Keeping Faith - The story of what it takes to be a United States Marine.
Written: Feb 07 '05 (Updated Feb 07 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: touching, informing, very interesting
Cons: no pictures - except for the one on the cover & back
The Bottom Line: Keeping Faith is written by a boy and his dad sharing insight on what it means to be a United States Marine. I highly recommend this book.
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| wifeofvolsfan's Full Review: John Schaeffer - Keeping Faith: A Father-Son Story... |
I began reading the book Keeping Faith a couple of weeks ago. It was such a good book that I didn’t want it to end so I took my time in reading it. I would have to say that this is one of the best books I have read in my lifetime. I would highly recommend reading this if you have a son or daughter who is thinking of joining the Marine Corps.
The book is written by Corporal John Schaeffer and his father Frank Schaeffer. In 1998 John had just graduated from high school and decided to join the Marine Corps. His father couldn’t understand why in the world he would want to do that. They lived in a upscale Massachusetts neighborhood and none of Frank’s friends had sons joining the military. John really didn’t care what his parents thought about it though. He had made his decision and it was final.
My stepson, Billy, graduated from the Marine Corps bootcamp back in July 2004. He told us stories of what things were like there, but really we had no clue. We walked around with him on Family Day and he shared what his life had been like for the past three months. Reading this book really brought to life what Billy had told us. It’s like this book took what Billy had said and expanded on it much further. I learned so much by reading this book.
The book is written in alternating sections by Frank and John. It details what bootcamp is like at Parris Island, SC. From the minute the recruits step off of the bus and find their place on the yellow footsteps to the final days up until graduation. For me this was a huge eye opener for what Billy had experienced. I was proud of him for making it through. I finally realized what a huge accomplishment it really was.
I relived the time the family spent together before John left for bootcamp. I learned about the Marine Core values. I got more insight into how tough the drill instructors really are. John shared how bad the punishments were when the recruits had to spend time in the sand pit. While reading I remembered just how the barracks looked. John shared what trials they went through and what their obstacle course consisted of. The Crucible was the last major thing that had to be accomplished on the island. It consists of a fifty-four mile adventure over the course of nearly three days. They got little sleep and had to perform everything they had learned during their stay. Teamwork got them through this physically exhausting challenge. You read about the pride the Marine and his family felt on the day he was finally awarded the title of being called a Marine.
At times I could identify with the feelings of the father. There were parts of the book that literally brought tears to my eyes as I read it. There are various letters shared throughout the book from father to son and from son to father. John often wrote poems to express how he was feeling about things or to share what he was going through. Many of these poems were included in the book. One of the poems that was included near the start of the book was one that I shared with Billy. I thought it would be something he could identify when people just can't understand him joining.
I go to school with people who do not understand
why I have chosen the Marines.
These are not things I can explain.
These are feelings,
the guts of my brain,
and I cannot scoop them out and hand them around
so that friends will understand me.
I lead a divided life.
I go to functions with Marines
who cannot conceive of the place that I come from,
or why I want to be one of them.
I am so thankful to knotheadusc for reviewing this book and Frank’s follow up books. I had originally read her review of Keeping Faith back in February 2004. At the time though I wasn’t interested in the Marines or any military books. A heartfelt Marine book just didn't grab my attention at the time. However, when I recently read her review on one of the followup books I was immediately pulled to read this book. I was lucky to get this copy from the library. My library does not have the followup books Faith of Our Sons or Voices From the Front. So I bought them both and can’t wait to read them. Billy will be deployed to Iraq in March and I think these books will be a valuable asset to me. I am really looking forward to reading both of the follow up books.
This book is written in a way that is easy to understand. It explains military terms in ways that civilians can understand. It is written honestly and comes from the heart. There were many parts that I found funny. There were things I could relate to. There were so many things that I learned from reading the book. For instance, I had no idea that the Marines made their recruits qualify with a rifle at 500 yards. Now I can finally understand why Billy was so nervous at the time that he might not pass. The other branches only require their recruits to qualify at 300 yards. So a Marine recruit that scores the lowest passing grade would still be considered an "expert" in the other branches of military.
The book ends with life after bootcamp. John is sent to Ft. Huachuca, Arizona to await clearance to begin more training. This turned into an eighteen month stay, which at times proved to be more wearing than bootcamp. The idle days waiting for the clearance to go through nearly drove John crazy.
I am so thankful to have came across this book. I am glad that I decided to read it after Billy had graduated from bootcamp. I think it was have upset me to read it while he was going through it. I would have felt more nervous than I already did. So now that he has it behind him I think it was a great time for me to read the book.
I have written Billy several letters sharing things from the book. As I would read I jotted down questions to ask him. I can't wait to read his answers. I have begged my husband to read this book, but he just isn't a book reader. I found myself constantly reading parts of it out loud to him. I was truly intrigued.
Since reading the book I feel as if I have had blinders removed from my eyes. I understand what makes a Marine. I understand loyalty, determination, dedication, fear, desire, commitment, honor and courage. I now have a much deeper respect for all of the men and women who serve our country. If you have no interest at all in the Marines or military I doubt you would enjoy the book. Obviously, people read what interests them. So I'm not saying this book is for everyone.
Side note:
For those of you who pray please pray that Billy comes home safely to his family. He is in an Anti-Terrorism unit based out of Camp LeJeune, NC. He will be deployed to Iraq for at least six months. We all love him very much and are very proud of him.
Recommended:
Yes
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