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When Greg Cope White's best friend tells him he is spending his summer in Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, 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. Greg's sheltered life has not prepared him for military service. At first he struggles to keep up, and afraid his secret will be discovered. But midway through, the desire to survive and become a Marine trumps fear. He learns that everyone comes into the service feeling "different"; possibly prejudged for the color of their skin, their weight, their poverty-some have even chosen boot camp over jail. In this land before Gay Pride became almost a national holiday, can a flighty, 112-pound, effeminate Texan transform into one of the few, the proud, the Marines? About the Author: Greg Cope White is a television comedy writer. He's written for Norman Lear, Marta Kauffman & David Crane among others and for shows airing on NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and HBO. He's not a doctor but he played on Another World. He's a world-traveling bon vivant with a voracious appetite for life. He puts his funny where his mouth is, blogging on EatGregEat, The Huffington Post, and cooking on television. Catch him on Cooking Channel's Unique Sweets. Advance Praise for Greg Cope White and The Pink Marine "Greg is as inspirational as he is hilarious-I love this book!