The Pink Marine: One Boy's Journey Through Boot Camp to Manhood

"A great story beautifully told-surprising, funny, courageous and inspiring." David Hyde Pierce

"Greg is as inspirational as he is hilarious--I love this book!" Margaret Cho, Comedienne (Dr. Ken, Drop Dead Diva)

"White recalls the grueling yet confidence-building three-month Marine Corps boot camp training he endured as a still-closeted teenager in 1979. "I learned that I had to respect myself if I wanted others to respect me." The author demonstrates that respect and delivers a heartening coming-of-age story, an inspiring memoir that displays a balanced, surprisingly reverent view of the Marine Corps and military service." Kirkus Reviews 

"This is the story of how, through pure gumption, a most unlikely Marine candidate rises to the occasion to show his true colors!" Jane Lynch, Actress (Glee, Hollywood Game Night, Angel From Hell)

When Greg Cope White’s best friend tells him he is spending his summer in Marine Corps boot camp, all Greg hears is “summer” and “camp.”

Despite dire warnings from his friend, Greg vows to join him in recruit training. He is eighteen, underweight, he’s never run a mile—and he is gay.

It’s 1979—long before Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the Supreme Court marriage equality ruling, and with no LGBT rights in place in most states, and the Marines having a very definite expulsion policy in place for gay people when it comes to military personnel, will Greg even survive? 

The Pink Marine is the story—full of hilarity and heartbreak—of how a teenage boy who struggles with self-acceptance and his sexuality and doesn’t fit the traditional definition of manliness finds acceptance and self-worth in Marine Corps boot camp.