Battleground Pacific: A Marine Rifleman's Combat Odyssey in K/3/5

By Nick Allen and Sterling Mace

Book Overview

A POWERFULLY WROUGHT MEMOIR BY A MEMBER OF WWII'S FABLED 1ST MARINE DIVISION Sterling Mace's unit was the legendary "K-3-5" (for Company K, 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment of the 1st Marine Division) and his story takes readers through some of the most intense action of the Pacific War, from the seldom-seen perspective of a rifleman at the point of attack. Battleground Pacific is filled with indelible moments that begin with his childhood growing up in Queens, New York, and his run-in with the law that eventually led to his enlistment. But this is ultimately a combat tale--as violent and harrowing as any that has come before. From fighting through the fiery hell that was Peleliu to the deadly battleground of Okinawa, Mace traces his path from the fear of combat to understanding that killing another human comes just as easily as staying alive. He learns that bravery often equates to stupidity, leading to the death of close friends, but also that life goes on, with death on its heels. Battleground Pacific is one of the most important and entertaining memoirs about the Pacific theater in WWII.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250005051
• ISBN13: 9781250005052
• Release Date: May 2012
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.4" x 1.3" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

A well done candid peek into the heart and mind of a Marine in battle.

I read this as an e-book and liked it so much I bought a hard copy to transfer onto paper all the passages I highlighted that resonated with me. Several reviews on other sites state that the writing style was not for them, that there were distracting passages. I found this book written from the heart of a soldier who went through hell and has had time to reflect on the experience afterward. Stray thoughts emerge that occurred during long ago moments in time that give the reader a candid peek into the heart and mind of a soldier in the middle of war. I have read memoirs of countless servicemen and women and this is one of the best. Well done!