Rating: 
Summary: Good, but too much about beurocratic politics.
Review: This is the first book by Griffin that I have read. I read it because I enjoyed The Last Lieutenant so much that I wanted to read similar books that dealt with escape and/or warfare in the Philippines during World War II.The book was good but far too much of it was about the beurocratic battle to support guerilla warfare in the Philippines and not enough was about the actual guerilla campaign. This was more the story of the beurocratic struggle and internal politics necessary to support the efforts of the guerillas than the story of guerilla warfare behind the lines. Perhaps it should have been titles, THE POLITICAL BATTLE TO SUPPORT THOSE BEHIND THE LINES. Overall it was a good book. I just thought the title was a bit misleading and that there should have been more action. If anyone can reccomend good books on this same topic please do. I would appreciate it.
Rating: 
Summary: Esprit De Corps
Review: This novel by W.E.B. Griffin was absolutely wonderful. It accurately describes how the average guy in WWII became a Marine and then outfought the Japanese Army who had destroyed every opponent it had faced in the opening days of WWII. It also accurately describes how the "average man" became a Marine and then how this person selflessly gave of himself to destroy this evil force which could have realistically destroyed our democracy.The book also showed how the Espirit de Corps of the United States Marine Corp developed and why even in bootcamp today every Marine private sings goodnight to "Chesty" Puller the greatest Marine who ever lived.
Rating: 
Summary: Great story, horrible writing
Review: W.E.B. Griffin picked a fascinating topic - the establishment of a guerrilla operation in the Philippines during WWII. The difficulties involved in planning and supporting such an operation make for a great story. Unfortunately, the writing is horrible. Griffin has the exasperating habit of providing the same "detail" about people and weapons over and over. Characters that have been central figures throughout the entire book are still named by their full name, including middle initial (or NMI for "No Middle Initial"), rank, and service throughout the book. For example, one of the central figures is referred to as "Captain Robert B. Macklin, USMC", for what seems like the 100th time, when there are only 5 pages left in the book! And who could forget that the proper designation for a Springfield rifle is "U.S Rifle, Caliber .30-06, Model 1903", or that the standard-issue .45 pistol is a "Model 1911 .45 ACP pistol" after reading these terms 50 times? Does Griffin do this because he thinks we like reading the full designations over and over, or because that's the way a military novel should read, or does he simply have to reach a required word count? I enjoyed the story, but wish there was less unnecessary and repetitive detail and more information about what actually happened in the Philippines during the war.
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