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The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat Audiobook
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(3.99) - 419 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
November 1950, the Korean Peninsula. After General MacArthur ignores Mao's warnings and pushes his UN forces deep into North Korea, his 10,000 First Division Marines find themselves surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered by 100,000 Chinese soldiers near the Chosin Reservoir. Their only chance for survival is to fight their way south through the Toktong Pass, a narrow gorge in the Nangnim Mountains. It will need to be held open at all costs. The mission is handed to Captain William Barber and the 246 Marines of Fox Company, a courageous but undermanned unit of the First Marines. Barber and his men are ordered to climb seven miles of frozen terrain to a rocky promontory overlooking the pass. The Marines have no way of knowing that the ground they occupy—it is soon dubbed "Fox Hill"—is surrounded by 10,000 Chinese soldiers. As the sun sets on the hill, and the temperature plunges to thirty degrees below zero, Barber's men dig in for the night. At two in the morning they are awakened by the sound—bugles, whistles, cymbals, and drumbeats—of a massive assault by thousands of enemy infantry. The attack is just the first wave of four days and five nights of nearly continuous Chinese attempts to take Fox Hill, during which Barber's beleaguered company clings to the high ground and allows the First Marine Division to battle south. Amid the relentless violence, three-quarters of Fox Company's Marines are killed, wounded, or captured. Just when it looks like the outfit will be overrun, Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Davis, a fearless Marine officer who is fighting south from Chosin, volunteers to lead a force of 500 men on a daring mission that cuts a hole in the Chinese lines and relieves the men of Fox Company.
The Last Stand of Fox Company is a fast-paced and gripping account of heroism and self-sacrifice in the face of impossible odds. The authors have conducted dozens of firsthand interviews with the battle's survivors, and they narrate the story with the immediacy of such classic accounts of single battles as Guadalcanal Diary, Pork Chop Hill, and Black Hawk Down.
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"4.1. Even though there are a lot of names and descriptions of battle, this book was much easier to read than We Were Soldiers Once and Young. It is about the Korean War and the Battle for the Chosin Reservoir. It is the story of one company's stand atop a hill looking over the MSR and what it took to hold open that small mountain pass for the rest of the retreating Marines."
— Sam (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A paean worthy of one of the most extraordinary battles in Marine Corps history…A magnificent book.”
— Nathaniel Fick, New York Times bestselling author of One Bullet Away -
Bob Drury and Tom Clavin have set the standard for wartime accounts on the Korean conflict.... This is a story that is almost too incredible to be true.
— Dr. Charles P. Neimeyer, director of the U.S. Marine Corps History Division -
“A gut-clenching and meticulously detailed account.”
— USA Today -
“Michael Prichard’s…solid narration respectfully conveys these soldiers’ heroism in the face of impossible odds and heightens listener interest throughout this impressive work.”
— Library Journal (starred review) -
“Bob Drury and Tom Clavin have set the standard for wartime accounts on the Korean conflict…This is a story that is almost too incredible to be true.”
— Dr. Charles P. Neimeyer, director of the US Marine Corps History Division -
“[A] riveting narrative [that] combines drama, military strategy, and human interest.”
— Kirkus Reviews
The Last Stand of Fox Company Listener Reviews
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" Good narrative about a very scary place to have to defend. "
— Chip, 2/14/2014 -
" i have read other works by the author,Bob Drury,and this was his best yet.i couldn't put it down.he tells the story of these men and you just get so involved with them and whats happening.Plus i knew little of the Korean War and this story of one small unit in a tough situation was a real eye opener,a great read "
— John, 2/8/2014 -
" Damn good book! It was hard to put down once I started it. "
— Jeff, 1/30/2014 -
" A great read about one of the most important battles in the history of the United States Marine Corps. This battle is up there with Iwo Jima and Khe San. The Korean War, a conflict that has been "orphaned to history," claimed 50,000 American lives, yet few of us know anything about it. Definitely read this book. "
— Tom, 1/29/2014 -
" Quite simply, a great book. It shows the courage and valor of the American soldier. "
— Scott, 1/27/2014 -
" Great book. First book I've read on the Korean war. "
— Kurt, 1/19/2014 -
" A good one on the Korean war. "
— Todd, 1/17/2014 -
" Amazing story about the fierce fighting and valor in the Chosin Reservoir. "
— Paul, 12/9/2013 -
" Brilliant account of one of the most heroic feats in American military history. I was moved to tears as well as great pride in the telling of this story. Few people outside of the U.S. Marines know this story. Lots of statistics, but the personal accounts make this book. "
— Paul, 11/30/2013 -
" Yet another great example of why those who call for war should also have to serve in them. "
— Bill, 9/21/2013 -
" Unfortunately this book was something that I trudged through. I appreciated the topic and did learn from the book and definitely honor those that served. "
— Mindy, 9/13/2013 -
" One of those books that makes you ask how did anyone survive? Also this points to the big differences between Chinese views on the worth of life relative to ours in the 50's. A big difference, one I hope is not so great today. "
— William, 6/5/2013 -
" I've ranted about crappy editing in military works for years. Now, I need to add clueless book narrators to the mix. I may read this in print someday, but I couldn't listen to the reader mispronounce "X Corps" and "Garland rifle" after the first disc. "
— Lee, 1/28/2013 -
" Great military history about a battle during a, for the most part, forgotten war. Can't imagine fighting in 30 below temps for days on end, against 10 to 1 odds. "
— Dad, 11/19/2012 -
" While I appreciate the extremity of war, the fears and horrors soldiers face, I quit the book after about a quarter of it because of the profanity and repeated taking the Lord's name in vain. "
— Granny, 10/21/2012 -
" Outstanding read about a single company in action at the Chosin Reservoir in N Korea in 1950. "
— J, 8/29/2012 -
" Mayhem on a hill in Korea. "
— Zed, 3/23/2012 -
" Pretty intense stuff. Kinda boring at times with all the specifics of who was where, and when, but a lot of important things here. Worth reading. "
— Will, 1/30/2012 -
" An excellent book about the outnumbered men of Fox Company of the United States Marines who were surrounded by Chinese soldiers around the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War. "
— Steve, 12/11/2011 -
" Excellent book. Language is what you would expect from a true story of Modern-day Marines in horrific circumstances. "
— Catherine, 6/7/2011 -
" Strong recitation of the last few days of US presence in Saigon. "
— Larry, 6/7/2011
About the Authors
Joe Knezevich is an audiobook narrator and award-winning actor. He earned a BFA in acting from Florida State University and studied in London. In addition to his work on the stage, he has appeared in many roles on the small screen and in film, including in The Change Up, Parental Guidance, 42, The Last of Robin Hood, and Allegiant.
Bob Drury, a Men’s Health contributing editor and chief military correspondent, has been nominated for three National Magazine Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. He has reported from Iraq, Afghanistan, Liberia, Bosnia, Northern Ireland, and Darfur, among other sites. He is also the author, coauthor, or editor of numerous nonfiction books, including The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of US Marines in Combat, and the recipient of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s 2010 General Wallace M. Greene Jr. Award for nonfiction.
About Michael Prichard
Michael Prichard is a Los Angeles-based actor who has played several thousand characters during his career, over one hundred of them in theater and film. He is primarily heard as an audiobook narrator, having recorded well over five hundred full-length books. His numerous awards and accolades include an Audie Award for Tears in the Darkness by Michael Norman and Elizabeth M. Norman and six AudioFile Earphones Awards. He was named a Top Ten Golden Voice by SmartMoney magazine. He holds an MFA in theater from the University of Southern California.