Author: Henry Berry Publisher: Harper Collins ISBN: 9780688149567 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 380
Book Description
Semper Fi, Mac brings to life the Marines of World War II -- the tough, battle-trained troops who stormed the beaches of Bougainville, Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa -- in some of the bitterest and bloodiest fighting of the war. Compilied from over seventy-five interviews with surviving officers and enlisted men, these powerful firsthand accounts give us a soldier's-eye portrait of the Marine Pacific war experience -- the camaraderie, the women, the loneliness, the fear -- and the profound emotional as well as spiritual rewards that resulted. Former machine gunners, riflemen, mortarmen, and engineers share the horrifying and humorous stories that defined their days in the Pacific. Through this filter of recollection, one truism is reflected time and again: "there is no such thing as an ex-Marine." A tour-de-force that pays tribute to the spirit of the nation's premier fighting force, Semper Fi, Mac is a multifaceted portrayl of men, war, bravery, honor -- and, as "The Marines' Hymn" so proudly proclaims, fidelity to the military tradition that inspired them.
Author: Allan Reed Millett Publisher: Simon and Schuster ISBN: 002921596X Category : United States Languages : en Pages : 876
Book Description
Traces the history of the Marine Corps from the American Revolution to the present and reveals how the force has adapted to changing times.
Author: Alexander Rose Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks ISBN: 0553384392 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 498
Book Description
In the grand tradition of John Keegan’s enduring classic The Face of Battle comes a searing, unforgettable chronicle of war through the eyes of the American soldiers who fought in three of our most iconic battles: Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, and Iwo Jima. This is not a book about how great generals won their battles, nor is it a study in grand strategy. Men of War is instead a riveting, visceral, and astonishingly original look at ordinary soldiers under fire. Drawing on an immense range of firsthand sources from the battlefield, Alexander Rose begins by re-creating the lost and alien world of eighteenth-century warfare at Bunker Hill, the bloodiest clash of the War of Independence—and reveals why the American militiamen were so lethally effective against the oncoming waves of British troops. Then, focusing on Gettysburg, Rose describes a typical Civil War infantry action, vividly explaining what Union and Confederate soldiers experienced before, during, and after combat. Finally, he shows how in 1945 the Marine Corps hurled itself with the greatest possible violence at the island of Iwo Jima, where nearly a third of all Marines killed in World War II would die. As Rose demonstrates, the most important factor in any battle is the human one: At Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, and Iwo Jima, the American soldier, as much as any general, proved decisive. To an unprecedented degree, Men of War brings home the reality of combat and, just as important, its aftermath in the form of the psychological and medical effects on veterans. As such, the book makes a critical contribution to military history by narrowing the colossal gulf between the popular understanding of wars and the experiences of the soldiers who fight them. Praise for Men of War “A tour de force . . . strikingly vivid, well-observed, and compulsively readable.”—The Daily Beast “Military history at its best . . . This is indeed war up-close, as those who fought it lived it—and survived it if they could. Men of War is deeply researched, beautifully written.”—The Wall Street Journal “A brilliant, riveting, unique book . . . Men of War will be a classic.”—General David H. Petraeus, U.S. Army (Retired) “The fact is that Men of War moves and educates, with the reader finding something interesting and intriguing on virtually every page.”—National Review “This is a book that has broad value to a wide audience. Whether the reader aims to learn what actually happens in battle, draw on the military lessons within, or wrestle with what actually defines combat, Men of War is a valuable addition to our understanding of this all-too-human experience.”—The New Criterion “A highly recommended addition to the literature of military history . . . [Rose] writes vividly and memorably, with a good eye for the telling detail or anecdote.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Using the firsthand accounts of brave soldiers who fought for freedom, Rose sheds new light on viewpoints we haven’t heard as widely before. It’s a welcome perspective in an era where most people have no military experience to speak of.”—The Washington Times “Rose poignantly captures the terror and confusion of hand-to-hand combat during the battle.”—The Dallas Morning News “If you want to know the meaning of war at the sharp end, this is the book to read.”—James McPherson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The War That Forged a Nation
Author: Jack Lucas Publisher: Da Capo Press ISBN: 0786736313 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 184
Book Description
During the battle of Iwo Jima, two enemy grenades landed close to Jack Lucas and his buddies. Jack threw himself on one of the grenades, grabbed the second, and pulled it beneath his body. His buddies were saved, but Lucas was badly injured. Miraculously, he survived-but just barely. For this brave action seventeen-year-old Jack Lucas from North Carolina became the youngest Marine in history to receive the Medal of Honor. Indestructible reveals the rocky road that led Jack Lucas to Iwo Jima, his arduous recovery, and the obstacles Jack overcame later in life. Jack's moving and powerful memoir is a testament to America's greatest generation.
