{"product_id":"9781476624846","title":"Ghosts and Shadows: A Marine in Vietnam, 1968-1969","description":"The author arrived at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego ill-prepared for the training and abuse that awaited him in boot camp. At the time, he would have done anything to escape; only upon reflection years later did he realize that the self-confidence instilled in him by his drill instructors had probably saved his life in Vietnam. A few months after boot camp, Private Ball was shipped out to Vietnam, joining F Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, near Khe Sanh. As a grunt, in the vernacular of the Corps, Ball, like the other youths of F Company, did a difficult and deadly job in such places as the A Shau Valley, Leatherneck Square, the DMZ and other obscure but critical I Corps locales. His—their—fear of death mingled with homesickness. Little did they realize that the horrors of the Vietnam War—horrors that while in-country they often claimed did not even exist—would haunt them for the rest of their lives.","brand":"McFarland \u0026 Company, Incorporated Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47130731217136,"sku":"9781476624846","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781476624846_p0.jpg?v=1763608695","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781476624846","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}