Overview

A coming-of-age memoir about a prep school boy who enlists in the Marine Corps, gets caught in a horrific three-day assault during some of the heaviest fighting of the Vietnam War, then returns to attend Harvard University amidst a heavy anti-war sentiment. Jack McClean was brought up in Summit, New Jersey until he joined the Phillips Academy and enlisted in the USMC. After boot camp and a year on stateside duty, he served in Vietnam with C Company, 1st battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. Involved in some of the war’s heaviest fighting, and entirely unprepared for jungle warfare and gorilla tactics of the NVA and Viet Cong, McClean recounts his experiences with both humility and candour in the face of adversity. McClean returned to enter Harvard University in the fall of 1968 as college’s first Vietnam veteran and took on a new fight - to be accepted by his fellow students when faced with fervent anti-war beliefs. Loon is one man’s story of war, survival and recovery from one of history’s most controversial conflicts.

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9780345510150

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Reviews

The battle at Loon erupts suddenly and sucks you in. Like Jack McLean, you ask: what am I doing here? The answer is: you joined the Marines and now it's time to fight for your life. A gripping story of violence and dedication to survival. --Bing West, author of The Strongest Tribe Loon is a saga of an infantry Marine--the decision to enlist, the intensity of the recruit, mortal combat, and finally transition back to civilian life. This beautifully written story is a must read for all combat warriors, their families, and those interested in the turbulent times surrounding the Vietnam War. --Col H.C. Barney Barnum, USMC (Ret), Medal of Honor Recipient [This] unique tale . . . is skillfully written and will be among the classic books written about the Vietnam War. --Jan Scruggs, Esq., Founder and President, Vietnam Veterans Memorial McLean's debut is a perceptive memoir of the Vietnam war...McLean reconstructs his time in the Marines with a sharp eye for detail and very readable-- at times almost poetic--prose. -- Publishers Weekly [This] unique tale . . . is skillfully written and will be among the classic books written about the Vietnam War. --Jan Scruggs, Esq., Founder and President, Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The battle at Loon erupts suddenly and sucks you in. Like Jack McLean, you ask: what am I doing here? The answer is: you joined the Marines and now it's time to fight for your life. A gripping story of violence and dedication to survival. <br>---- Bing West, author of The Strongest Tribe <br> LOON is a saga of an infantry Marine - the decision to enlist, the intensity of the recruit, mortal combat, and finally transition back to civilian life. This beautifully written story is a must read for all combat warriors, their families, and those interested in the turbulent times surrounding the Vietnam War. <br>----Col H.C. Barney Barnum, USMC (Ret), Medal of Honor Recipient <br> [This] unique tale . . . is skillfully written and will be among the classic books written about the Vietnam War. <br>--Jan Scruggs, Esq., Founder and President, Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The battle at Loon erupts suddenly and sucks you in. Like Jack McLean, you ask: what am I doing here? The answer is: you joined the Marines and now it's time to fight for your life. A gripping story of violence and dedication to survival. --Bing West, author of The Strongest Tribe<br> <br> Loon is a saga of an infantry Marine--the decision to enlist, the intensity of the recruit, mortal combat, and finally transition back to civilian life. This beautifully written story is a must read for all combat warriors, their families, and those interested in the turbulent times surrounding the Vietnam War. --Col H.C. Barney Barnum, USMC (Ret), Medal of Honor Recipient<br><br> [This] unique tale . . . is skillfully written and will be among the classic books written about the Vietnam War. --Jan Scruggs, Esq., Founder and President, Vietnam Veterans Memorial<br><br> McLean's debut is a perceptive memoir of the Vietnam war...McLean reconstructs his time in the Marines with a sharp eye for detail and very readable-- at times almost poetic--prose. -- Publishers Weekly

Author Information

The third of four children, Jack McLean was born in Huntington, NY on May 26, 1947. He was brought up in Summit, NJ where he lived until admittance to Phillips Academy, Andover at age 14. Upon graduation, McLean enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. After boot camp and a year on stateside duty, he served in Vietnam with C Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. McLean returned to enter Harvard University in the fall of 1968 as college's first Vietnam Veteran. After graduation, he has held many jobs in many places, including Wall Street, the New York Mets, insurance in Boston and Maine and North Carolina, then finally in marketing in the Washington, D.C. area. He subsequently served as a senior marketing executive with United Press International, the National Childhood Cancer Foundation, and Joe Gibbs Youth for Tomorrow, a residential school for at risk adolescents. McLean is the father of three daughters and currently writes and lives in Knotts Island, NC.

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