ADVENTURES IN MARINE BIOLOGY

A Hollywood romantic would spin this book in this manner: "This is the intriguing and revealing story of just one of our young men in uniform." "While most 17-year old boys today are still playing their Game-Stations on their mother's couch, Vincent was already a U.S. Marine stationed in Parris Island S.C. & Fort Bliss Texas... launching Hawk Missiles by day and carousing in the dens of inequity by night. Read with wonder about the adventures of just one of our many young boys in uniform... with the very real specter of the Vietnam war and actual combat looming large on his radar screen." An experienced Social Scientist would examine the following popular assertions about the Marine Corp and ask many probing and relevant questions such as: "Why would any young man join any branch of service… much less the U.S. Marine Corp, especially during wartime?" "How would you feel if your son, daughter, or any other loved one joined the military… once you read about the fortunes and misfortunes of the young men in this book?" "Many people assume that young men who join the Marine Corp are inherently tougher, braver, and more patriotic than the people that join the other military branches. This belief is stronger, especially if wartime activity is likely to be inevitable." "Still others might think that a young man’s choice of joining the Marines may be due to a need to prove his worth to others and to himself." "It is assumed by many that the Marines Corp is the toughest military branch in the world surpassed only by the Navy Seals. It could be argued that the Marines are even tougher than even special units that every military branch has, such as the Army’s Special Forces, or Airborne Rangers. Of course the Marine Corp can boast their extra tough Recon units as well." "Many people that have never served in the military wonder what day-to-day activities confront a young marine during combat or peacetime." “Is the life of a military man like every John Wayne movie you have ever seen? Is the military truly populated with men and woman much like our cultural icons, such as Audey Murphy, Sgt. Saunders of the TV show ‘Combat’, and Sgt. Rock. Or is it all too often a haven for the Sad Sacks and Gomer Pyles of the world?” “Is it tough, glorious and filled with romance and non-stop adventure? Or, is it tragic and disappointing as the movie ‘Born in the Fourth of July” depicts?” “How do the men and women who join the military feel about their decision to serve their country while they are either under the gun or just passing time during their stint of service?” “How do many of them feel about their decision years later as mature experienced adults… as they look back on their memories of the time they spent serving the ‘Green Machine?” “Do they feel pride, betrayal, sadness… or any sense of nostalgia?” “Would they do it over again were they able go back in time, especially if offered other life choices?” “The major concern or question that most Americans face when pondering any of these issues is: “Was it a different time and were the soldiers of my day so different as compared to the young men and women in the Marines today?” “Does our situation in Iraq bear any similarities to our situation during the Vietnam War?” “Have we as a people and a Nation learned anything from past and present conflicts?” “Is the Military the best place for young men and women fresh out of high school or their familial nest to learn honor, discipline, integrity, and how to become a well-balanced adult? Or is it a place fraught with dangers and dysfunctions which psychologically scar our youth with a lifetime of substance abuse, sexual perversion, and a “tunnel vision” jingoistic outlook of the world?” Find out for yourself as you share the experiences of Vincent during his time in the most notorious military service in the world - known by many names, Leather-Necks, Jarheads, - always know as the U.S. Marines! Read more