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Welcome to Hell," the drill instructor announced to the small crowd of young men staring at him apprehensively, his words charging the atmosphere with a foreboding intensity. Three and one half months of hellish and seemingly outrageous demands would be made of those who would endure the journey through the fires of boot camp. These young men would find a pride in themselves that would last forever. Those survivors of boot camp training often look back, with a smile and even a laugh, at what they endured from the DI. Patrick Turley, driven to enlist by the events of 9/11, captures these anxious times perfectly in vivid detail establishing an emotional bond with the reader throughout his journey from man to Marine, and John Patrick Shanley said it only as a former Marine and Pulitzer Prize winner could: "It's great to have gone to Marine Corps boot camp. It's terrible to be in Marine Corps boot camp. It's fun to read about Marine Corps boot camp.
Foreword ix
Prologue 1
Part 1
Chapter 1 Origins 7
Chapter 2 Beginners 11
Chapter 3 Basic Training 15
Chapter 4 Hogan's Alley 25
Chapter 5 Graduation 27
Part 2
Chapter 6 Denver 31
Chapter 7 Learning the Ropes 35
Chapter 8 Softball 43
Chapter 9 A Real Pro 45
Chapter 10 Transferred 49
Part 3
Chapter 11 Birmingham 55
Chapter 12 Motivation 61
Chapter 13 J. Edgar Hoover 71
Chapter 14 Big Shoes to Fill 81
Part 1 L. Patrick Gray 81
Part 2 Clarence Kelley 83
Chapter 15 The Young and the Restless 87
Part 1 Doing Foolish Things 87
Part 2 Volkswagen Arrest 93
Chapter 16 Crime Resistance 101
Chapter 17 The Atlanta Child Murders 109
Chapter 18 William H. Webster 121
Chapter 19 A Perfect Moment in an Imperfect World 129
Chapter 20 Don't Shoot! We're Republicans! 131
Chapter 21 And Then Came Molly 135
Chapter 22 Foreign Counterintelligence 139
Part 4
Chapter 23 Headlights 157
Chapter 24 Area Code 215 165
Chapter 25 Prison Hymn 171
Chapter 26 William S. Sessions 181
Chapter 27 Lincoln Grant 187
Chapter 27 Assassination of a Federal Judge 191
Chapter 28 Louis J. Freeh 203
Chapter 30 Colin Powell 209
Chapter 31 Talladega Uprising 213
Chapter 32 Dogcatchers 221
Chapter 33 Beer for Breakfast 225
Chapter 34 Losing the Recruiting Wars 229
Part 5
Chapter 35 Hitting the Wall 233
Chapter 36 Retirement 241
JaimeB1
Posted September 4, 2012
I loved this book!
'Welcome to Hell' describes, in sometimes painful detail, the author's first-hand USMC boot camp experience. He joined the Marines the day after the September 11th attacks as a very detached and carefree youth and finished 3 ½ months later as a man and a Marine.
The journey that the author takes us on is significantly more than a "boot camp story". Though it does have a vivid explanation of the gritty details of what a Marine-in-training has to endure, it also includes incredibly touching flashbacks through his pre-service life and letters (oftentimes heart-wrenchingly tender) to and from home. While reading this book, I found myself laughing out loud quite frequently, and being brought to tears more than once. Since I was never in the military, it was interesting and humbling to see what our service men and women go through during their initial training - it's incredible what daily comforts and routines that I didn't realize I take for granted.
Patrick Turley describes his experiences with language and visualization that allows even someone quite removed from the military life to understand and the story unfolds and takes shape right from the beginning. I was immediately drawn in and emotionally attached to the story and I found it hard to put down to go to sleep. Turley's writing is so honest and introspective, that you find yourself growing with him as he unravels who he truly is (even during the times you don't want to like him) so much that you physically flinch from his pain! There appears to be no filler or fluff - this is the real thing.
Reading 'Welcome to Hell' has helped me appreciate (even more) what our amazingly brave Marines sacrifice to ensure we get to continue with our assumptions of basic safety that are inherently just accepted as truth. It's funny, it's touching, it's harsh at times, It's entirely genuine, It's extraordinary!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 30, 2013
This is the cabins.
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Posted March 19, 2013
A very good read for any parent to read before during or after their child goes to bootcamp. I read it while my son was at parris island, so I could follow his journey from recruit to marine. I felt allot of raw emotions and pity for any recruit who had to endure this process - but by the time I finished reading this book I had no regret that my son was there and has more respect for all US Marines. I am a proud Marine mom.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 19, 2013
The Hollywood Marines had it easier than the Swanp Foxes!
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Overview
Welcome to Hell," the drill instructor announced to the small crowd of young men staring at him apprehensively, his words charging the atmosphere with a foreboding intensity. Three and one half months of hellish and seemingly outrageous demands would be made of those who would endure the journey through the fires of boot camp. These young men would find a pride in themselves that would last forever. Those survivors of boot camp training often look back, with a smile and even a laugh, at what they endured from the...