of war and a personal perspective on how one perceives war, told without shame or bravado. The reader is brought full circle from the fighting and destruction in 1967-68 to standing on the same battlefields some 45 years later, in peace.
To Hear Silence is the history of Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 13th Marines, from the time of its formation at Camp Horno, California, in July 1966, until the original members left Vietnam in early October 1967.Although partly written in narrative format, this book paints an accurate portrayal of the experiences of what really happened in 1966 and 1967 through its day-to-day, and often minute-to-minute, accounts of the members' time in Vietnam.This book is based on a diary kept by the author while in Vietnam, the actual declassified documents kept by the Marine Corps, and the memories of those who lived…
I’m an OG ATLien (born in Atlanta, Georgia) and served in the US Marine Corps and the US Army. I hold a degree from Kennesaw State University and taught high school social studies from 2004 - 2006, before my military reenlistment which jumpstarted the events in my memoir.
It’d be hard to imagine a former marine, who served during the 1980’s or 1990’s, not identifying with Anthony Swofford’s Jarhead.
Swofford and his unit land in the desert sand to kickoff Operation Desert Shield, and months of boredom, anxiety, and self-doubt blanket the men. This isn’t your typical “shoot ‘em up bang bang” war diary. In fact, Swofford is a sniper who never fires a shot.
But months of patrolling an empty desert, living “the suck” life, eagerly awaiting a war to start, and the fear of the unknown drag on these marines and test their sanity. After months of grinding, the Gulf War begins then quickly ends.
Anthony Swofford's Jarhead is the first Gulf War memoir by a frontline infantry marine, and it is a searing, unforgettable narrative. When the marines -- or "jarheads," as they call themselves -- were sent in 1990 to Saudi Arabia to fight the Iraqis, Swofford was there, with a hundred-pound pack on his shoulders and a sniper's rifle in his hands. It was one misery upon another. He lived in sand for six months, his girlfriend back home betrayed him for a scrawny hotel clerk, he was punished by boredom and fear, he considered suicide, he pulled a gun on one…
