Joe Owens was there, in Korea, a Marine lieutenant leading Baker-One-Seven, a mortar and rifle platoon at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, a horrible fight in the deep freeze of a Korean winter.

He wrote a book about it, Colder than Hell.

And I found the book at the AAUW book sale.

I’ve read James Brady’s Korean war novel, The Marines of Autumn. It, too, dealt with the Battle of Chosin Reservoir and the retreat that followed, across the Korean mountains to Hungnam. If you like war novels, this one is a gem. So much of it rings true and for good reason – Brady was a Marine lieutenant in Korea, though his time there came after the Chosin battle and retreat.

Now’s my opportunity, with Colder than Hell, to read about the battle from someone who was there, in the thick of the blood and killing.

Real life, not fictional life.

Tomorrow: The fourth book in my bargain bag