Customer Reviews

The Outpost War: The U.S. Marine Corps in Korea - Volume I: 1952 (History of War) (Vol 1)

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I was a Marine inductee (draftee) who served in Korea from September 1952 till August 1953. This was the so-called "Stalemate" portion of the war. Just read this volume of Lee Ballinger's account of "The Outpost War" and you'll laugh at the use of the word.."Stalemate". Lee tells it like it was..a vicious, bloody conflict with crummy little pock marked hills being fought over every night and scores of Marines being killed and wounded for a few useless acres of ground. What a terrible waste of young Americans! Lee has also written another (follow up) book (The Final Crucible") which takes us through the final battles of 1953 to the armistice at Panmunjom.
I urge everybody who has the slightest interest in the last years of the Korean War to purchase these two wonderful books from Amazon.

Lee Ballenger's book is a spot on account of the First Marine Division in action in Korea in 1952. As a 22-year-old artillery forward observer on line with the First Korean Marine Regiment at the Punchbowl in the East through March 1952 and Second Battalion, Fifth Marines, in the West through September 1952 I occupied many of the outposts he describes. The detail is accurate and the narrative is first-rate. This is the way it was.
For those who were there this is living history. For those who weren't it is the next best thing. Highly recommended!

Lee Ballenger served with the 1st Marine Division's Recon Company and 1st Tank Battalion. He was there. He put's you in the trench of a Marnie Outpost or out on a combat patrol. Buy the book. I highly recommend this book.
'I shot five of the enemy there. One caught fire when his ammo blew up. He was about 10 yards from my fighting hole. I didn't even have to get out of my hole, the enemy coming towards my position at about 10 and 11 o'clock in front of me. The first Chinese I shot was sneaking behind a water can and I blasted him with my BAR. Two or three more followed and I got them too. Everyone got a chance to fire their weapons that night.
Sometime during the fighting, I heard a voice saying "Eti wa" (Korean for "come here"). I looked to my left and I saw a figure standing there. I said "Is that you Waldron?" I pointed my BAR at him. when he repeated himself I knew it wasn't Waldron. I pull the trigger but the bolt only moved slowly forward. The BAR wouldn't fire so I shot him with my second weapon, an M-1 rifle. He fell right in the hole with me, and I had to get out to pull the body out.' PFC Gus Mendez Item Company 3/1 during fighting for Outpost Bunker Hill on 11 August 1952.