Will Remain

Thomas W. Hebert

The Remains of the Corps tells the story of a fictional United States Marine Corps family history and is a tribute to this legendary fighting force.

The United States Marine Corps has been a household name for generations. True to the lyrics of its official hymn, the Corps has fought its country’s battles in the air, on land, and sea for more than two hundred years. For many, serving in the Corps has been and continues to be a “family business.” The fictional Remains (an anagram for Marines) are one such family. Told by a third-generation Marine and Vietnam veteran, the fictional Will Remain, the saga begins with his grandfather Kenneth Remain—born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and educated at Harvard College. They, and other members of their family, are Marines, but there is more to their stories—much more. Figuring prominently in their lives are the born-to-the-purple Kenneth Blakeslee and the beautiful KatyKay Mulcahy.

Q&A with the author:

Why did you undertake this multi-volume project? How does your service in the Marines influence this book?

My service in the Marines is the single most important motivation behind my writing The Remains of the Corps. Joining the Marines in 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War, I followed in my father’s footsteps. Dad served in the Corps during WWII and fought on Iwo Jima. He sang the Marine Corps Hymn so often over the years that I began singing it as well. As soon as I graduated college, I signed up and completed OCS and the Basic School and became an officer (1st Lieutenant). I served from 1968 – 1971 (Vietnam ’70 – ’71). I love the Marine Corps and am forever grateful to it. It shaped me for a lifetime. Writing a six-volume story about Marines is my way of giving back and, hopefully, doing my small part to perpetuate the Corps’ legendary status. I also came away from my Marine Corps experience in Vietnam with some survivor guilt. It is difficult to explain, but it has me in its grip. 

The Remains of the Corps is, first and foremost, an epic literary endeavor; I couldn’t pay true tribute to the Corps with anything less. 

When will Volume II be published?

Volume II, titled The Remains of the Corps: Belleau Wood will be published in approximately two years. Seven chapters have been completed and the volume is fully outlined and researched. Though it took me ten years to bring the first volume to press, that time included training myself to be an author as well as years of researching the entire project. Future volumes will take two years each. 

Where did the name “Will Remain” come from?

REMAIN is an anagram for MARINE

REMAIN is a synonym for endure, prevail, persist, and commit — all things Marines have a reputation for.

The given name WILL was chosen as it is a verb expressing the future tense as in “I WILL REMAIN” committed. The fictional REMAIN family (three generations) REMAINS committed to the Marine Corps.

Why are you using the pseudonym Will Remain?

My primary purpose in using a pseudonym is to have the story be told by a member of the fictional Remain family. (Will Remain is the grandson of Kenneth Remain, the Volume I protagonist. 

I also didn’t want my writing to be about me, but about the Corps and those who have served in the Corps. However, it turns out that readers, Marines in particular, want to know who is writing about them, so I have been convinced to add my name and bio to the soon-to-be-released paperback version and to future printings of all editions.

Have you published anything before this? 

Yes. Two non-fiction books:

Once An Eagle: A Reader’s Companion

Notes on Once An Eagle

What authors have influenced your work?

Four authors have influenced my writing:

First and foremost: Anton Myrer, author of the well-known epic novel Once An Eagle (the subject of my two non-fiction books). Though I never met him, he is my literary mentor; he taught me how to write.

Also:

F. Scott Fitzgerald, especially as it relates to the significant use of songs and lyrics.

Lewis Carroll, for his use of illustration to both inform and entertain his readers. 

Herman Melville, in that I employ a mix of styles and points of view, and I look at the story content from all angles.

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