{"product_id":"book-ecwh","title":"The Remains of the Corps, Vol. 1","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Remains of the Corps\u003c\/em\u003e tells the story of a fictional United States Marine Corps family history and is a tribute to this legendary fighting force.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe United States Marine Corps has been a household name for generations. True to the lyrics of its official hymn, the Corps has fought its country's battles in the air, on land, and sea for more than two hundred years. For many, serving in the Corps has been and continues to be a \"family business.\" The fictional Remains (an anagram for Marines) are one such family. Told by a third-generation Marine and Vietnam veteran, the fictional Will Remain, the saga begins with his grandfather Kenneth Remain-born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and educated at Harvard College. They, and other members of their family, are Marines, but there is more to their stories-much more. Figuring prominently in their lives are the born-to-the-purple Kenneth Blakeslee and the beautiful KatyKay Mulcahy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a companion PDF, the listener is also introduced to the fifty-seven enlisted men of the fictional Fourth Platoon of the 87th Company of the true-to-life Third Battalion of the Sixth Marine Regiment, and twenty-four fictional officers of that battalion. Author Will Remain informs the listener with a tightly drawn narrative for each of these officers, NCOs, academics, cadets, athletes, farmers, tradesmen, and white-collar workers as they head off to war. Illustrator Tara Kaz breathes life into their stories with more than fifty sketches.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ\u0026amp;A with the author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhy did you undertake this multi-volume project?  How does your service in the Marines influence this book?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy service in the Marines is the single most important motivation behind my writing \u003cem\u003eThe Remains of the Corps\u003c\/em\u003e.  Joining the Marines in 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War, I followed in my father's footsteps.  Dad served in the Corps during WWII and fought on Iwo Jima.  He sang the Marine Corps Hymn so often over the years that I began singing it as well.  As soon as I graduated college, I signed up and completed OCS and the Basic School and became an officer (1st Lieutenant).  I served from 1968 - 1971 (Vietnam '70 - '71).  I love the Marine Corps and am forever grateful to it.  It shaped me for a lifetime.  Writing a six-volume story about Marines is my way of giving back and, hopefully, doing my small part to perpetuate the Corps' legendary status.  I also came away from my Marine Corps experience in Vietnam with some survivor guilt.  It is difficult to explain, but it has me in its grip. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Remains of the Corps\u003c\/em\u003e is, first and foremost, an epic literary endeavor; I couldn't pay true tribute to the Corps with anything less. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhen will Volume II be published?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVolume II, titled \u003cem\u003eThe Remains of the Corps: Belleau Wood\u003c\/em\u003e will be published in approximately two years.  Seven chapters have been completed and the volume is fully outlined and researched.  Though it took me ten years to bring the first volume to press, that time included training myself to be an author as well as years of researching the entire project.  Future volumes will take two years each. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhere did the name \"Will Remain\" come from?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eREMAIN is an anagram for MARINE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eREMAIN is a synonym for endure, prevail, persist, and commit - all things Marines have a reputation for.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe given name WILL was chosen as it is a verb expressing the future tense as in \"I WILL REMAIN\" committed.  The fictional REMAIN family (three generations) REMAINS committed to the Marine Corps.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhy are you using the pseudonym Will Remain?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy primary purpose in using a pseudonym is to have the story be told by a member of the fictional Remain family. (Will Remain is the grandson of Kenneth Remain, the Volume I protagonist. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI also didn't want my writing to be about me, but about the Corps and those who have served in the Corps.  However, it turns out that readers, Marines in particular, want to know who is writing about them, so I have been convinced to add my name and bio to the soon-to-be-released paperback version and to future printings of all editions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eHave you published anything before this? \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes.  Two non-fiction books:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOnce An Eagle: A Reader's Companion\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNotes on Once An Eagle\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhat authors have influenced your work?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFour authors have influenced my writing:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst and foremost:  Anton Myrer, author of the well-known epic novel \u003cem\u003eOnce An Eagle\u003c\/em\u003e (the subject of my two non-fiction books).  Though I never met him, he is my literary mentor; he taught me how to write.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlso:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eF. Scott Fitzgerald, especially as it relates to the significant use of songs and lyrics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLewis Carroll, for his use of illustration to both inform and entertain his readers.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHerman Melville, in that I employ a mix of styles and points of view, and I look at the story content from all angles.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"EG \u0026 A Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49368443027760,"sku":"BDecwh","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio CD","offer_id":49368443093296,"sku":"ZEecwh","price":34.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio MP3-CD","offer_id":49368443158832,"sku":"ZMecwh","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/ecwh-Square-cover.jpg?v=1775924851","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-ecwh","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}