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Christmas is coming. Do you know a Marine who might not have read that fantastic book about some young kid from the rural area along the Chesapeake Bay outside of Baltimore who was going nowhere, decided to get out of school in his senior year before the report cards came out and enlisted in the Marine Corps? Well, here’s your chance to give him a great Christmas present personally inscribed to him and signed by the author. How can this happen you may ask. Well, it’s simple. you see, I happen to know the author very well. It’s me. LOL

I still have about 20 or so of the hardcover copies left over from when I ditched the publisher once I determined just how much they were ripping me off. The publisher priced the book way out of line, but I had no say in it. We argued via emails, texts, and phone calls for over a month, but I lost out. They claimed it was all based on page count. It is a long book actually 564 pages, but for you Grunts (like me) it has lots photos, so they set the price at $42.95.  Would you believe that my profit on each book they and Amazon sold was $2.73.

Anyway, I bought a load of the book before I dropped the publisher. Of course they didn’t give me the same deal they gave to Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I would like get rid of the books I have so I am offering a deal for this coming Christmas, but you have to hurry as we are leaving to attend my sister’s memorial service in Swansboro, NC on 9 December. Then we will continue north to our daughter’s house for Christmas in Pasadena, MD. We expect to be back home around 28-29 December. I will; however, have some books with me as we will travel north in our RV with the two cats and my new dog.

I will sell the hardcover version, which is a beautiful book by the way, personally inscribed to the person and signed by me. I have been selling it for $35.00, but for this one time Christmas deal, I sell it for  $30.00 and I will pay the postage, which is now $6.13. In the interest of full disclosure, I am making $5.94 on the each sale as I paid $17.93 per copy from the scumbag publisher. 

Anyway, if you are interested google my name on Amazon and it will take you to many reviews of the book. If your interest is then piqued, send me an email telling about this person you want to give it to, and whether you want it mailed directly to him/her or to you. That’s all there is to it. Email me at: sgt-b@comcast.net, or call me at (239)299-6738.

Here is the Table of Contents to give you a feel of what all the book covers if you’ve not read it.

Dedication

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1                                                              “Brewed on the Shores of the                                                                                         Chesapeake Bay”

2                                                              From the Halls of Montezuma

3                                                              Parris Island

4                                                              Infantry Training Regiment

5                                                              The Private’s World

6                                                              Schools Demonstration Troops

7                                                              Republic of the Philippines

8                                                              Treasure Island

9                                                              Crossing the Pacific

10                                                           Welcome to Japan

11                                                           The Price of a Lucky Strike

12                                                           The Monkey House

13                                                           Battery D, Second Battalion, Tenth                                                                           Marines

14                                                           Drill Instructor School

15                                                           The DI

16                                                           The Platoon Leaders Course

17                                                           Schools Demonstration Troops—Redux

18                                                           Republic of Vietnam

19                                                           “Corpsman Up”

20                                                           Only a Sergeant

21                                                           Sparrow Hawk

22                                                           Sheer Terror

23                                                           Operation Hastings

24                                                           Anderson Trail

25                                                           LCpl Albert Brigham, USMC

26                                                           Cpl Gary Wayne Olson, USMC

27                                                           Bordering on Ridiculous

28                                                           WIANE

29                                                           The Silent Majority

30                                                           Oldest Post in the Corps

31                                                           “Who the Hell’s Jim?”

32                                                           Hail to the Chief

33                                                           Officer Candidates School

34                                                           Staff Sergeant “Chesty”

35                                                           Special Ceremonial Platoon

36                                                           Anchors Aweigh

37                                                           Company “E”

38                                                           Amphibious Warfare School

39                                                           Go Army!

40                                                           Methodist College

41                                                           Okinawa

42                                                           Marine Barracks, Lemoore, California

43                                                           Armed Forces Staff College

44                                                           Recruiting Station, Chicago

45                                                           College of Naval Warfare

46                                                           Huxley’s Harlots

47                                                           G-3 Training Officer

48                                                           Landing Force Training Command,                                                                             Atlantic

49                                                           The School of Infantry

50                                                           The Consequences

Epilogue

A                                                             Marine Corps Rank Structure

B                                                             Abbreviations/Acronyms

C                                                             Glossary

Current Events

Merry Christmas Gang!

8 Comments

Greetings Friends and Patriots. Firstly, I cannot believe the number hits and your superb comments to My Open Letter to CMC Berger. It certainly has caused a firestorm, with several retired generals weighing in and even a former CMC through private communications. As expected even some active duty Marines weighing supporting Berger, which can be expected as they have been infected with his alien thoughts and had not truly learned our traditional values yet, or simply don not care.  I was surprised by the small number of negative comments (only 2) telling me I was full of it and just some old fart that thinks the “Old Corps” was the best. I did post their comments for everyone to have their shot. The count as I write this post is well over 12,000 hits and counting.

