Islands of the Damned - R.V. Burgin & Bill Marvel

Islands of the Damned

By R.V. Burgin & Bill Marvel

  • Release Date: 2010-03-02
  • Genre: History
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 409 Ratings

Description

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®'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. There, amid steamy jungles, he encountered a ferocious and desperate enemy in the Japanese, engaging them in some of the most grueling and deadly fights of the war.
 
In this remarkable memoir, Burgin reveals his life as a special breed of Marine. Schooled by veterans who had endured the cauldron of Guadalcanal, Burgin’s company soon confronted snipers, repulsed jungle ambushes, encountered abandoned corpses of hara-kiri victims, and warded off howling banzai attacks as they island-hopped from one bloody battle to the next. In his two years at war, Burgin rose from a green private to a seasoned sergeant, fighting from New Britain through Peleliu and on to Okinawa, where he earned a Bronze Star for valor.
 
With unforgettable drama and an understated elegance, Burgin’s gripping narrative stands alongside those of classic Pacific chroniclers like Robert Leckie and Eugene Sledge—indeed, Burgin was even Sledge’s platoon sergeant. Here is a deeply moving account of World War II, bringing to life the hell that was the Pacific War.

Reviews

  • Another amazing account of the Pacific island battles during WWII

    5
    By Gopher1986
    A great read told simply by another hero from America’s greatest generation. God bless all of them.
  • Island of the Dammed

    5
    By Golden Older
    This book, written by the man that lived it, made me proud to be an American. I wanted to shake the hand of one of those understated heroes from the greatest generation, someone that made a difference. In the turmoil and self interest that prevails America and its people in 2020, the heroism and self sacrifice of that earlier generation reminds a reader of what we were and what we can be if we can ever work together again for a common goal. Memories of my Navy service in the early 50's aboard the USS Midway flooded back. While never coming close to the combat horror sergeant Bergin faced, there were the close calls during flight operations, the deck watch duty during the black of night, the roaring sea of a hurricane, the returning home to marry someone you didn't realize how much you loved until the lonely nights at sea, even though you were surrounded by 4000 other men, each with their own dream, and then the building of a life together after discharge. Many of us that served had sequences in our own lives that followed that of Sergeant Burgin, but it boggles the mind how anyone could endure the number of Combat landings, the horrors of prolonged combat against a fanatical enemy that would die before surrender, and then live to write about it in words that tell us today of how it really was. Someone once said, " Where did we find such men", and after reading this excellent book about such men I can only say, as America faces a peril as bad or worse than a defeat would have been In World War II, only this time from within, I hope and pray that we still have such men to hold us together and keep America the land of the free and the home of the brave. Men like the heroic marine that wrote, understatedly, of how he came to do his part to win that awful war and came home to tell about it. Would that the modern generation could learn about what it took to survive and win that war and use those principles of Duty, Honor and Country to win this new, undeclared war for the soul of our modern day nation. Will we find such men again? Pray we do. Semper fi
  • Islands of the damned

    5
    By Angry news hog
    Very enjoyable book. A personal tour of one mans view of the battles in the Pacific islands.
  • Great book by a true hero

    5
    By jgt3rd
    I shiver when I read these pages. The adversity these men faced was incredible.
  • Islands of the Damned

    4
    By yadayda
    Great read.
  • An Honorable Read

    5
    By TootzLootzBrighton
    This man's account will "put you there". Refreshing to read of honorable men.
  • Islands of the damned

    1
    By 9135gh
    This was the most difficult book I have ever tried to read. The syntax was so poor that I had to read a sentence two or three times to determine the authors thought.
  • DaveK

    5
    By davekz
    Great read. Firsthand insight to the horrors of the Pacific war. Highly recommended to any history buff.
  • One of the best

    5
    By Yorya93
    Truly touching book that discusses more than the mere battles of the war but the friends we fight next you in the foxhole. Beautifully done, and great read! Easy, fun, and enjoyable!
  • WOW

    5
    By Victor Erazo
    I met the author at a Gun show. And so far, this is a beautiful book. I love it. He is a wonderful man as well. Totally worth it. I'll recommend it to everyone i know.

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