New Book - AMONGST THE MARINES by Steven Preece

Opsman150

New Member
Guys, I've just read an excellent book called AMONGST THE MARINES by a guy called Steven Preece. I got it from www.randomhouse.com.au in good old Oz. I've been following this after its release in the UK. It appears that the old boy network condone it and the majority of people who served with him or around his time love it. These are a couple of comments that were written:


Regarding quotes of bullying and cries of "not in my Corps" and "no, it never happened" when I joined in the mid eighties (Not RM, I'm of the maroon persuasion), bullying was rife and beatings and kickings for even slight misdemeanours were commonplace. I can remember it clearly as I was on receiving end a few times. Thank god it's been all but eliminated nowadays but it DID happen back then and was more commonplace than most of you care to remember.

and this one:

I knew the author at HMS Warrior. The instance's that took place are true.
He may have put in urban myth's ie; pace stick incident but it is a book,
and this makes good reading. The fights, drinking contests and shit bits all
happened. The author, was a good marine very capable in his job, and someone
I would want in my section, when the shit hit the fan. I left 45 for a JCC
immediately after serving on op corporate. At my time of joining 45,
beasting's of new marines straight out of training was common, much the same
as my initiation into 41 cdo as a young 17 year old. This is a worrying time
for a sprog after the high of finishing training, but was part of the
character building that many of us underwent. I find it strange that many
people on this forum find this unusual, maybe a lot of members here are
national service men. Did you go to a unit together, after finishing
training and stay together? If you did, that may explain why these
instance's did not happen. Who didn't enjoy a fight with the matlos when
ever possible or a good grunge contest? The author's book is a condensed
series of run's ashore, that happened over a 7 year period, how about all
the unmentioned run's ashore that were peaceful. If the exbootneck that
live's in Truro doesn't believe this book, or the author's authenticity I
will be happy to visit him on my way to Falmouth to prove that it is true,
and the author is a bootneck. I enjoyed this book as it brought back
memories of youth, good times with little pressures of life, just a sense of
belonging.


I personally related it to a lot of my experiences during my service and thoroughly enjoyed it. WHAT DO YOU THINK!
 
No. But I read it and enjoyed it. I think its only once in a while when a book like this comes a long. I am interested to know if anybody else has read it and what they think.
 
Guys,
I've read this book. I got it from randomhouse. The synopsis is as follows:

Amongst the Marines is Steven Preece's first-hand account of life as an elite Royal Marine Commando. He delivers a direct and unflinching depiction of the excessive and often shocking lifestyle of the Marines and explains the impact this had on his own personality and behaviour. Preece fulfilled his childhood ambition by earning the coveted Green Beret from the Commando Training Centre at Lympstone when he was 18. He was unaware at that time of the brutal rite of passage that awaited him and all the other 'pieces of skin' (new recruits) at his first Marine commando unit. Violence in the Marines, as Steven discovered, was not limited to the battlefield but a continual part of a pervasive culture of bullying and aggression. It did not take long for Preece to be accepted into this culture and to adopt it as his own. His personality changed beyond recognition - from friendly and approachable to hard and unforgiving - as he embraced the customs and values of the 45 Commando Unit. On duty he was fit, committed and loyal, while off duty he displayed a mammoth capacity for drinking, fighting and, when the drink had run out, womanising. On home leave, Steven found it increasingly hard to adapt to civilian life. His drinking sessions in local pubs frequently ended in fights with the locals and even in violence against members of his own family. Preece earned a reputation amongst his fellow Marines for pranks and dangerous behaviour, and his eagerness to accept any challenges from other commandos eventually led him to be court-martialled. True to form, however, Preece was finally acquitted by the court. 'Amongst the Marines' is an intimate expose of the culture of the Marines, from foul practical jokes and rough justice to the off-duty orgies of drink, sex and violence. It is a no-hold-barred account of the many shocking incidents Preece witnessed and participated in, from his first day as a new recruit to his exit from the Marines with his reputation intact and his scores settled once and for all.

Being totally honest I got the book and read it in two days because I couldn't put it down. I found it to be violent, disgusting and at times quite humerous. It is a good story with a feeling of a sadness in this guys life of violence. All in all, it has all the hallmarks of a very good personal story.

Jazz

"Always A Marine" has just been released in the UK and is another excellent warts and all book by this author. Preece leaves the marines but still has the serviceman frame of mind. It took him 13 years to move on with his life. A good sequal to "Amongst The Marines" I would say.

