book reviews and summaries, comments, analysis
Owen tosses in enough history and politics to place the Korean War in its proper context but is at his best describing the day to day (or night) operations of his Company. He quickly sizes up his mortarmen and fellow officers; often catching personality characteristics that they exhibit repeatedly thru the book. His comments and observations are often extremely personal. You can feel his concern for his troops, pride in their progress [‘I watched with great pride as they went, my salty Marines’], worry over his relations with paper pushers. There are good descriptions of his people: as men, as marines, as combatants, as buddies. Many of Owens’ men tend to be ‘dark:’ there is much more to them than first meets the eye. Owen effectively uses foreshadowing and shifts in mood in his writing: the ominous, continuous references to Sergeant Wright are an example.
The descriptions of combat are also engaging reading. Walkie-talkies were rarely effective; runners and hand signals were better, but the Chinese had the best idea with bugles and whistles. He is candid about his mistakes: placing his mortar to close to a tree; not checking the tube before inserting a live round. One of his runners shot a civilian in the campaign north of Seoul…the butt of Owens’ rifle broke two of his ribs.
Owens’ account of the Chosin campaign will be familiar to those who have read Knox’s book Pusan to Chosin; and many of the stories in this book have appeared, in whole or in part, in the Marine Corps Gazette over the years. It’s great to finally see it all in one piece.
