Florey's Books welcomes local author Peter Beck, as he discusses his new book "From Roaring Hate to Ramrod Straight - A Journey from Hitler's Germany to the US Marine Corps"
***Saturday March 23rd, 2-4pm***
About the book and author:
Peter Beck, a resident of Pacifica for the last 22 years, has just written a book about his life. On the surface, this might not sound very interesting. However, it takes only about two pages to realize this is no ordinary autobiography.
Born in Berlin in 1935, his family luckily escaped the clutches of the Nazi's solely on the basis of his father's valorous acts in combat during World War One. Flying out of Berlin in 1939, he and his mother and father landed in Genoa, Italywhere they were able to board a ship which took them to Guayaquil, Ecudor. Once in South America, the family settled down only to be uprooted again when the author contracted Tuberculosis, which enabled the family to immigrate to the United States for treatment.
Arriving in New York City in 1940, the book details the experiences of growing up in New York City in the 1940s and 1950s, and then details a 23 year career as an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps, a career that took him all over the world and included assignments as the Guard Commander at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; the Director of the Marine Corps Drill Instructor School; and 13 months of combat with an infantry battalion and regiment in the jungles of Vietnam.
Staff assignments in Washington, DC and Honolulu, Hawaii give the reader an insight in to a military organization that no longer exists.
The author is non-judgmental, relating his story in a factual manner, straying from his observational style only during the chapter on Vietnam where he writes from first-hand experiences and occasionally allows his emotions concerning the war in Vietnam to override his journalistic style.
The book is a wonderful snapshot of two eras that no longer exist. A vibrant and dynamic 1940s New York City, and the post-Korean War Marine Corps leading up to our entry into the Vietnam War. As the author states "It's like the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants, great while they lasted, but never to be again."
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All profits realized from the sale of the book will be donated to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. The Fund aims to aid the families of our Wounded Warriors as they learn to cope with the horrific injuries sustained by thier loved ones in the line of duty. To date, the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund has disbursed over $67 million to over 50,000 recipients.
For more on the Fund, please see their site:
http://www.semperfifund.org/
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We hope to see you!
***Saturday, March 23rd, 2-4pm***
Florey's Book Co.
2120 Palmetto Ave.
Pacifica, CA 94044
(650) 355-8811
Open 10am to 6pm every day (8pm Fridays)
http://www.floreysbooks.blogspot.com
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