Author: John Wukovits Publisher: Penguin ISBN: 1101057459 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 374
Book Description
Before the Green Berets...Before the Navy SEALs...Before the Army Rangers...There was the Long Patrol. November 1942: in the hellish combat zone of Guadalcanal, one man would make history. Lt. Col. Evans Carlson was considered a maverick by many of his comrades-and an outright traitor by others. He spent years observing guerrilla tactics all over the world, and knew that those tactics could be used effectively by the Marines. Carlson and an elite fighting force-the 2nd Raider Battalion-embarked upon a thirty-day mission behind enemy lines where they disrupted Japanese supplies, inflicted a string of defeats on the enemy in open combat, and gathered invaluable intelligence on Japanese operations on Guadalcanal. And in the process they laid the foundation for every branch of Special Forces in the modern military. Here, for the first time, is a riveting account of one man, one battalion, and one mission that would forever change the ways of warfare.
Author: Retired) Sgt. Gary Haun (USMC Publisher: AuthorHouse ISBN: 148171208X Category : History Languages : en Pages : 335
Book Description
Sgt. Gary Haun (USMC, Retired) lost his eyesight while servicing on active duty with the Marine Corps. However he did not lose the values and principles that are the characteristics of a United States Marine. In Marine Corps Magic, Sgt. Haun explains how the Corps taught him the values and principles that have helped him in his life. More importantly, he tells how these values can help anyone who is facing adversity or who is interested in self-improvement. Marine Corps Magic covers many different areas of the Corps and will leave the reader no doubts about why the Marine Corps is called The World's Finest Fighting Force.
Author: Samuel Wilson Fussell Publisher: Open Road Media ISBN: 1504001982 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 209
Book Description
From skinny scholar to muscle-bound showman. “Easily the best memoir ever written about weight training, steroids and all” (Men’s Journal). When blue-blooded, storklike Samuel Wilson Fussell arrived in New York City fresh from the University of Oxford, the ethereal young graduate seemed like the last person on Earth who would be interested in bodybuilding. But he was intimidated by the dangers of the city—and decided to do something about it. At twenty-six, Fussell walked into the YMCA gym. Four solid years of intensive training, protein powders, and steroid injections later, he had gained eighty pounds of pure muscle and was competing for bodybuilding titles. And yet, with forearms like bowling pins and calves like watermelons, Fussell felt weaker than ever before. His punishing regimen of workouts, drugs, and diet had reduced him to near-infant-like helplessness and immobility, leaving him hungry, nauseated, and prone to outbursts of “ ’roid rage.” But he had come to succeed, and there was no backing down now. Alternately funny and fascinating, Muscle is the true story of one man’s obsession with the pursuit of perfection. With insight, wit, and refreshing candor, Fussell ushers readers into the wild world of juicers and gym rats who sacrifice their lives, minds, bodies, and souls to their dreams of glory in Southern California’s so-called iron mecca.
Author: Peter S. Kindsvatter Publisher: ISBN: Category : History Languages : en Pages : 480
Book Description
Some warriors are drawn to the thrill of combat and find it the defining moment of their lives. Others fall victim to fear, exhaustion, impaired reasoning and despair. This book synthesizes the wartime experiences of American soldiers, from the doughboys of World War I to the grunts of Vietnam. Focusing on both soldiers and marines, it draws on histories and memoirs, oral histories, psychological and sociological studies and even fiction to show that their experiences remain fundamentally the same regardless of the enemy, terrain, training or weaponry.
Author: Jack H. McCall Publisher: Univ. of Tennessee Press ISBN: 1621907562 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 467
Book Description
Jack H. McCall Sr. was a born storyteller, an inveterate practical joker, and a proud Tennessean whose flaws included a considerable taste for candy, or "pogiebait" in Marine parlance. Like so many other able-bodied young people in on the eve of World War II, he decided to enlist in the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Much more than a family memoir or nostalgic wartime reminiscence, this painstakingly researched biography presents a rich, engaging study of the U.S. Marine Corps, particularly McCall's understudied unit, the Ninth Defense Battalion--the "Fighting Ninth." The author provides a window into the day-to-day service of a Marine during World War II, with important coverage of fighting in the Pacific Theater. McCall also depicts life in wartime Franklin, Tennessee, and offers a poignant and personal tribute to his father. McCall dramatizes some of the classic themes of the war memoir genre (war is hell, but memories fade!), but he sets riveting descriptions of decisive action against rarely seen views of mundane work and daily life, supported with maps, photographs, and fresh interpretations. Another distinction of this work is its attention to the action on Guam, a very unpleasant late-war "mopping up" that has received relatively little scholarly attention. In his portrait of the bitter island-hopping war in the Pacific, the author shows how both U.S. and Japanese soldiers were often eager innocents drawn to the cauldron of conflict and indoctrinated and trained by their respective governments. Reflecting on the action late in life, Jack (as well as several other Ninth veterans) came to a begrudging respect for the enemy.
Author: Henry Berry
Author: Allan Reed Millett
Author: Alexander Rose
Author: Jack Lucas
Author: John Wukovits
Author: Retired) Sgt. Gary Haun (USMC
Author: Henry Berry
Author: Samuel Wilson Fussell
Author: Peter S. Kindsvatter
Author: Jack H. McCall