Rating: 
Summary: A must for any parent of a recruit
Review: My son suddenly made the decision to drop out of college and join the Marine Corps. A wide range of feelings was beautifully expressed in this book by John Schaeffer and I could relate to every one of them. It was very comforting. I also enjoyed reading the son's description of boot camp. It helped me understand what my son was doing and instilled a great sense of pride in my son. For any parent with a son or daughter in boot camp, this one's a keeper (don't forget your hankies - you'll shed a tear or more).
Rating:
Summary: Good medicine for parents of Marine recruits....
Review: On January 26th, 2004, my son shipped out for Parris Island. I started this book the day before he left and I took it everywhere with me until I quickly finished reading it. To read the words of a young man who had braved the challenges of entering the brotherhood of the Marines was helpful during this emotional time. John and Frank Schaeffer have my gratitude for helping me get through this first emotional week, days filled with love, pride, fear, and concern.
The telling of their experiences will allay and confirm some of the fears that parents will have while also helping them focus on supporting the life choice that their son/daughter has made. While reading this book,you realize that as you wait for your son/daughter to complete boot camp and become a member of the United States Marine Corps, you are making the United States Marine Corps a part of your family!
Read this book to help understand the decision made by one young man who chose to serve our country. Whatever your opinion of military life, you owe it to those who serve in the USMC to learn about their training, their dedication, and their families. Written by the very proud mother of a present recruit and future Marine!
Rating:
Summary: Keeping faith with the faithful
Review: The caterpillar to butterfly story of the development of young men who have joined the military is an old, old story. Certainly many books poke at this timeless theme, and Hollywood certainly isn't unfamiliar with the same theme. John Schaiffer and his father Frank do justice to this idea without becoming trite or syrupy.
The book examines what it mean to become a Marine. But it also directly and indirectly digs into the idea of commitment to a higher idea...in this case giving up oneself to become a member of an elite group of fighting men, and in the process getting back more than one gave up. It flip flops between John's narrative and his fathers observations. Interesting.
As a former Marine I found a connection with John. Having gone through bootcamp in June of 1967 in San Diego, the connection to this new generation of Marines is immediate and profound. This, as all former Marines know, isn't new. The membership in this club spans all generations. No generation gap here. If you're a former Marine, you'll want to read the book for obvious reasons. If you're not, read it anyway. You'll gain some respect for the youth of today.
Rating:
Summary: 'Keeping Faith', Growing Love - Fathers and Sons
Review: There are many terrific books about military life and more specific, the USMC boot camp experience. True, this book brings into focus the reality of that experience for John as a Marine recruit, but the value of the book goes way beyond a diary of 12 weeks on Parris Island. Up front and honest I drove my own son to the recruiters office one early March morning in 2002 for this same experience, with our families complete support for his dream of being a US Marine - he is one now. The experience of this father and son moving through this transition captures the essence of an emotional growth in the relationship; a growing love and embracing of one anothers dreams and experiences. Franks's own reflections of his life and a complete relook at his values measured against his son's dreams and directions that seem so clear to young John; soon to be clear to his father. In many ways captures my own story, being a Vietnam era brat with a son seeing a new horizon for honorable military service in this new version of our times. I was of course interested in the "higher education workshiping" views of Frank, something I didn't have, but appreciated. John's views and directions that the USMC provided are clear to me, having a LCpl. son, that is more than committed to the values of the Corps. Read this book not only for the boot camp experience, but more so for the intense evaluations of dreams both in the past - shaped by the realities of life - and the present shaped by the dreams of a young man and now Marine; as father and son now move forward into the bounty of love - and FAITH: clearly, in each other.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Tribute to our Servicemen in the Corp
Review: This book covers a cross section of subjects. While I think the father intended it's focus to be about his relationship with his son, the son's in-depth narrative of boot camp and his transformation into a Marine were much more touching to me. As to the father-son relationship, this is the tale of a loving father who is losing his son as he grows to a man. And this really starts before he enters the Marines as he becomes more attached to a girl of whom the father does not approve...When the son John enters boot camp, the real excitement starts as you live through the experience with him. The brainwashing of these recruits seems extreme until you watch these recruits grow into the type Marines the DIs wanted. I'm not sure I could survive the mental and physical effects of boot camp and anyone who has passed boot camp is to be commended. It's interesting to watch these guys struggle the last few weeks with injuries that should be treated but would only delay the recruit's training. After boot camp, the book then shows the negative of the military. This motivated recruit is sent for Morse Code training for 4 months only to be sidelined for over a year, as his security clearance has not been processed in Washington. What a waste of taxpayer money and young people's lives. But even this demeaning treatment does not shake the extreme pride in the Corp. Probably the most important lesson of this book is how a son from an upper-middle class family chooses a career in the Marines while suffering the ridicule of the liberal friends of his parents and how his father's attitude changes about this. I felt this could have been covered in more depth. More importantly, this recruit bonds with the fully integrated Marines and learns to share many experiences with most other recruits less fortunate. I strongly recommend this book to learn more of one of our greatest natural resources, the men and women who choose to serve in the military. The most heart-wrenching part of this book is seeing the stories of Marines with families who qualify for food stamps. People, something is not right with that concept
Rating: 
Summary: Close to Home
Review: This book is a simple account of family bonding...that hit VERY close to home. Semper Fi!
