Marion Hargrove (1919–2003)

When the US was preparing to enter the Second World War, there was an explosion of "army humour." Some of it was warmed-over gags from the Great War, and I suspect some of the wheezes had been used at least as far back as the Civil War. There wasn't a great deal that was fresh. Which was probably why Marion Hargrove's book made the impact it did when it originally came out in 1942. His breezy, conversational style (honed by being on the Charlotte News newspaper) has its charms. This book is, show more essentially, a collection of columns he did while he was based at Ft. Bragg, also in North Carolina. The quality is a bit variable, but on the whole, it does keep your interest. It is, of course, largely a curio (there's one African-American joke, the only one in there, and it's a bit wince-inducing), and represents a lost and vanished world. Still, it's a decent snapshot of Army life leading up to World War II (the last column deals with the news of Pearl Harbor). Recommended, at least, for war buffs. show less

I've seen the movie, which is hilarious, and am glad to say that the book is just as funny. I only wish it were longer!

It's really nice to read WWII material written before and during, rather than 50-years-later-retrospectives. It gives a better picture of daily experience without the benefit of so much historical perspective. Also, the CO's speech after Pearl Harbor was pretty moving. Well done, Hargrove.

My parents were teenagers during World War II. I grew up fascinated by stories of that time. This book is a collection of columns Hargrove wrote for his home newspaper audience while he was going through basic training and other civilian-to-soldier experiences. It is mostly a funny, square-peg-in-a-round-hole look at military life, but he could and did get serious now and then. The man was a fine writer.

Hargrove has written a mildly humorous short volume about life as a recruit in the U.S. Army in 1941. This diary of sorts ends with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. One aspect of the book is the behind scenes view of preparing the meals for a large group of soldiers as Hargrove's first assignment is as an army cook.