Islands of the Damned: A Marine at War in the Pacific
Select Format
Select Condition 
Book Overview
Watch author RV Burgin discuss Islands of the Damned and The Pacific . See R.V. Burgin in the award winning documentary film Peleliu 1944: Horror in the Pacific. Click here for more information. This is an eyewitness-and eye-opening-account of some of the most savage and brutal fighting in the war against Japan, told from the perspective of a young Texan who volunteered for the Marine Corps to escape a life as a traveling salesman. R.V. Burgin enlisted at the age of twenty, and with his sharp intelligence and earnest work ethic, climbed the ranks from a green private to a seasoned sergeant. Along the way, he shouldered a rifle as a member of a mortar squad. He saw friends die-and enemies killed. He saw scenes he wanted to forget but never did-from enemy snipers who tied themselves to branches in the highest trees, to ambushes along narrow jungle trails, to the abandoned corpses of hara kiri victims, to the final howling banzai attacks as the Japanese embraced their inevitable defeat. An unforgettable narrative of a young Marine in combat, Islands of the Damned brings to life the hell that was the Pacific War.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0451229908
ISBN13:9780451229908
Release Date:March 2010
Publisher:Nal Caliber
Length:296 Pages
Weight:1.15 lbs.
Dimensions:1.1" x 6.2" x 9.4"
Age Range:18 years and up
Grade Range:Postsecondary and higher
Customer Reviews
1 rating
An intimate look at the war in the pacific
Published by DanaMax , 5 years ago
Burgin does an excellent job balancing the smaller more intimate stories and fun they had when not in combat with his descriptive tales of what war actually is. He has a more simplistic writing style that makes it easy to dive right in and is perfect for those who want to know more about history but have trouble with historian's accounts. He makes the occasional reference to his fellow soldier E. B. Sledge's book With The Old Breed, but it is not necessary to read that first. There is surprisingly little crossover in the way the two recount the battles they fought together so reading both does provide a better view of the battles of Peleliu and Okinawa and with Burgin's book, he recounts a couple of other landings and fights Sledge was not a part of.
Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
