A FEW MORE MARINES.

Retired Marine Colonel James “Wes” Hammond Jr.’s latest book, “A Few More Marines,” crafted in the style of his earlier book, “A Few Marines,” takes the reader on a delightfully reminiscent journey of a Marine’s star-studded 31-year career. Interestingly, rather than a typical timeline biography, the book is an amalgamation of what the author terms, “informal chronicles.”

The author goes to lengths to point out that the names of the protagonist, Joe Har­rigan, and many of his cronies have been “slightly” altered. However, he also specifies that most “old hands” of the period would have little difficulty decoding the identities of many of the leading characters. Hammond’s wide-ranging sea stories come from years of experience and a seabag bursting with good-natured humor and wisdom, abundantly packed with the lore of the Corps.
Selected history is sprinkled in with the life and times of Harrigan, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Class of 1951. One chapter, “Commander Tuna,” relates Joe’s tale of being the ranking officer of Company B, 1st Battalion, Sixth Marine Regiment on a unit Mediterranean “cruise” in the spring of 1954. Joe’s antagonist through­out the voyage was the ship’s executive officer, a World War II Navy Reserve officer who is identified as Commander Tuna.

While the ship’s captain was affable and by the book, the “Big Tuna” took every opportunity to undercut and subjugate the young company commander to his will. The sea story, complicated and full of intrigue, proposes one important lesson for any budding seagoing leatherneck officer: read and know the fleet regulations. Knowledge of the naval “regs” saved Joe, and the Marines he commanded, from this rancorous ol’ naval loggerhead.

Joe had an exceptional opportunity to learn from the best. He served as aide-de-camp to Daniel N. Sharpe (think David M. Shoup, later 22nd Commandant of the Marine Corps) when the general commanded the Third Marine Division on Okinawa. On one occasion that Joe would remember forever, the general sent all his staff officers to Japan for a week of R&R. First, he wanted his staff to get some much-needed relaxation and reduce their collective stress, but chiefly he wanted them to discover that the division would sail along smoothly without them. To Joe, it was a lesson learned, and one that he emulated at a later time with his own staff.

Joe’s tutelage under Gen Sharpe paid abundant dividends. On the last day as Commandant of the Marine Corps, the general wrote the following memo: “This summer assign Major Joe Harrigan as Editor of the Gazette.” Joe was selected for lieutenant colonel and became the editor of the Marine Corps Gazette.

In 1975, Joe oversaw the massive relocation of South Vietnamese refugees to Camp Pendleton, Calif. On short notice, and under Joe’s watchful eye, 18,200 new arrivals were skillfully supervised and quartered. This was something of a logistical miracle, a credit to Joe and the astound­ing flexibility of our Corps to face any rapidly developing situational challenge.

After retiring, Joe and his family lived in Reno, Nev., but later moved to Maryland as he spent eight years as editor of Shipmate, the U.S. Naval Academy Alum­ni Association magazine.

Along with the wit and wisdom embodied in “A Few More Marines,” Col Hammond includes various interesting tales of historical note. These brief drop-in chapters exemplify our Corps’ judgment, history and traditions. The chapter titled “The Leatherneck Corps” tells of Marines manning posts in Iceland prior to our entering WW II. “The Sins of Iwo Jima” discusses the oft-told story of the two flags raised on that bloody sulfuric island. The fight for Belleau Wood is squarely described in a chapter titled “Mere­ly a Local Engagement.”

“The McNamara Line” details the folly of LBJ’s “Wiz Kids” as they attempted to quantify body count and various other statistical ways to measure the complexities of war. This chapter highlights the lunacy of attempting to draw a Maginot-like Line in the sand in order to keep soldiers of the North Vietnamese Army from encroaching into the south. In a section titled “The Other Side of the Hill,” Col Hammond details the tactics used by the Viet Cong to evade air strikes. Here, from the lips of a captured Viet Cong officer, are revealing tips about the tactic of closely hugging U.S. forces in an attempt to avoid annihilation.

“A Few More Marines” is part sea story, part fact, but overflowing with sage wisdom for old salts, newly commissioned “butter bars” and all young Marines. Ham­mond expertly passes on many yarns that will capture the imagination of Marines and the people who love them. So, batten down the hatch, and add this intriguing volume to your sea chest, Mac!

A FEW MORE MARINES.

By James W. Hammond Jr. Published by Trafford Publishing.

227 pages. Softcover. Stock #142515011X.

$22.50 MCA Members. $25 Regular Price.