Unlikely Warrior; A Pacifist Rabbi's Journey from the Pulpit to Iwo Jima
Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Company, 2015. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. 368 pages. Notes. Index. Publisher's ephemera laid in. Lee Mandel was born in New York City. He received his undergraduate degree from Washington and Jefferson College, his medical degree from the University of Miami and he did his internal medicine training at the Medical University of South Carolina Hospitals in Charleston, SC. He has an MPH degree from the University of Pittsburgh and also completed the US Navy’s aerospace medicine residency. He is board certified in internal medicine and aviation medicine. During his naval career, he has been on the staff of four navy hospitals and served twice as a staff internist at the Office of the Attending Physician, United States Congress. In addition, he served as Senior Medical Officer on three US Navy aircraft carriers. He retired from the United States Navy with the rank of Captain in June, 2013. Captain Mandel is an avid writer and historian and has been published in numerous journals both in medicine and in history. As a result of his research on the health history of President John F. Kennedy, he has appeared two times on the History Channel. He is the author of Moryak: A Novel of the Russian Revolution, published by Glagoslov Publications and Unlikely Warrior: A Pacifist Rabbi’s Journey from the Pulpit to Iwo Jima, published by Pelican Publishing Company. Despite his passionate support of pacifism, Rabbi Roland Gittelsohn voluntarily joined the navy when the United States entered World War II. His remarkable story chronicles the evolution of his crisis of conscience and gives an insider's view into the battle of Iwo Jima and one of the most famous military speeches ever made. The son of immigrant Russian parents, Roland Gittelsohn was a highly intelligent young man who became a Reform rabbi in the 1930s. A gifted orator and debater, he became a leader in the pacifist movement in the years leading up to the chaos that evolved into World War II. Like many clergymen of that era, he underwent a crisis of conscience after the United States entered the war and voluntarily joined the United States Navy. Upon finishing his chaplain training, he became the first Jewish chaplain ever assigned to the United States Marine Corps. Eventually assigned to the Fifth Marine Division, the former pacifist soon became embroiled in the bloodiest battle in the history of the Marine Corps- Iwo Jima. He was awarded three combat ribbons for his service with the Fifth Marine Division on Iwo Jima. His sermon at the dedication of the division's cemetery, titled "The Purest Democracy," attracted wide attention and was read by many radio and television announcers during and after the war. Surviving through thirty-five days of hell, he gave the sermon at the dedication of the Fifth Marine Division cemetery on March 21, 1945. The sermon, which has become known as ‘The Purest Democracy’ is the most famous speech in military history and is often referred to as the Gettysburg Address of World War II. Giitelsohn remarkable life is recreated through his surviving notes as well as many authoritative texts. He was truly a remarkable member of what we now refer to as The Greatest Generation. Condition: Very good / Very good.
Keywords: Roland Gittelsohn, Fifth Marine Division, 5th Marine, Chaplain, Rabbi, Iwo Jima, Purest Democracy, Jew, Pacifism, Eulogy
ISBN: 9781455619870
[Book #82869]
Price: $175.00