Marines Dodging Death: Sixty-Two Accounts of Close Calls in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan

Most Marine and Navy Corpsmen who have seen active combat have, at one time or another, experienced a close call when they were seconds or perhaps inches from death yet survived because of a quick reaction, divine intervention or just plain luck. From Pearl Harbor to Baghdad, this volume contains the stories of 62 Marines who narrowly escaped death while fighting in America's wars. Inspired by the author's own close call in May 1968, it recounts a great variety of harrowing experiences. Personal background from before and after the close calls provides a more human facet while additional research adds historical information to these fascinating stories of Marines and Navy Corpsmen.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Acknowledgments      List of Maps      Preface      PART ONE: WORLD WAR 1. USMC Sergeant John Egan      2. USMC Lieutenant Bob Johnson      3. USMC Private First Class Harry Drendall      4. USMC Private First Class Jack Porter      5. USMC Corporal Earl Dunlap      6. USMC Corporal Andrew Samo      7. USMC Private James Seidler      8. USN Hospital Corpsman First Class Beryl Bonacker      9. USMC Sergeant George Peto      10. USMC Corporal Jim Anderson      11. USN Hospital Corpsman Second Class Benton Corry      12. USMC Private First Class Charles Nichols      13. USMC Private First Class Kenneth Stevens      14. USMC Warrant Officer-1 George Green      15. USMC Private George Smyth      16. USMC Private First Class William Byrd      17. USMC Private First Class Lee Bergee (Part 1 of 2)      PART TWO: KOREA 18. USMC Private First Class Herbert Luster      19. USMC Sergeant Kermit Wilhelm      20. USMC Staff Sergeant Lee Bergee (Part 2 of 2)      21. USMC Sergeant Joe Ohman      22. USMC Corporal Renald Valkenburg      23. USMC Private First Class John Bastian      24. Korea: “Hell Fire Valley”      25. USMC Sergeant Elbert Koonce      26. USMC Sergeant Forest Heistermann      27. USMC Sergeant William Palizzolo      28. USMC Private First Class Richard Aiple      29. USMC Private John Graham      30. USMC Acting Sergeant James Larkin      31. Korea: “Calls of Nature”      PART THREE: VIETNAM 32. USMC Private First Class Bruce Horton      33. USMC Captain John McLaughlin      34. USMC Corporal Robert Simonsen      35. USMC Lance Corporal Arthur Riordan      36. USMC Corporal John Wear II      37. USMC Corporal Jay Vincens      38. USMC Private First Class Mike Stagner      39. USMC Sergeant Ralph Bohannon      PART FOUR: THE WARS AGAINST TERRORISM 40. Beirut: Bombing of the Marine Barracks      41. Iraq: Female Search Force      42. Afghanistan: “The Nightfighters”      43. USMC Gunnery Sergeant Michael Burghardt      44. Iraq: Combat Train One      45. Iraq: Kevlar Helmet Headshots      46. Iraq: Body Armor Shots      47. Iraq: Combat Photographers      Chapter Notes      Bibliography      Index     

About the Author :
Robert A. Simonsen served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam and has written several articles and books about military history. He lives in Riverside, California.