Rating: 
Summary: Take up the challenge and move on..........
Review: This book is about a young man from an upper New England social strat upbringing family who joins the U.S. Marine Corps. The book is centrally divided into two camps: The father-son longing for one another during the son's boot camp/ basic training period; and, how this particular period impacts them as father-son. There is a lot of whining. The marine's father has a hard time dealing with his son's military enlistment. He just can't get over it. I served on active tour in the marine corps. I went in trying to figure out the new rules, get acquainted with the program, travel, enjoy the good times, dealt with the not-so-good times, and move on. In summary, I went in for 4 years in the infantry and took up the challenge. My thought on this book is that the father needs to get over it. He whins too, too, too much. When a young man or woman enlists in the military, the enlistee takes up the challenge; whatever shape or form it takes. Semper Fi,
Mr. Diego Rodriguez
Rating:
Summary: Take up the challenge and move on..........
Review: This book is about a young man from an upper social strata New England upbringing family who joins the U.S. Marine Corps. The book is centrally divided into two camps: The father-son longing for one another during the son's boot camp/ basic training period; and, how this particular period impacts them as father-son. There is a lot of whining. The marine's father has a hard time dealing with his son's military enlistment. He just can't get over it. I served on active tour in the marine corps. I went in trying to figure out the new rules, get acquainted with the program, travel, enjoy the good times, deal with the not-so-good times, and move on. In summary, I went in for 4 years in the infantry and took up the challenge. My thought on this book is that the father needs to get over it. He whins too, too, too much. When a young man or woman enlists in the military, the enlistee takes up the challenge; whatever shape or form it takes. Semper Fi,
Mr. Diego Rodriguez
Rating:
Summary: A son joins the Marines and helps his father grow up.
Review: This terrific book made me realize that there is hope for those old anti-military boomers. When his son joins the Marines, the father in this book is horrified and can't understand why. His friends are bewildered and amazed by the decision. It follows the son from high school graduation to Marine Corp graduation. It also follows how it profoundly changed the father as the son overcomes each hurdle to becoming a Marine. It is a great story of the making of a soldier and the lessons we can all learn from the fantastic commitment these young men and women have to the Corp and our country. Using excerpts from letters written by both men, it is a personal and intimate look at father and son and the military experience.
Rating:
Summary: Keeping Faith. A Father-Son Story About Love and The United
Review: When I finished reading this book I was fighting a lump in my throat, tears welling in my eyes, and a heart bursting with pride Maybe it's the old Marine in me; I became one 61 years ago, and like everyone who has ever worn the Eagle, globe and anchor emblem, I am still one. I felt so proud for John, the son, and his accomplishments. He appears to be the "Classic" Marine! The book made me feel good about John's whole family whose loyalty and love made his early ordeals at Parris Island less burdensome. And Frank's role as Father couldn't have been handled better even if pre-scripted. Marines everywhere and "wannabees" will love this story.
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