Kids like me didn't go to Vietnam," writes Jack McLean in his compulsively readable memoir. Raised in suburban New Jersey, he attended the Phillips Academy in Andover, MA, but decided to put college on hold.

Loon: A Marine Story

Biographies & Memoirs

McLean, Jack

Leaders & Notable People

Presidio Press

“Kids like me didn’t go to Vietnam,” writes Jack McLean in his compulsively readable memoir. Raised in suburban New Jersey, he attended the Phillips Academy in Andover, MA, but decided to put college on hold. After graduation in the spring of 1966, faced with the mandatory military draft, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps for a two-year stint. “Vietnam at the time was a country, and not yet a war,” he writes. It didn’t remain that way for long. A year later, after boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, and stateside duty in Barstow, California, the Vietnam War was reaching its peak. McLean, like most available Marines, was retrained at Camp Pendleton, California, and sent to Vietnam as a grunt to serve in an infantry company in the northernmost reaches of South Vietnam. McLean’s story climaxes with the horrific three-day Battle for Landing Zone Loon in June, 1968. Fought on a remote hill in the northwestern corner of South Vietnam, McLean bore witness to the horror of war and was forever changed. He returned home six weeks later to a country largely ambivalent to his service. Written with honesty and insight, Loon is a powerful coming-of-age portrait of a boy who bears witness to some of the most tumultuous events in our history, both in Vietnam and back home.

Ballantine Books

The Compendium of Nosh

The Compendium of Nosh is all about the weird and wonderful things we put in our mouths. From A through to Z it gives wickedly funny, informative insights into foods, flavors, produce, etiquettes, and observances. You can discover the odd hobbies of J.H. Kellogg, the cornflake king, or the plutocratic origins of baked beans and why coffee and tea have caused wars, revolutions, and draconian punishments in every continent. The Compendium of Nosh is an extraordinary confection and a must-have for foodies.

Cookbooks, Food & Wine

Beverages & Wine

John Murray

Cooking Education & Reference

The Bedside Urban Voltaire

Professionals & Academics

Seven Hills Books

More Bedside Urban Voltaire

Humor & Entertainment

Humor

Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd

Found: A Veteran Story

Huntington Bay Press

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Books by McLean, Jack