Product Description
This book chronicles some adventures (or misadventures) of Alan Miller and his boyhood best friend Steve McQueen (they call themselves the Musketeers) while growing up in a small, rural Wisconsin town, before going off to join the Marines. He tells stories about the rigors of Marine Corps boot camp and fleet Marine Corps infantry training; but more important the close relationships with fellow Marines. Particularly, stories about a close knit group who call themselves the Amigos. Interwoven are stories about his continual crossing of paths with his boyhood pal Steve McQueen at home, in the Orient, and in California. He tells heart breaking narratives of the men he met while in hospitals in Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan and Okinawa.

Alan Miller describes the day to day accounts of a Marine rifleman in Vietnam. How he dealt with the stress of one day walking patrol in a hostile war zone, and three days later walking the streets of his hometown. He describes living with the nightmares of war and death, while adjusting to his life back home. How, during a 30 day raucous, homecoming party, he meets the love of his life, and asks her to be his wife. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Marines tale
This book was a page turner and I could not put it down once I started reading it.I do work with Al and learned a few things about one of America's true heroes that I did not know before!Well worth the money and time to read.

Steve McQueen? Not the Movie Actor
While looking for biographies of the movie actor Steve McQueen, I came across this book and purchased it on my Kindle. This book is not about the movie actor Steve McQueen. By 1963, Steve McQueen was out of the Marine Corps and was an actor in Hollywood. Not being what I wanted, I did not finish reading this book and have deleted it from my Kindle.

A True Storyteller
I've shared this book with many friends and family members - and not one person has been disappointed.There is no sugar coating here, no flowery, dramatic words . . . just the true story of a very real soldier.Mr. Miller writes his book as if he's talking to you from his favorite chair in the den - conversationally, sometimes with humor and sometimes with candid sadness.His experiences in Vietnam will make you realize (perhaps for the first time) that these young men and women believed in their country and proudly fought for it.Regardless of how anyone feels about Vietnam, the Al Millers of this world deserve our thanks.In many ways, he gave up his youth for this country.The skirmishes, the camaraderie and, yes, the love he eventually found, make this book an undiscovered gem. ... Read more

Product Description
1983 - 1st Edition - Vision House - Hardcover - Steve McQueen : The Final Chapter - By Grady Ragsdale Jr - Forward By Billy Graham - 16 Pages of Photos - Out of Print - VG Condition - Collectible ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

It's how you end that counts
They say it's not how you run the race, but how you finish it and -- according to Grady Ragsdale -- Steve McQueen finished well. This book follows the last year-and-a-half of McQueen's life and ends just after his memorial service.Grady describes McQueen's failing health in detail, and even recounts his last visit to the bedside of the dead actor. You won't find much here about McQueen's fame (apart from a reference to Lee Majors) or his legendary love of speed.What you will find is a gentle tale, told with tenderness, of a man who said he'd done everything there was to do and now just wanted to be happy.

What made McQueen happy?The answer might surprise you, as will the path he embarked upon in his last year.Everyone wants to be like 'The King of Cool'.But perhaps to become most like McQueen is to become like the man described in this book: one who loved his family, his friends, and God.

The Final Chapter - Steve Mc Queen
Just finished "Steve McQueen-the Final Chapter" by Grady Ragsdale. I couldn't put the book down, and will read it a second time in a week or so.A heart rendering story of a great movie star who was also a real human being most people would never guess lived behind the Hollywood glitter.Mr. Ragsdales book is a simple story, factual, and told from a very unique viewpoint.It's also a story about what happens when all the options run out on life, and you discover your days are really and truly numbered. Who do you turn to, where do you go? The story also illustrates that your own life may influence others by what you might consider inconspicuous actions. Actions you routinely do without thought, but someone may notice and take heart.I have no problem recommending this book to anyone interested in either this end time ofMr. Mc Queens life, or as a book of inspiration for those who may think "those who die with the most toys win" - that just isn't so. I'm happy to say that I believe Mr. Mc Queen won the last round after all.

