The Monk and the Marines

Like the hero of All Quiet on the Western Front, the narrator of this bitter, honest account lives the agony of the common soldier. Blood . . . C rations . . . disease . . . courage . . . whores . . . marijuana . . . battle . . . boredom . . . and fear. The confusions of his monk's cell traded for the harsh truths of a country with villages known as "Dogpatch" and villagers as "dogs." A slice of hell where nearly new boots are always available outside the surgery door. To survive, a man mus...