Book Review: A Marine 3531 to 0311

The old adage is true: every Marine is a rifleman. But that doesn't always mean the transition is an easy one. That's what happened to Mike Hearndon, who deployed to South Vietnam early on in the American involvement there. Hearndon's occupational specialty listed him as a truck driver and mechanic, but when there were no more vehicles to drive or repair, he became a rifleman. 

"A Marine 3531 to 0311" is his story. 

Hearndon enlisted in the United States Marine Corps while he was still in high school in 1963. Like many enlisted Marines, he didn't go to Vietnam right away. After boot camp, he was trained as a driver and mechanic for the M-50 Ontos, a multi-barreled, 106mm, self-propelled set of mounted recoilless rifles, guaranteed to kill anything it wants. 

The trouble with being a mechanic for the M-50 Ontos is that fewer than 300 were made, even fewer went to Vietnam, and it eventually disappeared from the war. With no more M-50s around to drive or repair, 3531s like Mike Hearndon became extra bodies. So he was handed a rifle and rechristened 0311. 

This, of course, did not happen on paper. Official Marine Corps documents will always list him as a mechanic and driver. He went from supporting infantry with the firepower to becoming one of them. 

Hearndon's book takes readers on the journey of a young Marine in the mid-1960s, including stories from deployments to Spain, Okinawa, and of course, South Vietnam. He spent four years in the Marine Corps and discusses in detail what it was like to rotate home, how he was received, and what led him to go back to Vietnam for a second tour of duty. 

For Hearndon, his second tour in the country provides the most vivid reflections of his time in the war. He fought throughout the country and worked his way north, all the way up to the demilitarized zone that separated north from south. He recalls the details of transitioning to the life of a grunt in a way that only a United States Marine who has seen combat from both sides of the picture could. 

He relates his thoughts and experiences as he traveled across the country, contrasting the life of the two specialties, the progress of the war between his first and second tours, and reflects on the people with whom he served.

"A Marine 3531 to 0311" is an honest memoir written by a man who still proudly calls himself a United States Marine at age 77. The book is a two-year labor of love written by a veteran to help his children and grandchildren understand his life experience and learn a little bit of history. It's a great read for anyone interested in personal reflections by those who fought the Vietnam War. 

Interested readers can find "A Marine 3531 to 0311" by Mike Hearndon online at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Target, and elsewhere for just $14.00.