The Last Lieutenant: A Foxhole View of the Epic Battle for Iwo Jima

by John C. Shively

Book Overview

"Shively has documented in a very readable fashion the transformation of a young Hoosier into a disciplined member of the United States Marine Corps. His book is a detailed and touching tale of one man's experience of the battle of Iwo Jima, and the many excellent photographs and maps enhance the story." --Major General Fred Haynes, USMC (Ret.)

The 36-day assault on the small volcanic island known as Iwo Jima resulted in more than 26,000...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0253347289
• ISBN13: 9780253347282
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Length: 152 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.4" x 9.6"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Riveting Account

The Last Lieutenant is an epic tribute to a brave man thrust into the hell of Iwo Jima. This book becomes a riveting read as you move from training to battle, to the savagery that is war at its most merciless. True to its press, this is indeed a "foxhole view" of one of the greatest battles in American history--with a personal twist that will leave you moved to tears. The research was there, and the writing kept me glued to this book until the end. At times, I felt the need to bury myself in that volcanic ash. This is the sort of book that should be standard reading for junior officers, at the service academies--and by our politicians, who place our best in harm's way. let me tell you that I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Shively on a trip to Bataan and Corregidor and I must say that his passionate interest in the Pacific War is evident--and led to a terrific depiction of hell on earth: Iwo Jima.

The Last Lieutenant -- an excellent Iwo read

I have to agree with all the foregoing reviews -- this book accurately portrays the Marine's bitter battle against determined defenders for that island. I've read nearly a dozen documentary sources of this battle, and learned some personal accounts from my dad, a platoon sargent in the 3rd Marine division. Ironically, he fought next to the airfields and areas where this 2Lt also fought. I'd say the author, though not a veteran of this campaign, got it right. And it's a fast and compelling read. If you know of Iwo, this is another and more personal accounting. Well Done, Mr. Shively, Five stars.

I couldn't put this book down

As with FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, I found THE LAST LIEUTENANT to be completely riveting. I'm a big fan of military books, and this is as good as it gets. I'm so glad we have people writing books like THE LAST LIEUTENANT while the heroes who fought historic battles like those on Iwo Jima are still with us.

An absolutely amazing read!

This is an amazing story of one man's experience during the battle for Iwo Jima. Jim Craig was a young lieutenant in charge of a platoon of Marines, commanding and protecting his men throughout one of the bloodiest battles in history. Unlike in FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, this book doesn't waste time on the story of the famous flag-raising episode. That happened a few days into the battle. Jim Craig continued his fight until the end of the month-long campaign, and never had time to notice a small event like a flag-raising. This is the true story of Iwo Jima in all its ugly brutality--this book spares no punches. You'll never look at war the same way again.

Excellent Story of One Platoon in a Giant Battle

Iwo Jima was the last of the really big battles in the Pacific. It was taken for two reasons: First, the Japanese radar on the island gave the warning of coming air raids two hours before the B-29s would get to Japan, plenty of time to get the air defenses ready. The long flight back from Japan cost a lot of American lives in the crashing of planes damaged or otherwise failing during attacks on Japan. Iwo was the only place an airstrip could be built that would take B-29s and provide maintenance and hospital services. To get Iwo, on the other hand would cost 28,686 casualties. On the part of the Marines, Iwo cost just about one-third of all the Marines killed in the Pacific. Was it worth it? Returning B-29's that landed at Iwo held just about 30,000 airmen. While some of these would not have made it back to their bases, most wouldn't have. And we will never know how many B-29s were not shot down because the radar station was taken down. This book is the story of one Marine platoon. It began Iwo with 41 men, received 19 replacements and after four weeks of combat came away from Iwo with the Lieutenant and ten men. From a total of 60 men, twenty were killed and thirty evacuated because of wounds. All this in 28 days. This book is the story of that Lieutenant, the uncle of the author. Thank God for these men. Thank God again that I didn't have to go where they did.