The one shocker for me personally was (is) the number of book inquiries I received (>40). I am having trouble keeping up with them, I mean I don’t have a secretary. LOL But I try my best to inscribe, sign, package so the USPS don’t destroy them, and mail them the same day I receive payment. I still have about ten in my files who inquired about the book but have not heard back from or told me they were sending checks. I thank you very much for this, as it was an unexpected result of the letter. As most of you know this book thing is not a business for me, I only make a couple of dollars off each sale since iUniverse did not give me the same discount they gave the online guys like Amazon who sold the book at a ridiculous price—I mean I’m only the damn author. Over the years I have recouped the enormous cost iUniverse charged me to print it, so now I just want folks to read it, especially my Marine brothers. And as you know, I eat the postage for any Veteran, regardless of service connection. If you’ve not read it—shame of you!

My bride, Nancy, our two Siberian cats, our dog Edgar, and I will depart tomorrow in the RV and head to MD (Brrr) to visit kids and grandkids for Christmas, then down to NC to see my only sibling, my sister, who just turned 89. So it is doubtful I will be posting anything for a week or so. Can you handle that?. Some are probably saying, thank goodness. LOL.

What this means for those of you sending checks for a book, I won’t get them until I return about 2 January. I apologize, but Grandma has to see the grandkids on Christmas, and so do I. I hope you understand. You can continue to send Book requests as I will have Wifi once I arrive in MD. Enroute to and fro is questionable.

I have been watching the furor, and reading message traffic of the latest Corps Woke-news. I speak of changing the SNCO promotion warrant. WOW. Haven’t seen a picture of it yet, but did listen to SgtMaj Black recite it. Sounded like it needs to be two pages long. I guess the senior SNCO’s who formed the committee, didn’t like their warrants—interesting, I loved and still cherish mine! I am certain the committee was stacked accordingly, otherwise why have it? I guess those of us who were promoted to SNCO using that old warrant just didn’t get it, so they need to spell it out for a third grader, or was promoted before he/she learned anything about leadership. I may have come out with something about it.

Anyway, my sincere wish to my followers is that you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and that the new year brings you much happiness and joy!

Semper Fidelis

Jim Bathurst

USMC (Ret)

 

Originally posted 2021-12-20 14:42:31.

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Time Out for a Commercial

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Okay, time out from my political rant for a commercial break. Many of you who follow me here have read “the book.” Yes, I am talking about my humble approach to become a writer, the title of which is the  name of this blog. However, for those who simply stumbled onto this site you may not know of the book, let alone having read it.

So if you will beg my pardon I thought I’d throw in a short commercial break, I mean, damn it’s my blog right? LOL 

BTW, that’s 2nd LT Bathurst standing in front of the world famous Marine Corps Silent Drill Team at Marine Barracks, 8th&I Streets, SE, Washington, D.C. which was his OCS and TBS

The book is a print on demand, which means I paid to have it printed through a POD publisher (IUniverse), and while it was costly, they provide nothing, no marketing, advertising, etc. Oh, they’ll do that, but at a significant cost. I bit into their BS the first year and bought a few  of their packages, but never once could I point to a sale and say it came from their marketing.  For any future authors on here, I would not recommend a POD publisher, especially IUniverse. 

It comes in soft cover (not a paperback, but better), eBook, and hardcover.  IUniverse did an outstanding job on the cover based on my stern guidance. It is a beautiful book. I had no voice on the prices except on the eBook, it was the publisher’s call based solely on page count, and it’s a big book (564 pages including numerous  pages of photographs). The list price is $42.95, $38.95 for the soft cover, and the eBook is $7.95.

Amazon, Barnes & Noble and few other online book stores sell all three at the list prices, plus shipping in most cases. I do sell the hard cover, but bear in mind I do not get the same deal from the publisher as do the online book stores, I’m only the author! UGH!

Okay, here’s my deal, I have recouped my initial printing costs; therefore, it is no longer a money thing to me, I simply want folks to read it and hopefully enjoy it.  I sell the hard cover personally inscribed anyway you want it, signed, and dated for $35.00. And if you are a Marine, or if it is for a Marine, I will eat the postage myself. Truth be known, for every book I sell to a Marine I lose $0.63! 

Personally, I believe it makes a great gift for a birthday, Christmas, or any special occasion, especially for a Marine, who I guarantee will enjoy it and rekindle many fond (and maybe not so fond LOL) memories of his/her time on active duty.

You can go to Amazon and Barnes & Noble and read all the reviews. I have even included some here on the website. Please click on “About the Book, About the Author, and About the Editor, as well as peek inside the book for selected pages, If you would like to order a book, simply go to “Buy The Book,” fill out the form, and submit it. Your message will come to me and I will contact you with details.

Okay, the commercial break is over, now back to the liberal BS we’re having to put up with in today’s rabid society.

Originally posted 2019-11-09 10:02:42.