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Biography & Autobiography. History. Nonfiction. HTML: In honor of the 75th Anniversary of one of the most critical battles of World War II, the popular primetime Fox News anchor of The Story with Martha MacCallum pays tribute to the heroic men who sacrificed everything at Iwo Jima to defeat the Armed Forces of Emperor Hirohito�among them, a member of her own family, Harry Gray. Admiral Chester Nimitz spoke of the "uncommon valor" of the men who fought on Iwo Jima, one of the bloodiest and most brutal battles of World War II. In thirty-six grueling days, nearly 7,000 Marines were killed and 22,000 were wounded. Martha MacCallum takes us from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima through the lives of these men of valor, among them Harry Gray, a member of her own family. In Unknown Valor, she weaves their stories�from Boston, Massachusetts, to Gulfport, Mississippi, as told through letters and recollections�into the larger history of what American military leaders rightly saw as an eventual showdown in the Pacific with Japan. In a relentless push through the jungles of Guadalcanal, over the coral reefs of Tarawa, past the bloody ridge of Peleliu, against the banzai charges of Guam, and to the cliffs of Saipan, these men were on a path that ultimately led to the black sands of Iwo Jima, the doorstep of the Japanese Empire. Meticulously researched, heart-wrenching, and illuminating, Unknown Valor reveals the sacrifices of ordinary Marines who saved the world from tyranny and left indelible marks on those back home who loved them. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook..… (more)
User reviews
This long after the fact, Martha had the benefit of lots of research not available who wrote in the 20 years immediately after the battle. She has many interesting tidbits ... perhaps the most fascinating is that immediately after the flag was erected on Mt. Suribachi, a Catholic Chaplain offered Mass on the spot.
MacCallum also quotes John Stuart Mill as to fighting to hard to win else don't fight at all.
Knowing how the battle ended before I began to read, it was quite surprising for me to find no sense of triumph at the conclusion. No, I had a different read as I read how the many families who lost sons and husbands dealt with the notification of death and then had to make a decision about a permanent burial: either in the Pacific War Memorial in Hawaii or to bring the bodies home.
One last point, although I've always thought Harry Truman was correct to use the two nuclear devices, I am now unalterably convinced it was the right thing. The Japanese will to honor the Emperor (who is not entirely the nice guy depicted in the picture with McArthur or in the amazing economic recovery) would have caused an incredible number of deaths without the bombs. That he was directly involved in the war time decisions is something that has been covered up nicely.