The Pink Marine is the story-full of hilarity and heartbreak-of how a teenage boy who struggles with self-acceptance and doesn't fit the traditional definition of masculinity finds acceptance and self-worth in Marine Corps boot camp. When Greg Cope White's best friend tells him he's spending his summer in Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, all Greg hears is 'summer' and 'camp'. Despite dire warnings from his friend, Greg vows to join him in recruit training. He's eighteen, underweight, he's never run a mile-and he's gay. Greg's sheltered life hadn't prepared him for military service. A prince out of water, he packed five suitcases since he'd never been away from home for thirteen weeks. The U.S. Marines stripped him from all of that, shaved his head and put a rifle in his hands. At first he struggles to keep up, and afraid his secret will be discovered. But midway through, the desire to survive and become a Marine trumps fear. He learns that everyone, just like in the real world, comes into the service feeling 'different'; possibly prejudged for the color of their skin, their weight, their poverty--some have even chosen boot camp over jail. Can a flighty, 112-pound, unmanly Texan transform into one of the few, the proud, the Marines? Will Greg even survive?

The summer of 1966 was definitely a summer I will never forget. That was the summer my older brother, Don and I spent our summer vacation at United States Marine Corps Bootcamp in San Diego. To this day it is still one of the highlights and proudest seasons of my life. The training was condensed to longer days spread over 8 weeks due to the demands of the Vietnam war. The Marine Corps instilled in me many things: Loyalty, Responsibility, Perseverance, Dedication and Teamwork, just to name a few. It's a fraternity of the few and the proud whose membership never expires. "Once a Marine, always a Marine." And that goes for all those special women Marines as well. That particular summer was a turning point in my life. I went from a young naive boy to a self-confident young man. And it was pretty intense! Those eight-plus weeks were probably the most terrifying yet rewarding weeks of my life. The events that took place in Bootcamp pushed me to my physical, mental and emotional limits where, at times, I was not sure I was going to make it. Years later, when recalling and sharing some of my Bootcamp stories with my buddies, we found ourselves laughing at some of the scenarios I found myself in. On more than one occasion I was encouraged to write some of the stories down. Thus, one story led to another, and out of all that came this book. And what makes this book different from other bootcamp stories is that I wanted to make a "clean" version so my grandmother wouldn't blush or be offended by the language, which, in actuality was extremely "colorful." As you read you will still get the impression of the "hostility" in the air but without all the extra verbiage. With that said, this book in no way is it intended to demean or criticize the training methods of the Marine Corps: Quite the contrary. It is intended to give a glimpse into the physical and mental toughness required to endure such training all the way through to graduation day. This is a first hand account of my experiences as I remembered them. And those of you who have also experienced Marine Corps Bootcamp are well aware that I could have written several hundred more pages to cover all the events that took place, but wanted to hit the highlights and make it an easier read. I am proud to be able to say that even though it was tough, I made it through USMC Bootcamp and went on to enjoy the rest of my enlisted time while adding many more incredible memories. I hope you enjoy this book, and to all my Eagle-Globe-and-Anchor comrades, bootcamp platoon-mates and especially my awesome, unforgettable drill instructors: "SEMPER FI!""

The little known story of these female reservists and the role they played in WWII, packed with photos. When US Marine Commandant Maj. Gen. Thomas Holcomb announced the formation of what became the US Marine Corps’ Women’s Reserve, legend has it, the portrait of one of his predecessors fell off the wall and crashed to the floor—in disbelief. The women were called “Lady Leathernecks,” among other nicknames—some less than flattering. This branch of the US Marines had been authorized by the US Congress and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on July 30, 1942. The law allowed for the acceptance of women into the reserve as commissioned officers and at the enlisted level—effective for the duration of the war plus six months. The purpose of the law was to release officers and men for combat and to replace them with women in shore stations. The result was that between 1943 and 1945 the women of America enlisted in the thousands to “Free a Marine to Fight.” This book, the first of its kind, explores in detail the role of female Marines, or WRs as they were known at the time. It also presents a detailed study of the uniforms of the WRs supported by numerous photographs. This book has been written with the full support of the US Marine Corps Histories Division, the Women Marine Association, and surviving WR veterans.

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