Iwo Jima: World War II Veterans Remember the Greatest Battle of the Pacific by Larry Smith

From the Publisher

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. Best-selling 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. 50 photographs, 2 maps.

David Lee Poremba - Library Journal

The story of the Battle of Iwo Jima is well known, especially with the attention it received on its 60th anniversary in 2005 and the publication then of several fine studies (e.g., James Bradley and Ron Powers's Flags of Our Fathers), not to mention Clint Eastwood's two recent films. Now best-selling author Smith (Beyond Glory) has amassed a superb collection of 22 oral histories from Iwo Jima veterans, including two Medal of Honor winners, a Navajo "Code-Talker," the last surviving flag raiser from the first flag raising on Mount Suribachi, a war correspondent, and an African American marine who served in an ammo company. These veterans make for a good mix of officers and enlisted men. In his introductions and follow-ups to their memories, Smith discusses the controversy surrounding the flag raisings (whether posed or genuine, etc.), the fate of Japanese commander Kuribayashi, and the ultimate fate of the island itself, among other topics. In spite of the extensive literature on Iwo Jima, this is a unique and compelling book; strongly recommended for all collections. (Photos not seen.)

Kirkus Reviews

Veterans tell personal stories of the iconic 1945 island battle. In his third oral-history collection, veteran journalist Smith (The Few and the Proud: Marine Corps Drill Instructors in Their Own Words, 2006) 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 flamethrowers 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.

Product Details

• ISBN: 0393062341
  
• ISBN-13: 9780393062342
• Format: Hardcover, 345pp
• Publisher: Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
• Pub. Date: May 2008
• Sales Rank: 51,546

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents