Spare Parts [Paperback]

Buzz Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2005

A powerful and harrowing look into the world of reservists— as seen through one man’s transformation from weekend warrior to combat Marine

In 1990 Buzz Williams walked into a Marine recruiting office to follow in the footsteps of the deceased older brother he grew up idolizing, and signed up to join the reserves. Buzz had thought that he would need to sacrifice only one weekend a month and two weeks a year for training to earn the money that would help pay for his college tuition. He had no idea that even the newest reservists could find themselves on the battlefield in a matter of weeks.

Spare Parts recounts Williams’s harrowing deployment to the Persian Gulf after only four weeks of combat training. Enduring both the condescension of full-time Marines and the danger of his limited preparation, he manages to form a core group that struggles to gain respect from a military machine that views them as mere “spare parts.” In gripping, you-are-there detail, Spare Parts articulates the grueling physical and emotional trials that Williams and his comrades face on the killing fields of Kuwait.

A compelling portrait, Spare Parts adds a moving new perspective to the literature of war.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Honest... Spare Parts is all about emotions: anger, fear, emotional exhaustion. It is also about bravery and conquering inner demons. (Curt Schleier, The Kansas City Star) A fascinating look into the before, during, and after of a man who heard the call of the yellow footprints (Leatherneck) Eloquent... The book can help parents, loved ones, and others who are interested in understanding exactly what these young people are coping with. (Sunday Times Record News, Wichita Falls, TX)

About the Author

A Marine Reserve combat veteran of the first Gulf War, Buzz Williams rose to the rank of company master gunner and has six years of experience as a light-armored-vehicle crewman. A former National Teacher of the Year, Williams now serves as a school administrator for Harford County Public Schools in Maryland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Gotham (February 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592401058
• ISBN-13: 978-1592401055
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,411,915 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Another Marine Reservist's Opinion, December 3, 2007

By 

Brian A. Hall - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spare Parts (Paperback)

I am a Marine Reservist, this book was a disappointment and a boring read. Buzz complains about his one weekend a month duties he signed up for. Half the book he is talking about how great he is, the other he is looking for a pity party. Buzz goes on about suffering from PST when he wasn't even at war for three months and didn't begin to experience the difficulties of combat. If you sign up for the Marine Corps Reserve you should expect to eventually be involved in some type of conflict and not just get some (very little) money for school. The biggest part of being a Marine is sucking it up for pride and country. This book is a pessimistic perspective of service.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful, insightful and even-handed look at life in the Marine Corps Reserves, September 21, 2006

By 

Matthew Yancik (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spare Parts (Paperback)

I'm ashamed to admit I initially wasn't interested in this book simply because it detailed the exploits of Marine Corps Reservists - the `Spare Parts' that the title of this book refers to. I saw Reservists as weekend warriors and wannabes and was far more interested in the exploits of `real' Marines. This book changed my mind and actually gave me a newfound respect for reservists.

Spare Parts is the account of author Buzz Williams' time in the Marine Corps Reserves. Williams' idolized an older brother who served in the Marines and died in a car crash, and initially joins the Reserves to follow in his brother's footsteps. He soon learns, however, that it isn't so easy juggling his education and the Marine Corps, and begins to question his decision to join up.

And then he is called to service in the first Gulf War.

I've read many tales of Marine Corps boot camp, combat and history, and have heard accounts of similar incidents and situations that are detailed in Spare Parts. Having said that, what made Williams' approach so interesting to me (and what sets this book apart from others) was that it was told from the perspective of a teacher. This is, easily, the strongest thread in Williams' story, and I found the most interesting moments to be when the author is evaluating the Corps, his fellow Marines, and his training through the eyes of a teacher. As with any truly great teacher, Williams is balanced and fair, detailing the weaknesses of his friends and the more human aspects of his enemies.

Williams' simple honesty about his doubts and fears is, at times, quite touching. Like many Reservists, he has a tough time balancing civilian and military life and his determination to succeed as well as excel in the Marine Corps while still holding on to his humanity was impressive. Williams constantly questions things around him, but never comes across as anything but methodically patient (indeed, he later discovers that he has `OCD [Obsessive Compulsive Disorder] tendencies') in his attempts at improving the Marine Corps system he serves under. He stays focused and on task, and is genuinely concerned with helping himself and others to better themselves. Following Desert Storm, however, Williams begins to slowly unravel. It is here that his thoughtfulness catches up with him - he can't put the war out of his head and eventually, he leaves the Corps to become a full-time teacher and start the Young Marines program for children, based around training he has received in the Marines.

Spare Parts is well written and a breeze to read - I finished it in two sittings. Williams' perspective as a teacher and reservist, not to mention his thoughtfulness, puts this book above others with a similar subject matter. It's obvious that Williams is a sensitive and insightful man who is working out inner demons through his writing, but like a great teacher, he never lectures the reader, instead provoking us to think on our own and draw our own conclusions.

And, if you are paying attention, as a good student should, the lessons learned in Spare Parts are valuable whether you are young or old, black or white, civilian or military.

4.0 out of 5 stars something to consider before joining..., November 12, 2005

By 

Shrimp Seven "Billy" (Beaufort, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spare Parts (Paperback)

very good book to be read before anyone even considers joining the reserves within any of the military branches...currently in law enforcement in the Beaufort County area and going to Parris Island on a daily basis to workout I can honestly say that life for a recruit begins on the dreaded "sand flea/gnat" infested island in SOUTH CAROLINA, not NORTH CAROLINA...as stated in the previous review...I guess 13 weeks of boot camp made the last reviewer forget what state he/she was in...