About the Author
JACK MCLEAN was raised in Summit, New Jersey, where he lived until admittance to Phillips Academy. Upon graduation, McLean enlisted in the Marine Corps. In the fall of 1968, McLean returned to Massachusetts to enter Harvard University. He has had a thirty-five-year career as a marketing executive in New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. The father of three grown daughters, McLean currently lives in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Loon, a Memoir
A lyrical memoir of a prep school boy who creates his own path to higher learning: enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps, fighting in Vietnam, and then studying at Harvard

Kids like me don’t go to Vietnam.

Raised in suburban New Jersey, Jack McLean attended the prestigious Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, with George W. Bush. After graduation, and eager for change, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. At the time, Vietnam was a country and not a war.

In Loon, McLean takes readers from Andover’s privileged campus, to the infamous Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, to the battle at Landing Zone Loon in the rugged hills along Vietnam’s Laotian border. During that period, Jack transformed from a sheltered boy, into a Marine, and ultimately into one of a handful of survivors of a horrific three-day assault during some of the heaviest fighting of the Vietnam War.

Richly textured and full of action-packed battle scenes, Loon is a piercingly honest and beautifully written story of an infantry Marine and his comrades as they face the challenges of boot camp, stateside service and, ultimately, war. It neither glorifies nor mystifies. It simply tells the story, and in so doing, teaches us a great deal about courage, honor, sacrifice, and is a powerful portrait of a period of American history.

Review
"The battle at Loon erupts suddenly and sucks you in. Like Jack McLean, you ask: what am I doing here? The answer is: you joined the Marines and now it's time to fight for your life. A gripping story of violence and dedication to survival."
---- Bing West, author of The Strongest Tribe

"LOON is a saga of an infantry Marine - the decision to enlist, the intensity of the recruit, mortal combat, and finally transition back to civilian life. This beautifully written story is a must read for all combat warriors, their families, and those interested in the turbulent times surrounding the Vietnam War."
----Col H.C. "Barney" Barnum, USMC (Ret), Medal of Honor Recipient

“[This] unique tale . . . is skillfully written and will be among the classic books written about the Vietnam War.”

—Jan Scruggs, Esq., Founder and President, Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Publishers Weekly:

Loon: A Marine Story Jack McLean. Presidio, $25 (256p) ISBN 978-0-345-51015-0

McLean's debut is a perceptive memoir of the Vietnam war that is unique for the author's background: McLean joined the Marine Corps after graduating from Phillips Academy, where George W. Bush was a classmate. Making excellent use of more than a hundred letters he wrote home from the war zone from November 1967 to July 1968, McLean reconstructs his time in the Marines with a sharp eye for detail and very readable—at times almost poetic—prose. McLean underwent a hellish tour of duty and in the fall of 1968 became the first Vietnam veteran to enter Harvard. He uses a good deal of reconstructed dialogue to tell his war story, a technique that in lesser hands only cheapens a memoir. But virtually all of McLean's dialogue rings true, as does nearly everything else in the book. That includes this passage in which McLean remembers his baptism under fire a few days after he arrived in Vietnam: “It had been eerie, frightening, invigorating, chaotic, and surreal. Welcome to combat. It was not like the movies.” (May 19) 

Dear friends,

I am enormously proud to report that my old and dear friend, Jack McLean, is a published author, as his extraordinary book about his epic journey—from Andover to Vietnam to Harvard—is being published by Random House.  The book is titled Loon: A Marine’s Story, a reference to the Battle for LZ Loon, which happened outside of Khe Sanh, Vietnam during three days in June 1968 that, as Jack says, “will never be forgotten.”  I am proud to say that I was Jack’s classmate at both Andover and Harvard. I’ll let Jack tell his riveting story.

“Five years ago, I set out to become a writer. I was unemployed, recently married, and struggling with the dormant torment of my Marine Corps service in Vietnam. My writing career began with the transcription of the 102 letters home written during my two year enlistment. The letters began to morph into a book and I dared to dream that I could be a writer. Slowly, I became consumed – some might say possessed – by the book, which I wanted published both for my own validation and that of my fallen brothers in arms. I lost a job. A month later, my marriage ended. She said "I never want to hear the word 'Vietnam’ again." Broke and now homeless, I accepted the generous invitation of two friends to live over their garage in North Carolina. My family, friends, and Marine Corps brothers believed in me and provided the enormous positive strength I required to complete the book. Over time I had acquired the services of a brilliant editor and a top New York literary agent. Three months ago, I delivered the finished product to my agent. Last week, thanks to her efforts, we learned that Random House will publish the book in May, 2009.

“The big day dawned at the legendary Algonquin Hotel, home to visiting authors for nearly a century. I'd stayed there before - with hope that some of the fairy dust would rub off on me. I met my agent at her 62 Bleecker Street office. (As it happens, she has also been the agent for our Andover classmate Jim Kunen.) I later met my publisher at Random House. He took me through the office and introduced the individuals who had acquired Loon. It was a dream. Among the players was the head of publicity. We talked about Terri Gross, Oprah, and Imus. We talked about a book tour. He said I needn't be concerned about going to (for example) Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They no longer invested in whistle-stops for turnouts that drew less than 10 people.

I begged to differ.  My comrade-in-arms Wayne Wood is from Cedar Rapids. Woody was the most severely wounded survivor of the Battle for LZ Loon. He received the Last Rites of the Catholic Church three times and survived. He returned to Cedar Rapids to marry Jan, his high school sweetheart. They now have children and grandchildren. Cedar Rapids? I'd begin in Cedar Rapids.

My other fallen comrades?  Woody Carbaugh was from Thurmont, Maryland; Joe Klein from Highland Park, New Jersey; Cliff Eaton from Cortland, New York; Jim Barbour from New Rochelle, New York; George King, from Clatskanie, Ohio; Tom Morrissey from Dover, New Hampshire. They all were killed during those three horrific days in June 1968, and were joined by several dozen others. Thanks to my agent, Random House, and many supportive friends - I am proud to be able to tell the world about the Charlie Company Marines of LZ Loon.”  Great work, Jack.  We can’t wait to read the book.

By the way, Jack has been blogging on a regular basis for some time now.  Catch what he has to say at: http://whatknotts.blogspot.com/.