Rating: 
Summary: Wow, just Wow!!!!
Review: My dad served as a soldier in the Pacific War and has never talked about it--even after I saw combat as a Marine. So I was shocked when he handed me "Colder than Hell" and recommended it as a true account of what combat is really like. We agree and can't understand why it has not been made into a movie. This is a rare account of a subject that generally can't be explained unless you have experienced it. He captures the breathless horror that is combat. Combat vets will finish it and simply say "Yes". The rest of the world will say "Oh my God" and thank men like Owen who have faced the dragon. A must real for the universe.
Rating:
Summary: Wow, just Wow!!!!
Review: My dad served as a soldier in the Pacific War and has never talked about it--even after I saw combat as a Marine. So I was shocked when he handed me "Colder than Hell" and recommended it as a true account of what combat is really like. We agree and can't understand why it has not been made into a movie. This is a rare account of a subject that generally can't be explained unless you have experienced it. He captures the breathless horror that is combat. Combat vets will finish it and simply say "Yes". The rest of the world will say "Oh my God" and thank men like Owen who have faced the dragon. A must real for the universe.
Rating:
Summary: Things Dad Never Told Me
Review: My father was one of the Marine Chosin. I did not know much about either the Korean War nor his service there. I just finished this book and actually cried when I put it down. A mixture of so many emotions. He is gone now, but the very few things he ever mentioned to me about Korea have now been dramatically enhanced by Lt. Owen's wonderful book. I only wish I could tell him how very proud I am of him. This book is a National treasure and should be required reading in schools everywhere for several reasons. I also read "Retreat Hell" before this account of an individual unit's personality, tactics, and tragedy. Buy both books, it is an absolute education, a one-two punch in what Chosin really means/meant. God bless all the UN Veterans of that era. Very special people.
Rating:
Summary: Impossible to put down, once you start.
Review: One of the most interesting and gripping books I have ever read. Having served with the USAF in Korea during this period I was quite familiar with the fantastic job the Marine Corps did in their march South, but Lt. Owen brought the entire episode to life. I have always admired the Corps spirit. This book simply reinforced that admiration. Semper Fi, guys!
Rating:
Summary: A gut-wrenching look at what war is really like.
Review: The book starts a bit slow, but if you stick with it you are rewarded by becoming a member of John Owen's Platoon and feel like you are there as he gives an unvarnished, simple lesson in how wars are fought. You can almost smell the stink of combat and feel the weariness these Marines must have felt as they carved a new page in Marine Corps History with their breakout at the Chosin and, eventual march to the sea with most of their dead and wounded. It is certainly a book for today's Marines as well as yesterdays, and for anyone who wants to know what combat must be like.
Rating:
Summary: Chosin Up Close And Personal
Review: There are essentially two ways to approach an historical review of a compaign, either as an historian who was never there (reviewing documents, etc.) and the personal viewpoint. The latter gives you a good overview of the whole campaing, whereas the former provides a very focused view.Naturally, it is best to view all options, but I prefer to read the first-person accounts for some real perspective. This is what you get--the unvarnished look at how one company dealt with the catastrophe of Chosin, turning it into a victory (no matter what the Chinese reviewer has to say). That one division, the 1st Marine Division, was able to survive against ten Chinese division, and survive intact as a fighting force, speaks volumes of the men in that division. When you read how Owen and his men coped, you can appreciate the fighting capabilities of the American soldiers--particulary when they are put in unprepared situations by idiots like MacArthur and his so-called intelligence officers in Tokyo fighting by remote-control. Owen showed how the men in the field could see the train-wreck coming, but were never listened to. This is where the first-person account deviates from the outside approach with the old "we told you so" and can prove it. I would also like to mention that I have met Owen and Chew Enn Lee, when they gave a talk on the book. You could not imagine two more opposites in personality. Lee, who goes by "Karl," is still to this day highly respected by his men. They have petitioned the Department of Defense for Karl to receive the Medal of Honor for leading part of the breakout. No matter how much they petition on his behalf, it just falls on deaf ears. I think this is just the continuation of the we-know-better-than-you that permeates the rarified air breathed by higher ups. When you see what Bob Kerrey did for his Medal of Honor--and not taking anything away from him--you wonder why Karl Lee walked away with less.
Rating:
Summary: From a Gyrene Who Was There
Review: There is no better account of the ordinary guy in combat than this book by Lieutenant Owen. The Korean War is the only combat in which I ever participated; but, to the extent that the Chosin Campaign was typical of battle, Joe Owen describes it perfectly! I felt as though I were there again.
Rating:
Summary: Emotions Run Wild
Review: This account of the Korean War from Joe Owens is a wild ride of emotions. If you have any compassion in your body what so ever,you can't help but feel for these soldiers. At one point during the reading,tears began to flow and I found myself thanking these couragous men for my freedom. A authentic and graphic desription of the battles that were won and lost in Korea.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read Military History Book
Review: This book is a must read for any legitimate military history historian. It illustrates the changing perspective of the European concept of war in which human life has at least some meaning to the concept of war with an Asian opponent in which human life apparently is not that important. Although still very important, the "one shot, one kill" concept as applied to masses of troops for that often required "reach out and touch someone" 1,000 yard shot, must of necessity give way to the concept of a "one shot, many, many kills" concept of modern day warfare with this kind of opponent. It also illustrates the "how" of the "unexpected" Chinese ambush of the American forces. Both the Army's and the Marine's outdoor enthusiasts knew that they were there, although not in what immense strength, but military headquarters in Japan refused to believe them.
Rating: 
Summary: Good read and well written
Review: This book is a very well written and interesting to read. The only reason it got 4 stars instead of 5 stars was because in another book either Owen was quoted on some of the things he did and said that differ from those same things done and said in this book. A good book to read if you are in any way interested in the Korean War.
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