The Reluctant Solider
by Marine Mellblom is a memoir of the Korean War, the Forgotten War. It is told
through the letters from her husband, Neil Mellblom.
The book starts as Neil is shipping out. Through his words,
Neil describes an Army which was not prepared for the action which were taking
place in Korea. Neil becomes a writer for the Pacific Stars and Stripes in
which he was writing stories about the front lines. Although he was writing it
from the wire report and not from the thick of battle. Throughout the book, the
reader sees Neil’s disappointment with the Army as well as himself. He wants to
be a better solider. He struggles that he is not on the frontlines but at the
same time he is glad that he isn’t. He is frustrated with the extra treatment
the officers get over the non-officers, even in acknowledgement of heroism in
battle.
I enjoyed reading this book although I had anticipated a
different type of book. However, as I read Neil’s own words as he writes about his
experiences during the Korea War opened the war in a new light. To the quick
paced but ultimately unpreparedness of the Army, to the worry about his friends
who are throughout his country, to his struggles with his own role in the war. The
book is also the love story between Neil and Marnie as their letters are
exchanged across the miles. Sadly, her letters do not survive today due to a
flood that destroyed Neil’s barracks before he came home. The Reluctant Soldier is a great look into the personal side of war
rather than the political/strategic side.
The Reluctant Soldier
is available on Amazon
in paperback for $16.95
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