The telephone rings on the hospital floor, and they tell you it is your mother, the phone call you have been dreading. You’ve lost part of your face to a Japanese sniper on Okinawa, and after many surgeries, the doctor has finally told you that at 19, you will never see again. The pain and shock is one thing. But now you have to tell her, from 5000 miles away. — ‘So I had a hard two months, I …
— ‘So I had a hard two months, I guess. I kept mostly to myself. I wouldn’t talk to people. I tried to figure out what the hell I was going to do when I got home. How was I going to tell my mother this? You know what I mean?’ ~Jimmy Butterfield, WWII Marine veteran
~From the author of ‘The Things Our Fathers Saw’ World War II eyewitness history series~
How soon we forget. Or perhaps, we were never told. That is understandable, given what they saw.
— ‘I was talking to a shipmate of mine waiting for the motor launch, and all at once I saw a plane go over our ship. I did not know what it was, but the fellow with me said, ‘That’s a Jap plane, Jesus!’ It went down and dropped a torpedo. Then I saw the Utah turn over.’ ~Barney Ross, U.S. Navy seaman, Pearl Harbor
At the height of World War II, LOOK Magazine profiled a small American community for a series of articles portraying it as the wholesome, patriotic model of life on the home front. Decades later, author Matthew Rozell tracks down over thirty survivors who fought the war in the Pacific, from Pearl Harbor to the surrender at Tokyo Bay.
— ‘Rage is instantaneous. He’s looking at me from a crawling position. I didn’t shoot him; I went and kicked him in the head. Rage does funny things. After I kicked him, I shot and killed him.’ ~Thomas Jones, Marine veteran, Battle of Guadalcanal
These are the stories that the magazine could not tell to the American public.
— ‘I remember it rained like hell that night, and the water was running down the slope into our foxholes. I had to use my helmet to keep bailing out, you know. Lt. Gower called us together. He said, ‘I think we’re getting hit with a banzai. We’re going to have to pull back. ‘Holy God, there was howling and screaming! They had naked women, with spears, stark naked!’ ~Nick Grinaldo, U.S. Army veteran, Saipan
By the end of 2018, fewer than 400,000 WW II veterans will still be with us, out of the over 16 million who put on a uniform. But why is it that today, nobody seems to know these stories? Maybe our veterans did not volunteer; maybe we were too busy with our own lives to ask. But they opened up to the younger generation, when a history teacher told their grandchildren to ask.
— ‘I hope you’ll never have to tell a story like this, when you get to be 87. I hope you’ll never have to do it.’ ~Ralph Leinoff, Marine veteran Iwo Jima, to his teenage interviewer
This book brings you the previously untold firsthand accounts of combat and brotherhood, of captivity and redemption, and the aftermath of a war that left no American community unscathed.
— ‘After 3½ years of starvation and brutal treatment, that beautiful symbol of freedom once more flies over our head! Our POW camp tailor worked all night and finished our first American flag! The blue came from a GI barracks bag, red from a Jap comforter and the white from an Australian bed sheet. When I came out of the barracks and saw those beautiful colors for the first time, I felt like crying!’~Joe Minder, U.S. Army POW, Japan,1945
As we forge ahead as a nation, we owe it to ourselves to become reacquainted with a generation that is fast leaving us, who asked for nothing but gave everything, to attune ourselves as Americans to a broader appreciation of what we stand for.
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I grew up knowing a man who had been a Marine, wounded in the islands. I wanted to know what he endured there. I had read several books about these battles, but the personal accounts in this book gave me the understanding I was looking for.
Great book on the Pacific theatre of WWII. It seems like not as much is written about the war in the Pacific as in Europe so this book really brings out the horrors of this part of the war. Sure makes one glad if they didn’t have to be there.
One of the most tragic, informative and inspirational books about WWII you will ever read. The combination of historical narration and eye-witness accounts of the Pacific war allows the reader to experience the horrors and triumphs of our young Americans of the 1940’s. I was personally impressed with the brilliance of much of our battle strategies as well as the massive American resources brought to bear against the Japanese War “cult” which dictated that they fight to the death. A valuable historical resource with faces attached. Must read.
Not an easy book to read, especially knowing that all the stories were actual events happening to real people, but an immeasurably important snapshot into the lives of these people. Hard to read, but well-worth the emotional pain of it.
I learned a great deal about the Pacific theater — the first person narratives most of which were written in journals at the time were enlightening and moving.
So grateful for the author for saving all these memories
I am the daughter of a man who was drafted to fight in the Pacific a year after Pearl Harbor. He left behind his wife and four babies under the age of five. Two little boys and newborn twin daughters. He would come back in critical condition. Mayo Hospital saved his life! My father would never talk about the war or the battles he fought in while serving in the Philippines.
My father-in-law fought in the European campaign. He, too, came home critically injured. He was in an army tank that was shot by Nazi mortar at Anzio, in Italy. He would never speak of those years either.
They both passed away several years ago. I thought so often about their service to our nation. I decided to start reading books on the war in both campaigns. No, I can never know their actual experiences but what I read tells me of the hell they would have experienced! No doubt, all of the service men and women had to suffer PTSD. War is trauma! Any war!
I read this book and many others. This book in particular touched me deeply. For it was the true words of those who found the courage to write into words their terrific experiences and to reflect their endless sorrow of the loss of their brothers-in-arms. I encourage you to read it! I pray you become protectors of our freedom and deeply pray for peace on earth.
Rips your heart out to know the conditions of War. Just unbeleivable.
What a high school
History assignment. Wish all students today could be blessed with the dedicated teaching these wete lucky enough to receive!
The author is recording his interviews with WWII veterans. Presents a bird’s eye view of what they endured.
Interesting look at we ll
I learned so much about WWII that I either didn’t learn in school or it wasn’t taught. I have always respected our military, but, that has grown exponentially since I read what our men go through in war. I hope everybody will read this book and I’m looking forward to reading The Things Our Fathers Saw II.
The Greatest Generation freed the World over 70 years ago. This book helps you appreciate how they managed to do it. The people that did it are for the most part gone. Read this to understand what they gave us.
My dad served in WWII. He didn’t talk about it. I didn’t know that he had a bronze star until I found out about in from the National Archives in New Jersey. have read about a dozen of them and found they were mostly about Officers. This one is about the people of all ranks that came from the same region. For me it was more real
I enjoyed the author’s writing this book
Really enjoyed the personal reflections about a terrible time in history. Made me wonder about all the experiences of the men who never made it home and we’ll never know.
My father was in the Pacific in WW II. He never talked about his experiences, and now he’s gone. This was wonderful because it gave me a small peek of what his life must have been like during that time.
My dad was a World War II vet who served in the Pacific arena. He never talked much about his war experiences, which is typical of the men of that generation. This book gave me added insight into what our men went through while serving. I admit I’m something of a WWII buff, but I think everyone should read this book.
I bought this for my husband who is interested in WWII. He says it’s one of the best books on the subject he has read and couldn’t put it down.
It’s probably a good book, in another format. The Kindle version was missing several pages. Don’t buy the Kindle version.
It was rather disjointed but still something we need to read.