The Pink Marine UNLOADED: A Collection of Letters I Sent to my Family from Marine Corps Boot Camp

This a collection of letters and pictures from my time in Marine Corps Boot Camp and is an ancillary piece to the best-selling memoir, The Pink Marine -- which is a true story about Marine Corps Boot Camp.

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


"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 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?"


"A heartening coming-of-age story." - Kirkus Reviews


"Hilarious & insightful" - Jane Lynch


"A great story, beautifully told." - Davide Hyde-Pierce


"Intriguing & honest." - Norman Lear


One of the rare books to put gay military service in a positive light, I believe we need to tell boot camp stories as part of our mach to LGBT equality. I do so in great detail and with humor.


The Pink Marine is being developed into a TV show as well. I don't get to play myself at 18. The producers told me there's not enough special effects for that.