Book Description

Merriam Press Military Monograph 78. Fifth Edition (March 2012). Describing his tour of duty with the 1st Marine Division at their base camp on Pavuvu, the assault on Peleliu (Operation Stalemate), their return to Pavuvu for rest and further training, and the final battle of World War II, Okinawa, the book concludes with Perry's posting to North China and confrontation with Chinese Nationalist and Chinese Communist troops, displaying this military involvement that few are aware of. The book consists of a number of vignettes that describe the adventures of a Marine that takes place on an isolated jungle island and in two of the most vicious battles fought in World War II. While it covers contact with the enemy, Perry describes their brutality, the climate, the topography, and the loneliness and isolation that the "raggedy ass Marines" suffered and how they withstood an adversary more vicious and unrelenting then those who confronted the Germans in Europe. It addresses the marked differences between the fighting that took place in Europe and the vast Pacific Ocean, the major differences being the brutal and cruel behavior of the Japanese and the surroundings in which they fought. But the most oppressive of all was the severe isolation that these Marines were subjected to, and how they coped with it. And finally, it discloses that Marines in the Pacific, and especially those in the 1st Marine Division, were never optimally equipped, and they were understaffed and abandoned until the war in Europe was won, a condition forced upon them by the government's declaration of "Europe First." Perry was a member of the 4th JASCO (Joint Assault Signal Company) of the 1st Marine Division, which was comprised of Marine and Navy personnel radio operators, telephone linemen, and scout-snipers who supplied the Division with communications to control naval gunfire, close air support, and landing supplies, i.e. ammunition, food, water, vehicles and material. The book contains photographs never before published. Contents: * The Theme in Retrospect * A Naval Engagement * Pavuvu: Pediculous Paradise * Peleliu * Editorial Interlude * Return to Pavuvu * The Beginning of the End * It's Over * Returning to the Marine's Premier Station-China * Homeward Bound * Marines Under Stress * Afterword * Bibliography * 43 photos.