The Hard Way Author:John Patrick Gogan This is a story that depicts the spartan existence of men at war. Oft-times dialogue is presented using the vulgar, irreverent, barrack-room mode of expression common to many military personnel. — It is a tale of war that traces the fortunes of one marine rifle company during the protracted land war that was Korea in 1951. This account of the c... more »ompany's odyssey begins with the Pohang Guerrilla Hunt near the coast in southeast South Korea during late January--early February 1951 and moves north to Wonju, Hoengsong, Hongchon, Chuchon, Yanggu, the Punchbowl, Wontong-ni and ends at Camp Tripoli in early January 1952.
While the author lauds the tenacity and the fighting spirit of these young sea-soldiers in their daily struggle to cope with the strife and privation of just being infantrymen, and is enamoured of the near spirtual unity of these leathernecks who endure the rigors of the march and face life and death situations together, --he also portrays them as imperfect human beings who are yet progressing toward maturity in their social behavior and emotional growth.
So trek with these proud young American warriors as they face the challenge of a primitive but capable Communist field army in the mountainous terrain of the largely uncharted Taebek Plateau located in eastern North-South Korea and share their burdens and fortunes as they develop from green replacements into hardened combat troops.« less