Heather Long takes readers on a ride into her Always a Marine series. I'm ready to saddle up.
The Marine
Cowboy was inspired by the desire of my readers to have a Marine and a cowboy, but—historically
speaking—Marine cowboys have defended our country for generations. I want to
share a story with you about a man named Fraser West.
From a young
age, West worked as a cowhand. In 1936, he passed up an appointment to attend
West Point. He preferred to work with the land and his horses. But when war
loomed over the United States, West attended Marine Office Candidates School
following his graduation from University. Unfortunately, his service was
delayed after a skiing accident delayed his officer training and in 1941, he
graduated with a regular commission to the 5th Reserve Officer’s
Class.
West served in
the South Pacific, by his mid-twenties this cowboy was a veteran of the battle at
Guadalcanal. He rotated stateside and received a promotion to Captain. He soon
joined to the 3rd Marine Division and returned to the battlefield
with “George” company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment
and participated in the Bougainville campaign, a long and dedicated Allied
effort to reclaim the island from Japanese occupation.
As George
company’s commanding officer, he earned a Silver Star for his heroism and spent
several months in a hospital recovering from a bullet that shattered his left
leg. He returned to duty in 1944 and directed tank gunfire. West returned home after the war and back to
his beloved ranching. In 2003, the veteran suffered another injury when his roping
horse collapsed from a heart attack and pinned him. Despite breaking his back,
the resilient Marine recovered and returned with his unit to the island of Guam
in 2004 to cut the ribbon on the newly named Marine Corps drive.
In an interview
posted on the military.com
website, West said, “The Corps
teaches you a 'can-do' attitude. All you've got to do is keep moving. Never
retire, keep volunteering, and keep looking forward in life."
While A.J.
Turner wasn’t based on Fraser West, he could have been. Ooh-rah, Marine!
Keep up with
Heather! And be sure to drop by the Always a Marine
series page today, Heather will be chatting with readers and answering
questions!
Blurb:
Turning down a billet at Mike's Place
in Dallas, Sergeant A.J. Turner left Iraq for Freewill, Wyoming with one goal
in mind—to forget the last five years. Trading his MARPATS for jeans and his
cover for a cowboy hat, he plans to work his ranch and pray the green grass,
tall trees, and sweet mountains can wash away the taste of the desert.
The last thing he expected was a
reminder of a promise made to his buddies: one night to help them all start
again.
Sheri Vaughn quit her corporate job,
sold her house and moved to Freewill on a whim. Six months after her divorce,
she's hardly ready to put her toe in the dating waters again. One bottle of
wine later, however, she signs up for Madame Eve's exclusive 1Night Stand
service and lists a very particular set of qualities she wants in a man; he
must be honorable, courageous, forthright, single, have served as Marine, but be
a cowboy at heart. If she wants to dream, at least she can dream big.
But when local hero A.J. Turner arrives
home, Madame Eve comes through, and Sheri has to find the courage to make her
dream a reality…
Can one night, even a night arranged by
Madame Eve, fulfill both a promise and a dream?
Read on for a juicy excerpt. I so want a Marine Cowboy.
