Islands of the Damned: A Marine at War in the Pacific

by R.V. Burgin, William Marvel, Bill Marvel

Book Overview

A remarkable eyewitness account of the most brutal combat of the Pacific War, from Peleliu to Okinawa, this is the true story of R.V. Burgin, the real-life World War II Marine Corps hero featured in HBO(R)'s The Pacific.

"Read his story and marvel at the man...and those like him."--Tom Hanks

When a young Texan named R.V. Burgin joined the Marines 1942, he never imagined what was waiting for him a world away in the Pacific...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0057DB1SA
• ISBN13: 9780451232267
• Release Date: March 2011
• Publisher: Dutton Caliber
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

An intimate look at the war in the pacific

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.