Book Review: The Lions of Iwo Jima

I just finished reading “The Lions of Iwo Jima: The story of Combat Team 28 and the bloodiest battle in Marine Corps history” by MG Fred Haynes and James Warren. The book is in our county library system, and was published in 2008.

If you have an interest in World War II, the Pacific arena, this would be a good read for you.

Combat Team 28 was assigned to participate in the invasions of Iwo Jima, to capture Mount Suribachi, and after the capture went on to fight throughout the Iwo Jima campaign. It was captured the last of the island after a bloody, draining month-long battle.

Fred Haynes was a young Marine captain in the 28th Combat Team. His memories, combined with solid research by Warren, provide an excellent first-person account of the action. His descriptions bring forth the horror of war and the dedication of those who fight it.

From the destruction at the beach to the raising of the flag (twice) at Mount Suribachi and from the constant deadly battle with snipers to the final bloody, exhausting days at Bloody Gorge a month after the invasion took place, this book provides an insightful view of what happened, with extensive research of documents, survivor interviews, and an intricately woven story.

Especially interesting is the chapter titled “The Enemy” which investigates why the Japanese fought as doggedly and self-sacrificing as they did, preferring death to capture.

For additional reviews, check at Amazon, Large Print Reviews, and McMillan.

Essential Question: What would be the effect today - given increased communications availability - of a battle such as Iwo Jima?

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Book Review: Visions from a Foxhole

I just finished reading a book written by a World War II veteran, and found it fascinating enough to share and encourage others to check it out and read it.

I always like the ‘grunts’ view of war – not the huge strategic plans moving armies and tens of thousands of men hither and yon. I like to read and share somewhat the experiences of the man in the trenches (World War I) or the foxhole (World War II) or the trenches again (Korea) or the fortified hamlets and firebases (Vietnam). These are men who did not know the whole scope of the war – their focus was on surviving day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute.

Visions from a Foxhole: A Rifleman in Patton’s Ghost Corps was written by 94th Infantry Division veteran William A. Foley Jr. – who was eighteen years old when he joined with the division in January 1945.

In his book Foley graphically describes the infantryman’s view of war – the shelling, the mines, the snipers, and the intense combat that, even in the last stages of World War II in Europe, was up close and personal.

What really stirred me with this book was the artistry of the author. He drew during the war, fleshed out the images, and now presents a selection of them in his book.

The author readily admits a lack of ability to remember names – I can relate to that – and some of the flow of events (though not the experiences) have faded over the years since the war ended. Combining his experiences with research on the 94th Division, Foley has created a credible story of survival during his five months ‘over there’.

Foley is was interviewed for the Library of Congress Veteran’s Project, and four of his drawings are posted there. It might be helpful to read the Amazon reviews as well.

Our local Citrus County library has this book available.

Essential Question: How could a resource like this book be used in a Social Studies classroom?

PHOTO SOURCES:

Library of Congress Veteran’s Project
Amazon

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Review: Samuel Adams A Life

When most people today think of Sam Adams, they think of a beer. Even history teachers probably aren’t giving enough coverage to Adams – he’s a footnote in the book, if there at all.

Yet, he was the heart of the origin of the American Revolution. The same words he used in Massachusetts in 1770 – “pursuit of life, liberty, and property” – were used by Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence in 1776. His advocating of basic rights in the Massachusetts constitutional convention were echoed – in the Bill of Rights. He was on the ‘arrest or kill’ list of the Crown in 1774 and beyond. Who were the redcoats after when they marched on Lexington and Concord? The man that they had been stopping and questioning people about throughout Massachusetts – Sam Adams.

Adams wrote, spoke, and led the way toward independence.

While many biographies are dealing with cousin John Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington – Sam Adams has been sorely overlooked, and relegated to the dust-bin of history, a name scarcely remembered.

Ira Stoll’s biography Samuel Adams: A Life corrects that with a great portrayal of a drama-filled life – the stuff that movies could be made of. The influences on Adams’ life – his family, his religion, his passion for freedom from the British – are all well documented and written. The book is engaging and portrays the life of the time.

While colonial history has not been my strongest area of interest, when I saw the book I knew it had to be on my to-read list. I am glad it made it. The best part: our county library system has a copy, which is where I got my copy from.

