Editor, Gazette-Journal:

This is a recommendation to read two books: "You’ll Be Sor-ree," by Sid Phillips, a Guadalcanal Marine, and the biography of John Basilone, USMC Medal of Honor recipient of WWII, written by Jim Proser. Of course, we are a Marine Corps family, but the history these two men lived is important to every American, and the wisdom they share with us is so needed today. All of the memories written by Sid Phillips are of value, but there are comments that will ring a bell for many:

"As I look back at my pictures, it is startling to think that America was considering these young volunteers as her defenders. They had the heart, but not the experience. Of extreme importance as to what carried them through it all was they were Depression kids and had never had very much of anything as civilians, plus, in my opinion, American humor and the optimism of youth and pride in being an American. Added to this was the additional pride of being a United States Marine." No...