Thomas F. (hardtack) -
As a former Marine myself, I've read a lot about the history of the Corps. And every time I've read about the Chosin Reservoir campaign, I wondered how they did it. Surrounded by Chinese divisions which outnumbered them ten to one, and living in cold weather I can't even begin to imagine, I'm left in awe of them. The answer is always the same. They were Marines. I think to understand the ethos of the Marines Corps, you have to be a Marine yourself.
Having said that, you also need to understand this is a novel based mostly on fact. This means the author did take license when it came to the conversations between the novel's characters, And in a few instances I do believe the author went over the top. I think the worst instance was when he had the Marine Division commander, his assistant commander, and his regimental commanders leave their commands to go to a sit-down, white gloves and linen, Thanksgiving supper with General Almond. This while the division was engaged in a desperate mission. No Marine commanders worthy of that responsibility would ever do that. Not if they wanted to retain the support of other Marines. But the author did that to emphasize Almond's deficiency as a commander, enjoying that supper while the men under his overall command went without.
Having said that, you also need to understand this is a novel based mostly on fact. This means the author did take license when it came to the conversations between the novel's characters, And in a few instances I do believe the author went over the top. I think the worst instance was when he had the Marine Division commander, his assistant commander, and his regimental commanders leave their commands to go to a sit-down, white gloves and linen, Thanksgiving supper with General Almond. This while the division was engaged in a desperate mission. No Marine commanders worthy of that responsibility would ever do that. Not if they wanted to retain the support of other Marines. But the author did that to emphasize Almond's deficiency as a commander, enjoying that supper while the men under his overall command went without.
