Book Review: The Pink Marine
When Greg Cope White's best friend Dale tells him he's spending his summer in Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, all Greg hears is 'summer' and 'camp'. He's an eighteen, underweight Texan with zero self-confidence - and gay. Yet despite dire warnings from his friend, White vows to join him in recruit training.
Although Dale doubted the wisdom of White's questionable decision, he continued to show the remarkable degree of tolerance and acceptance that he exhibited from the beginning of their association as adolescents which proved to be a 
crucial benefit to both as they supported each other through boot camp.
It is their interpersonal relationship that is exceptional, and it is elements like this that make "The Pink Marine" such a worthwhile book, resulting in an insightful story of friendship, commitment, struggle and pride that is told with humor and respect for the military.
Those of us who experienced Marine Corps boot camp or who endured military boot camp in any service branch, will almost certainly shutter as they recall similar experiences that the author so vividly describes in his struggle to become a Marine, while at the same time, overcoming his fear of discovery as he carries the burden of being gay in "the few, the proud, the Marines."
He didn't know just how hard training would be. He didn't know that he'd rise to the challenge. He didn't know, or at least fully process, that "boot camp" had a whole lot less to do with tents and campfires than it had to do with endless drills.
White offers up a surprisingly balanced view here: he hates his trainers sometimes, and he hates the drills sometimes, and it takes a long time for him to see the point of things like having to make his bed perfectly - over and over and over again. He's constantly afraid of being outed. But he also develops, over the course of the boot camp that he describes here, a respect for what the Marines are teaching them. He also learns that he is, physically and emotionally, capable of far more than he'd expected.
The author's honesty, grit, and humor march the reader through the challenging mental, physical and emotional hurdles of a closeted, gay man at Marine boot camp at a time when homosexuals were banned from military duty. There'd be hell to pay if he were found out and, although the specter of that dogs him, we see this young recruit develop self-confidence, maturity and competence as both a Marine and as a man, thanks in part to the steadfast support of his dedicated and supportive friend, Dale.
Now more than ever, this story is incredibly important, powerfully refuting stereotypes and misinformation used to demean or exclude gay people from service. The parallels to other walks of life are clear. This is a highly entertaining and thought-provoking read.
I recommend it unreservedly.
Reader's Reviews
Marine Corps boot camp was the toughest thing I ever did. I had to cope with being skinny, weak, and timid in a place that demanded strength, confidence, and fearlessness. But I didn't have to cope with being gay or having to hide who I was. The Pink Marine is a wonderful book and I'm proud to be Greg Cope White's fellow jarhead.
~ Jim Beaver, Actor/U.S. Marine in Vietnam (Justified, Deadwood)
The only complaint about this book, it ended! Loved it from start to finish! My takeaway from this book is that it is a wonderful, sensitive, funny, story of a boy searching for his place in the world and his need to feel a sense of belonging. I laughed a lot - and cried a little. In just a few short months of boot camp, you see the author grow from a boy with no clear direction to a man who accepted the challenges of Marine Corps training and graduates boot camp with strength and confidence. Being gay in the military in the late 70s would have been dangerous but Cope tells his story with candor and not a bit of whining. I sure hope that he will share his life in the Corps after boot camp in a future book!
~J. Bigda
This book was such a delight to read. While the story itself is delivered with a self-deprecating humor, its message is a relevant one to anyone who has struggled to "fit". In a time in our history that being gay was not only frowned upon, it could actually get you jailed or worse, Greg pushed the boundaries of not only the military but of himself!
My favorite aspect of this book is the lifelong friendship with Dale. In my opinion, Dale is a model of good character. As a straight teenager, he had the confidence to not only accept Greg for who he was but he embraced him as his best friend. Then Greg trusted that friendship enough to enlist as a Marine! The courage that took for both of them is an inspiration. In 2015 it may not seem like such an amazing feat but in 1979 it was unheard of!
I would be one proud mom if my son turned out half as awesome as these men! My father was a Green Beret and I would put Greg and Dale in that category of Man!
I look forward to a follow-up book!
~S. Horner
For five years, on a television show called "Covert Affairs," I had the privilege of pretending to be a member of the U.S. military. For six years, in the United States Marines, my friend Greg pretended to be straight. He wins. The Pink Marine will inspire you, make you laugh, and remind you of what's important in this life.
~Christopher Gorham, Actor (Covert Affairs, Popular, Ugly Betty)
If you're searching for the next great memoir, it's arrived. Greg Cope White's The Pink Marine is both funny and relentlessly honest. If we have any reason to celebrate the imposed silence of President Clinton's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, The Pink Marine is it. If Greg had talked back then, we wouldn't have this book now. The Marines got a great soldier out of it. And we civilians got a great author.
~Peter MacNichol, Actor (Numb3rs, Ally McBeal)
About the Author
Author, television writer, blogger, world traveler, actor, and inveterate bon vivant Greg White is also a former Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps.
He's a bi-coastal, polo-playing, sixth-generation Texan with a voracious appetite for life. He contributes to The Huffington Post and The Good Men Project. He served six years in the Marines. He cooks on television, and you can watch him on Cooking Channel's food and travel show Unique Sweets.
His book, The Pink Marine, is optioned for television.
His credits: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0178547/