I'm gonna try McNab's new book next.

Try this link its good for all kinds of books:

http://www.bookhead.net/184596005X.aspx

I copied this link to an article on the author Steven Preece. Pretty cool I thought:


http://archive.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/2005/12/16/214137.html

Jazz
 
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i haven't seen it in shops but will keep an eye out for it

the first one was very good, definently "no holds barred" but bit about eating the :cen: was off, i wouldn't like to meet him when hes drunk
good book, i highly reccommend it
 
Jazzper said:
On home leave, Steven found it increasingly hard to adapt to civilian life. His drinking sessions in local pubs frequently ended in fights with the locals and even in violence against members of his own family.

They say that like its a bad thing...
 
Well guys. Now that I've joined the forum I can answer questions myself.

There was some shocking stuff in there. But that's how it was at that time. I told the story just like it was, warts and all. I guess its the best way.

Steven Preece
Author of Amongst The Marines and Always A Marine
 
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StevenPreece said:
Well guys. Now that I've joined the forum I can answer questions myself.

There was some shocking stuff in there. But that's how it was at that time. I told the story just like it was, warts and all. I guess its the best way.

Steven Preece
Author of Amongst The Marines and Always A Marine
Do tightwads like myself get it cheaper if we buy direct from you?
 
call me a cynic but how do we know its really you and not some poser?
it seems sadly increasingly common for people to jump up spouting false credentials, especially claiming to be in the military as its members are revered in a way not associated with other "normal" professions.

if you are the steven preece that wrote the books, i have a lot of respect for you.
 
Locke does have a point. Internet anonymity and impersonation is easy to accomplish. Meh, I give the benefit of the doubt until I am proven wrong. Just don't prove me wrong please.
 
Me

Guys, I don't sell my books directly. You can get them from the shops. i.e. Waterstones or WH Smiths or even Amazon.co.uk or .com. Personally I don't care if you get them from the library as I actually wrote them to move on with my life and it worked immensely.

I am Steven Preece alright. If you've read my books you can ask any questions.

my publisher in the UK is www.mainstreampublishing.com My books are also viewable on there or via Amazon.



Best wishes

Steven Preece
 
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Guys, I guess it would be prudent to share the debate about my books with you:

I've wrote two books over the past two years and my first one caused havoc on some of the military forums. However, it was based on fact and was in reality an untold story about life amongst the ranks.

Consequently. If you've read "Amongst The Marines" this may interest you.

I guess unless you're a little slow you can see through all the denial. The confirmation on the threads actually prove the start, the middle and the end of my story.

http://civviestreet.proboards19.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1123087300

Also read the other, more lengthy. Its 10 pages long. Use the pages, field in the bottom left hand corner to flip pages:


http://civviestreet.proboards19.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1094557494

http://civviestreet.proboards19.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1133080156


This one's a good read:

http://civviestreet.proboards19.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1128526357



Read Yashin's comments here:

http://civviestreet.proboards19.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=1142637416&page=2




Happy Reading

Steve
 
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StevenPreece said:
Guys, I guess it would be prudent to share the debate about my books with you:

I've wrote two books over the past two years and my first one caused havoc on some of the military forums. However, it was based on fact and was in reality an untold story about life amongst the ranks.

Consequently. If you've read "Amongst The Marines" this may interest you.

I guess unless you're a little slow you can see through all the denial. The confirmation on the threads actually prove the start, the middle and the end of my story.

I've found that most books written about personal experiences in the military are based on one's perception of fact. You may have remembered the exact same event differently than someone else.

Who you are, your attitude, how you deal with people and situations can all change the outcome of an event or the perception of an event. Memory is a funny thing, it can forget the bigger picture and sometimes exaggerate the smaller details. Books can only contain so much information, many times the boring, trivial and general day to day activites get passed on for the "beefy" stuff making it look worse than it actually is/was.

So like I said, it's all about perception.

I also think there is a bit of denial and anger that does occur when someone releases a book that maybe shouldn't have been put out for public consumption. My school of thought is what happens in the unit, stays in the unit (no jokes about Fight Club boys). Some things are to be told, some things aren't.

You obviously had a reason to write your book, it has made you some money which is good and more importantly, it has done you some personal good (as you indicated in another post).

Your book is sold as a "personal account" as far as I can tell. Nothing more, nothing less. Former and current RMs are certainly within their right to disagree as their personal experiences may have been different. However, on the other side of the coin, they cannot or at least, should not discount your personal experiences because they disagree with them.

 
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