The Proud Bastards: One Marine's Journey from Parris Island through the Hell of Vietnam
Feb 2004 · Simon and Schuster
4.5star
42 reviewsreport
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288
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About this ebook
A riveting memoir of one marine rifleman's journey from Parris Island through the hell of Vietnam and the Tet Offensive with the Second Battalion, Fourth Marines.
In 1967, a young E. Michael Helms boarded a bus to the legendary grounds of Parris Island, where mere boys were forged into hardened Marines—and sent to the jungles of Vietnam. It was the first stop on a journey that would forever change him—and by its end, he would be awarded the Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Citation, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry.
From the brutality and endurance-straining ordeals of boot camp to the endless horror of combat, Helms paints a vivid, unflinchingly realistic depiction of the lives of Marines in training and under fire. As powerful and compelling a battlefield memoir as any ever written, Helms's “grunt's-eye” view of the Vietnam War, the men who fought it, and the mindless chaos that surrounded it, is truly a modern military classic.
In 1967, a young E. Michael Helms boarded a bus to the legendary grounds of Parris Island, where mere boys were forged into hardened Marines—and sent to the jungles of Vietnam. It was the first stop on a journey that would forever change him—and by its end, he would be awarded the Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Citation, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry.
From the brutality and endurance-straining ordeals of boot camp to the endless horror of combat, Helms paints a vivid, unflinchingly realistic depiction of the lives of Marines in training and under fire. As powerful and compelling a battlefield memoir as any ever written, Helms's “grunt's-eye” view of the Vietnam War, the men who fought it, and the mindless chaos that surrounded it, is truly a modern military classic.
Ratings and reviews
4.5
42 reviews
A Google user
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Mr. Helms has got the right stuff. Telling us how its was, and not holding anything back for mom. This book got me through the long hours at M.E.P.S before Paris Island, and so on till the day I handed the book off to a good friend of mine getting ready for the big puddle jump to the Stan. Awesome book for the mindless jarhead!
Semper Fidelis. Mr. E
David McMillan
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June 8, 2014
A great book written by a talented author E. Michael Helms who just released a few more titles with on of them being "Deadly Catch" A Mac McClellan Mystery. A must read, enjoy!
2 people found this review helpful
Carolyn Richards
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August 11, 2024
To read this account is painful. To have to live with the loss of one's friends as well as seeing and smelling it would have to be a lifetime of sacrifice. God Bless you and America.
About the author
A veteran, writer, and editor, E. Michael Helms Helms has published articles and stories in several regional and national magazines. His work has also appeared in the books Soldier's Heart: Survivors' Views of Combat Trauma and Two Score And Ten: Third Marine Division's History. He is the author of numerous books, including The Proud Bastards and The Private War of Corporal Henson. He lives in South Carolina with his wife, Karen.
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