A homegrownyarn
Grady Ragsdale passed away not long after this his first and last effort as an author. Although it is written very simply and from the perspective of a big fan, Grady was Steve'slocal caretaker,helper, and all aroundgopher and he is accurate in his cataloging of Steve's last year alive.There are stories in here you won't read anywhere else and stories as yetnot told in the McQueen saga, but Grady was a simple man and he tells itsimply, like it was. Anyone who is a McQueen fan should try to get a copyof this book because it will show you a McQueen that very few people knewbut the spirit of a man you will recognize even at the end of his days,when he realized his days were numbered and as is documented, he never gaveup. The book focusses on McQueen's love of flying, his search into the nextworld and his creation of the dream, his last home, the ranch in SantaPaula. This book and Nolans book are perhaps the best and most accuratedocumentation of a man who while he was alive held back more informationthan he gave, except to those who observed him while he wasn't looking.What is missing in Grady's story is the side of Steve that Grady, being acountry boy wouldn't have understood...but that is exactly why Steveallowed him in so close. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A U.S. Navy Coming of Age Story - Vietnam War
Steve Mitchell has created a unique coming of age novel set during the Vietnam War called "Steve McQueen Would Be Proud."As the title of this book might suggest, this novel deals with lots of attitude, tension, and of course, insubordination. The story takes us to the Orient of 1973 which might bring back memories for some Navy veterans of that era.

The hero is no saint in this book and is almost an anti-hero - but Mitchell draws the reader in and makes you feel some empathy for his main character Randy Larsen. This story is an easy read and in spite of the length (over 500 pages) it will hold your attention and entertain you.

I think old Navy guys will enjoy the heck out of this book as will those who are looking for a novel of substance dealing with the Navy during this time period. The author makes good use out of his dialog and the cast of characters he presents. This book is a reading adventure and well worth buying!

This book needs to be read by people trying to understand the mission and the purpose of what the USA is doing in Iraq. It gives you a view that you are not getting in the media today. Put this book on your reading list!

Great Read!
I read the book and thoroughly enjoyed it.It's broken down into short chapters; some raw, some profoundly poetic, and some just have you splitting your sides with laughter.
Through the life of Larson, the young 'boot' from Iowa, we get a taste of life in the Navy.The collection of characters in the 'community' of a ship include: The lifer with a chip on his shoulder, the bully, the misfit, the insecure, the authority junkie.
Underneath it all a serious look at a changing Navy:Admiral Zumwalt's ideas (many didn't work worth a damn), the race tensions that effected shipboard life, the loneliness and despair sometimes experienced by young men.
A complete picture, no warm and fuzzies, just honesty, tears, and laughter. Truly...Steve McQueen would be proud!

From an earlier generation army-type
Anyone who has been in the military will love this book.It shows the maturation process that occurs in any of the services.The writing style is excellent.A couple of proof reading mistakes, but nothing serious to detract from the total package that Steve has presented.His character development is thorough and insightful.I knew the same types in WWII army.I especially liked Nettles, the medic who was a bible-thumper and became disappointed in God when he got a dear john letter.Fatty Fitzgerald was a classical lifetime sailor.Buy the book and relive your youth!!

Steve McQueen Would be Proud
There is no logical reason why I should have enjoyed this book, but I loved it.I am an elderly woman who has no experience with ships or the Navy; yet I could hardly put it down.I opened it at random and nearly fell over laughing as I read about this green, inexperienced, virginal, just-out-of-high-school swabbie who is trying to light his first cigarette and having no success.Then I read Chapter 12 which was available on the net that describes his first night on the town and laughed aloud at his bumbling, funbling initial attempt with a prostitute.Finally, his unbelievable experiences on latrine duty alone are worth the price of the book.But it has more than humor: you will find disparate characters, love, hate, loyalty, betrayal, romance, friendship, jealousy, something for everyone.Oh yes, and a smattering of sex.Either Mr. Mitchell has a colorful imagination or he has included a lot of biographical material in this book.Probably both!!Even the cover photograph is memorable.I heartily recommend this tale of a young man coming of age in the Navy and hope this is just the first of many novels Steve Mitchell writes.

