NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER.In honor of the 75th Anniversary of one of the most critical battles of World War II, the popular primetime Fox News anchor of The Story with Martha MacCallum pays tribute to the heroic men who sacrificed everything at Iwo Jima to defeat the Armed Forces of Emperor Hirohito—among them, a member of her own family, Harry Gray.Admiral Chester Nimitz spoke of the “uncommon … Gray.
Admiral Chester Nimitz spoke of the “uncommon valor” of the men who fought on Iwo Jima, one of the bloodiest and most brutal battles of World War II. In thirty-six grueling days, nearly 7,000 Marines were killed and 22,000 were wounded.
Martha MacCallum takes us from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima through the lives of these men of valor, among them Harry Gray, a member of her own family.
In Unknown Valor, she weaves their stories—from Boston, Massachusetts, to Gulfport, Mississippi, as told through letters and recollections—into the larger history of what American military leaders rightly saw as an eventual showdown in the Pacific with Japan. In a relentless push through the jungles of Guadalcanal, over the coral reefs of Tarawa, past the bloody ridge of Peleliu, against the banzai charges of Guam, and to the cliffs of Saipan, these men were on a path that ultimately led to the black sands of Iwo Jima, the doorstep of the Japanese Empire.
Meticulously researched, heart-wrenching, and illuminating, Unknown Valor reveals the sacrifices of ordinary Marines who saved the world from tyranny and left indelible marks on those back home who loved them.
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Martha MacCallum’s Unknown Valor is an elegantly written and deeply researched history of how the U.S. Army and Marines won the Pacific theater island-hopping campaign in the Second World War. The sheer heroism of these American fighters on the battlefield is staggering. Every page soars with gritty realism and patriotic perseverance. A powerful saga about the greatest generation!
Wonderful book to discover what that generation went through to preserve freedom.
Mainly a history of World War II, battle after battle, from Africa to Europe and especially the Pacific. These sections were written by historian Ron Drez, a Marine captain and a decorated combat veteran of Vietnam–who, with a team at Ambrose Military History Tours, takes veterans of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam back to the battlefields where they fought.
The book opens with an examination of the history and mindset of the Japanese leadership, from earlier centuries, as the war wouldn’t end until the Americans had to endure their savagery, based on their “code of bushido,” on island after island in the Pacific, leading to the loss of thousands on both sides.
After being introduced to Harry Gray, a member of MacCallum’s own family, and a few other men who would end up with Gray in the brutal battle to take Iwo Jima. Recently Martha was able to visit with a man who was there when Gray and another man were killed, and he was wounded at the same time. He still carries shrapnel in his chest, and cried when he related what had happened to young Harry Gray.
Especially compelling is the scene where a delivery boy brings the telegram to the house, where Gray’s grandmother is the first to learn of his death.
I was especially taken by the Epilogue, which includes fascinating backstory, and the Acknowledgments, where we learn about Martha’s trip to Iwo Jima to see where her relative had fought and died. There are also extensive notes.
Martha MacCallum has written a wonderful book on the bravery and sacrifices of those who ‘island-hopped’ from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima. Part family memoir, part personal history of small-town America at war, and part chronicle of Marine amphibious landings from 1942 to 1945, Unknown Valor is a beautifully written and stirring reminder to present generations that much of what we now take for granted was given to us by the sacrifices of those whom we must never forget.
Unknown Valor is at once so gripping and moving about the war in the Pacific that I lost several nights sleep, refusing to go to bed until I’d read it all. The book blends fascinating details of Martha MacCallum’s family’s personal story and sacrifice, and the touching moments of hope and family life add a special flavor to the story. Even though we all know how the war ends, what we gain from the book is a deeper appreciation for the scope and scale of the patriotism, dreams, and heartache that lived on. Unknown Valor is a triumph.
Martha is magnificent and so is this book. This is a story of love and military battle told with clarity and heart.
If you want your faith in America restored, you simply must read this book.