Iwo Jima; World War II Veterans Remember the Greatest Battle of the Pacific
Joseph Stewart (Jacket photograph) and Janet Wigle New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2008. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. xxiv, [2], 345, [9] pages. Frontispiece. Maps. Appendix: Military Terminology. This copy has an author inscription that reads: "July 4, 2008 From Cy O'Brien To his darling and caring Patricia and her wonderful husband Jim and their great family of which he is so proud. Semper Fi Larry Smith". [Cy O'Brien's story is at Part Five, Chapter 17!] The men who fought and survived the deadliest battle of the Pacific come to life in this powerful oral history. On February 19, 1945, nearly 70,000 American soldiers invaded a tiny volcanic island in the Pacific. Over the next thirty-five days, approximately 28,000 soldiers died, including nearly 22,000 Japanese and 6,821 Americans, making Iwo Jima one of the costliest battles of World War II. Oral historian Larry Smith dug deep for exclusive stories from Iwo Jima veterans, including the last surviving flag raiser on Mount Suribachi, a Navajo "Code Talker," a retired general, two Medal of Honor recipients, B-29 flyers, and other die-hard Marines who secured the island. Along the way, Smith investigates the controversy surrounding the famous photograph by Joe Rosenthal and presents the groundbreaking story of Japanese General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, rumored to have committed suicide rather than submit to capture. With dozens of photographs and maps, Iwo Jima is an unprecedented look at this pivotal battle and an inspiring study in courage, perseverance, and humanity. Larry Smith is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Few and the Proud and Beyond Glory. Derived from a Kirk's review: Veterans tell personal stories of the iconic 1945 island battle. In his third oral-history collection, veteran journalist Smith interviewed 22 retired soldiers, all over the age of 80. Readers accustomed to today’s wars, in which a single American death makes headlines, may recoil at the mass slaughter these men witnessed. Several marine flame-throwers relate the gruesome mechanics of their specialty. A surviving medic (nearly 200 died) reveals the equally horrific duties that won him a Medal of Honor. A sailor who participated in minesweeping before his ship’s landing recalls how, despite never touching shore, dozens of his shipmates died. An operations officer describes the weeks during which almost all his fellow officers and friends fell. Perhaps the most moving subject is Samuel Tso, a Navajo from a poor family who never saw them during four years at a government high school in which officials forced students to speak only English. Drafted into the legendary code-talkers, he and his fellow tribesmen used the formerly forbidden Navajo language as a secure method of communication between units during battle. Several crewmen describe missions during which an emergency landing on Iwo saved their lives. Since each veteran summarizes his life history, readers will learn what it was like to grow up in Depression-era America, when nearly everyone struggled. Thankfully, all of the stories contained here have happy endings. Exemplary oral history. Condition: Very good / Very good.
Keywords: Iwo Jima, Flag-raising, Fred Hayes, Abbatiello, Charles Warehouse, Code-Talker, Medal of Honor, Norman Hatch, Charles Lindbergh, Cyrillic O'Brien, Tadamichi Kuribayashi. Tsunezo Waco, Patrick Mooney, John Ripley, Suribachi
ISBN: 9780393062342
[Book #91886]
Price: $175.00