Once a Marine: A Memoir
by Jack O'Rourke
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jack O'RourkeEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-07-01
ISBN: 0533155347
Number of pages: 142
Publisher: Vantage Press
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780533155347
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Once a Marine: A Memoir
Book Review: Marine AA officer in non-combat posting.
Summary: 2 Stars
O'Rourke entered the Marines through the V12 program, where the Navy kept promising men in college with a view to taking them into full time service at a later time. For O'Rourke this happened in July 1943. He did well in training, so well that he was selected for Anti-Aircraft school and it was in this branch that he served in WW2 and later in Korea. He comments on the luck of such things. Several of his fellow graduates went to infantry divisions and were killed. He went to the big base on Peleliu to command a battery of the 12th AA Battalion and saw no hostile action at all.
As a combat memoir then, this book has little to offer. O'Rourke writes instead, rather extensively (at least as far as a 142 page book allows) of his training, friends he made and some interesting aspects of his service. It is fairly clean cut but he does mention things like unit run brothels in Korea and apparent links between pre-war China marines and homosexuality! He names a name or two as well. At the conclusion of the war he is given command of black units and his comments here were interesting. He also writes of such diverse things as his love of oysters and how bullfights work.
O'Rourke served his country well and there is detail here that is of interest. Chapters are short and are broken down further into many sub-topics, often of only a page or so. It is quite readable but given his war-time role it is limited in scope. So if it's combat stories you want (and my star rating here reflects the lack of these), look at my list for another option. Overall - Of some interest in terms of officer training and the process of becoming and being a marine.
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