The Yank
The True Story of a Former US Marine in the Irish Republican Army
John Crawley
- 1975:
- A
- young
- Irish-American
- man
- joins
- an
- elite
- US
- Marine
- unit
- to
- get
- the
- most
- intensive
- military
- training
- possible
- —
- then
- joins
- the
- Irish
- Republican
- Army,
- during
- the
- days
- of
- some
- of
- the
- bloodiest
- fighting
- ever
- in
- the
- Irish-British
- conflict
- .
- .
- .The
- Irish
- "Troubles"
- were
- at
- a
- murderous
- fever
- pitch
- when
- John
- Crawley
- volunteered
- for
- the
- IRA.
- Bloody
- Friday,
- Bloody
- Sunday,
- the
- bombing
- of
- the
- British
- Houses
- of
- Parliament,
- and
- other
- deadly
- incidents
- had
- recently
- unfolded
- or
- were
- about
- to
- ...
- Civilian
- casualties
- were
- common
- as
- British
- soldiers,
- Republican
- militants
- (who
- wanted
- the
- UK
- out
- of
- Northern
- Ireland)
- and
- Unionist
- police
- and
- militants
- (who
- wanted
- to
- remain
- in
- the
- UK),
- engaged
- in
- gun
- battles
- and
- car
- bombing
- throughout
- Northern
- Ireland.
- The
- death
- toll
- numbered
- over
- 1,000.The
- IRA
- split
- over
- how
- to
- react
- between
- the
- old-line
- IRA,
- and
- the
- new
- Provisional
- IRA
- —
- the
- Provos,
- mostly
- impassioned
- young
- men
- who
- were
- not
- hesitant
- to
- resort
- to
- violence.In
- a
- powerful,
- brutally
- honest,
- no-holds-barred
- recounting
- of
- his
- experience,
- John
- Crawley
- details,
- first,
- the
- grueling
- challenges
- of
- his
- Marine
- Corps
- training,
- then
- how
- he
- put
- his
- hard-earned
- munitions
- and
- demolitions
- skills
- to
- use
- back
- in
- Ireland
- in
- service
- of
- the
- Provos.
- It
- is
- a
- story
- that
- will
- see
- him
- running
- guns
- with
- notorious
- American
- mobster
- —
- and
- secret
- IRA
- fundraiser
- —
- Whitey
- Bulger;
- running,
- under
- cover
- of
- night,
- from
- safe
- house
- to
- safe
- house
- in
- the
- Irish
- countryside,
- one
- step
- ahead
- of
- British
- troops;
- being
- captured,
- imprisoned,
- and
- being
- part
- of
- a
- mass
- escape
- attempt;
- fending
- off
- a
- recruitment
- offer
- from
- the
- CIA;
- and
- being
- one
- of
- the
- masterminds
- behind
- a
- campaign
- to
- take
- out
- London's
- electrical
- system.Along
- the
- way,
- Crawley
- is
- blisteringly
- candid
- about
- the
- memorable
- people
- he
- worked
- with,
- including
- behind-the-scenes
- portrayals
- of
- revered
- IRA
- leader
- Martin
- McGuinness,
- and
- of
- the
- psychopathic
- Whitey
- Bulger,
- as
- well
- as
- others
- in
- the
- Boston
- IRA
- support
- network.
- There
- are
- vivid
- portraits
- of
- colleagues
- and
- enemies,
- and
- Crawley
- is
- unflinching
- in
- his
- commentary
- on
- IRA
- leadership
- and
- their
- tactics,
- both
- military
- and
- political.Through
- it
- all
- comes
- the
- steadfast
- voice
- of
- a
- man
- on
- a
- mission,
- providing
- an
- evocative,
- detailed,
- and
- passionate
- recounting
- of
- where
- that
- mission
- led
- him
- and
- why
- —
- as
- well
- as
- why,
- to
- this
- day,
- he
- remains
- ready
- to serve.
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