If you have an opportunity to read the book, by all means do so knowing that it is… revolutionary!

Some reviews on the book:

Boston Globe
Barnes and Noble Review

New York Post
The Spiked Review of Books

Essential Question: How can we best encourage the students to discover the motivations and beliefs of the Founding Fathers?

Book Review: America 1908

I just finished reading America 1908: The Dawn of Flight, The Race To The pole, The Invention Of The Model T, And The Making Of A Modern Nation by Jim Rasenberger. If any of our Citrus County Social Studies teachers want to borrow the book, let me know and I’ll ship it to you in the county mail.

This is a book that focuses on a pivotal year in American history. 1908 was the year Roosevelt sent the Great White Fleet on an around the world tour, providing a peaceful way to illustrate American interests in the Pacific regions. It is also the year that the Wright brothers heavier than air flying machine took on the early European flyers to establish American dominance in the air. It was also the year of the race to the North Pole – and a still continuing controversy as to whether Peary or Cook was the first to find the North Pole. Automobiles – a new toy and the rich man’s plaything – attracted national and world attention with a New York to Paris race; and found a promoter of the automobile for the common man with Henry Ford’s Model T and innovate assembly line production methods – all of which got their start in 1908. It was the year that set the stage through the automobile of what America would look like a hundred years later.

There are many more story lines that run through the book, all vividly portrayed and described, with people becoming personalities, and events having meaning – not only on the world of 1908, but also the world of today.

The book was interesting – starting one event, moving to another, than coming back to the first event as it progressed through the year. It told of stories that were known – and many that were unknown to me – and provided a glimpse of not only the excitement and optimism that existed in 1908, but also its effect on our country and the world a hundred years later. It was a pivotal year. I heartily recommend it as a reading that will tweak the readers interest in the people and events that became the foundation for many of America’s accomplishments in the twentieth century.

There are several professional reviews of the book available:

• Bookpage
  
• USA Today Review
  
• VOA News Review
  

Now I guess I’ll have to go to ‘My Profile’ and change the ‘book I’m reading’ entry. My daughter just brought me Samuel Adams: A Life by Ira Stoll. I must be ready for this one – I read about a fourth of it Saturday!

PHOTO RESOURCE: (In order of appearance)

Book Cover, Amazon
Great White Fleet, US Navy
Wright Flyer, US Signal Corps
Start of race, National Automobile Museum

Model T, Ford Museum

Book Review: Dawn Like Thunder

Dawn Like Thunder: The True Story of Torpedo Squadron Eight by Robert Mrazek was a fascinating book on the U.S. Navy Torpedo Squadron that suffered grievous loses at Midway, and went on to serve at Guadalcanal. It was perhaps the most decorated air unit of the war.

The book is a compelling story of the men who made up Torpedo Eight, and went on to fight, suffer, die, and finally emerge victorious in two of the turning points of World War II in the Pacific.

While I had read quite a bit about the Battle of Midway before, and knew that “Tex” Gay was one of the few survivors of the squadron there, this book opened a door that gave a clear picture of what it was like flying the Navy’s first torpedo plane – the outmoded, slow ‘Devastator’, pictured below. Only a few of the more advanced TBF Avenger’s were available at Midway – and the survival story of one of these planes, piloted by Bert Earnest, was fantastic.

While there is a lot of technical information in the book, it is woven into the story of the men, and is used to explain the conditions that they fought under. I truly enjoyed the approach the book used, and the in-depth information it shared.

I have to admit, when I first saw the title Dawn Like Thunder, my mind went back to a book I’d read years ago, Dawn Like Thunder: The Barbary Wars and the Birth of the US Navy. I really enjoyed that book – and used the information in class – just as I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, focused on the personalities and capabilities of the men and machines that fought in World War II.

It’s a good read. If the opportunity presents itself, pick up a copy over the summer. The public library might have a copy available by then! I'm planning on donating my copy!

Some additional resources:

Torpedo Squadron Eight
US Navy Center article
Wikipedia on Torpedo Eight
John Ford dedication to Torpedo Eight
C-Span video interview with the author
Authors website