This story would make a great movie!
I used to send cards, letters and homemade cookies to some guys during the Vietnam War but I had no idea what they were really going through.This book tells all about regular (and not so regular!) guys in the Navy in a poignant, insightful and humorous way.Sometimes the technical stuff is way over my head but people, places and things are presented in such a descriptive manner that I could easily imagine this story as a great movie. ... Read more

Product Description
Multilingual Edition: German, French, English ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Photographic Study of An American Icon: This IS NOT The Porter "Bio"!!!
I almost didn't order this book from Amazon, as its' cover is almost identical to that of a piece of trash bio by Darwin Porter (see my reviews). I caught the different author, however, and read further, and received the book today. It's definitely worth the money, and the complete opposite of the book I originally mistook it for. This is Steve McQueen in photographs; each photo and still has a small capsule of information accompanying it; it should be noted that some of the text is in German, but it is then followed by English translation. The photos follow Steve's career, ande as far as I could tell, every one of his movies has at least one representation in the book. The majority of the photos are in B/W, but there are a few in color, and the inside front cover is a color reproduction from "The Great Escape", showing Steve on his motorcycle. The last couple pages of the book reproduce posters from Steve's movies (the one for "The Blob" is a study in 1950s' marketing), and the inside back cover picks up where the front inside cover left off, showing the famous jump from "Escape". I thought that this was a great tribute, carefully researched and put together, and I would recommend it to anyone who thinks highly of The King of Cool. The other book with a similar cover? No, no, no - this one, a resounding YES.

Photo Guide to One Cool Actor!
If you check the latest OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY under the word 'cool,' you'll probably just find a photo of Steve McQueen! From the late 1950s to 1980, no American actor so embodied 'cool' as Terence Steven McQueen. This 2008 volume, part of the 'Movie Icons' series from Taschen GmbH/Barnes & Noble, offers up a visual tribute to the late - and sorely missed - actor.

After scoring with his 1957-60 WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE series, McQueen successfully transitioned to movies, one of the few TV actors to do so. Although third-billed on the 1960 MAGNIFICENT SEVEN flick, he stole the film from headliner Yul Brunner. Further successes included THE WAR LOVER (1962), THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963), SAND PEBBLES (1966), THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR and BULLITT (both 1968), PAPILLON (1973), etc. McQueen's characters were of a kind - intense, driven, tightlipped but oh-so-cool loners who lived by their own rules.

After a short summary of McQueen's life and career, author Alain Silver serves up a 'visual filmography' of McQueen's films. Each film is illustrated with two-five photos, some in color, along with very brief comments or quotes. A one-page chronology, four-page filmography and a brief bibliography wrap up the 192-page book. (NOTE: The text is duplicated in German and French).

In short, McQUEEN is a nice, inexpensive introduction to its subject and a visual treat for cinema fans. Recommended.

******
To my mind, McQueen's defining role was Virgil Hilts, the 'Cooler King' in THE GREAT ESCAPE. Pitted against history's greatest villains, the contempt McQueen's character felt for his Nazi captors was palpable, lurking just below the surface of Hilts' cool, calm and collected demeanor. The movie really came alive during Hilt's motorcycle sequences with the concluding jump over barbed wire fences one of cinema's most enduring sequences. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Reference Bio
Great overview of the great although misunderstood actor, Steve McQueen. A fast easy reading of all major points in his career. This is a good place to start exploring the enigma of the actor. ... Read more

Product Description
Sharing a passion for fast cars, among other things, Steve McQueen (1930-1980) and William Claxton became friends early in McQueen's career and remained close until his premature death. Claxton frequented McQueen throughout his many incarnations (dirt bike rider, movie actor, sports car driver, ladies man, family man, etc.), capturing at every turn another side of McQueen's enigmatic tough-guy/nice-guy personality. As this photo album demonstrates, Claxton's photographic talent and sensibilities were perfectly attuned to the actor's multifaceted character. This is the real Steve McQueen, Immortalized by Claxton's empathetic lens. ... Read more