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Title: A bit too profane for me...
Review: Because Swofford's book got favorable reviews and because I served with the Marines during the latter part of the Korean Conflict, I thought I'd enjoy this book. It has it moments, mostly later in the book, when the author begins so show a bit more humanity. I must have run with a different group of Marines or maybe it's a generational thing, but none were as raunchy or vulgar as those Swofford describes. Sure, we got drunk plenty of times and our language sometimes was 'not for publication' (in those days, anyway), but nothing so much as his buddies in this book. For someone who only spent a few weeks in actual combat, Swofford comes across as very bitter and angry. I admit I might have felt that way if I were in the current mess involving an unjustified invasion of Iraq, but Desert Storm was reasonably justified. I was disappointed by Jarhead but would like to know what other Marines think about this book.
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