Battleground Pacific: A Marine Rifleman's Combat Odyssey in K/3/5 [Hardcover]

Sterling Mace (Author), Nick Allen (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 8, 2012

A POWERFULLY WROUGHT MEMOIR BY A MEMBER OF WWII’S FABLED 1ST MARINE DIVISION

Sterling Mace's unit was the legendary “K-3-5” (for Company K, 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment of the 1st Marine Division) and his story takes readers through some of the most intense action of the Pacific War, from the seldom-seen perspective of a rifleman at the point of attack.

Battleground Pacific is filled with indelible moments that begin with his childhood growing up in Queens, New York, and his run-in with the law that eventually led to his enlistment. But this is ultimately a combat tale—as violent and harrowing as any that has come before. From fighting through the fiery hell that was Peleliu to the deadly battleground of Okinawa, Mace traces his path from the fear of combat to understanding that killing another human comes just as easily as staying alive. He learns that bravery often equates to stupidity, leading to the death of close friends, but also that life goes on, with death on its heels.

Battleground Pacific is one of the most important and entertaining memoirs about the Pacific theater in WWII.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Battleground Pacific is another great tribute to 'The Greatest Generation.' During much of the book, and especially the daily grind of combat, I found myself comparing Mace’s ordeals with those of my uncle, Sgt. John Basilone, the Medal of Honor hero from Guadalcanal. Both Mace and Basilone suffered the physical and mental hardships of battle and the frustration of the seemingly endless conflict with the enemy. Mace’s tale is written in the language of a grunt speaking for all the unsung heroes who lived and died in the Pacific. A good read from this Marine’s perspective.”

—Jerry Cutter, former Marine, nephew of Sgt. John Basilone, USMC, and author of the authorized biography of Basilone, I’m Staying with My Boys

"Battleground Pacific is more than a book. It’s a virtual minicam on a rifleman’s helmet, riveting home the sights and sounds of war in a realness you expect to find only in a movie theater."

—Bob Welch, co-author of Easy Company Soldier: The Legendary Battles of a Sergeant from WWII's "Band of Brothers"

About the Author

STERLING MACE enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1942 and was stationed at Parris Island, Camp Lejeune, the Brooklyn Naval Yard, and then finally Pavuvu, before experiencing the toughest fighting the Pacific war had to offer, as a rifleman in K/3/5, at Peleliu and later on Okinawa.  He was a consultant on E.B. Sledge’s book, With the Old Breed. He lives in St. Pete Beach, Florida.

NICK ALLEN is the son of a combat rifleman who served in Vietnam and has been interviewing combat veterans for most of his life. He lives in Bellaire, Texas.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (May 8, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1250005051
• ISBN-13: 978-1250005052
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Pulls no punches May 8, 2012

By M. Austin

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Warning, I may be a bit biased, here: I had the distinct pleasure of proofreading the early versions of the manuscript for this combat memoir in 2010 and I'm thrilled to see the project finally become reality nearly two years later.

I'm not a critic, so I'll spare you a full-blown literature review and share a few simple thoughts as a layman who enjoys learning all he can about WWII history.

Sterling was a Marine BAR Rifleman in K/3/5 and saw some truly horrific carnage on Peleliu, Ngesebus, and Okinawa in 1944-45. His stands among the few memoirs written by your tip-of-the-spear rifleman (perhaps because their survival rate was rather grim--out of 39 riflemen in his 3d platoon, only 9 remained unscathed at the end of Peleliu alone.) I've read several books about these battles (With the Old Breed, Brotherhood of Heroes, Islands of the Damned, to name a few) and I'm glad to say Sterling's voice is not just another 'also-ran' who decided to ride the coattails of the HBO miniseries which featured his company; rather it gives poignant insight into several aspects of the war that many others who came before him have previously shied away from, for fear of sounding indelicate. He's old, and he doesn't give a damn what people think anymore. Sterling, with the help of Nickolas Allen, tells it exactly like he saw it, warts and all. For instance, everyone knows what a god-forsaken, depressing place Pavuvu was. But in spite of having read several books on it already, and viewing several documentaries, I didn't know there was a specific kind of ant that would gather and just bite the hell out of your balls. Think about that, fellas: as if life on the pacific island wasn't bad enough already. This book is not for the politically correct, or easily offended.... Sterling has a fantastic razor-sharp memory, and his descriptions are colorfully vivid, yet eerie. The combat he saw was savage. And he puts it all out there, even the times when it doesn't necessarily paint him in the best of light.

For adding his own voice to the canon of WWII literature, I, for one, am exceedingly grateful. Sterling is 88 years old now, and thankfully still full of piss and vinegar. I wish him many more years of health and vitality. Mr. Sterling Mace, thank you for telling your story. Read more ›

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Battleground Pacific May 15, 2012

By James Williams

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Being the son of WW2 USMC veteran who served at Peleliu, Okinawa, and the occupation of China after the war, I have read everything I could find written about these battles....Mr. Mace's book cost me a days work...I'm self-employed so when the book came yesterday in the mail, I thought I'd thumb thru it and read it later...I made the mistake of reading the first chapter on my morning break... I didn't put it down until I finished reading it...It is absolutely the best first hand account of a Marine's life on Pavuvu and his personal experience's during the battles of Peleliu and Okinawa I've ever read....This book will not disappoint you......

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Battleground Pacific May 11, 2012

By R. Kline

Format:Hardcover

Mr. Mace's descriptions of combat are among the best I have ever read throughout 45 years studying the history of warfare, especially World War II. The book is punctuated with the famous sharp humor associated with the USMC (with a Queens, N.Y. influence, when Queens was considered out in the country) and the Armed Forces in general. The conversations between the Marines and the ribbing they share is imaginative and hilarious. When you are not crying, because of one of the many unfortunate casualties, you will be laughing at the observations and jokes of the riflemen. Although I have never been there, I would agree with the authors that "on the eighth day God could've done the world a favor by sinking Pavuvu to the bottom of the sea."

This book should be required reading for Junior High students in all schools. We must not forget the sacrifices these men made to save the world from tyranny. If the vernacular of the 1941 to 1945 time period offends you, remember; these men earned the right to tell it like it was! All Gave Some - SOME GAVE ALL.

I will recognize Mr. Mace's brothers from the Company as I update this review. Special mention must be made of Mr. Seymour Levy, KIA, Peleliu on Oct. 1, 1944. Mr. Mace was able to have a riveting conversation with "Sy's" mother after the war which is included in the book. There are many other memorable characters chronicled in the book.

You will not be disappointed with this book. Thank you Mr. Mace and Mr. Allen and all of those who served in those desperate days.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing. May 22, 2012

By Andrew

Format:Hardcover

Mace was a rifleman in the same company as mortarman Eugene Sledge of HBO's "The Pacific" fame. I'm not sure if anyone else has read Sledge's "With the Old Breed" or another 1st Marine Division member Robert Leckie's "Helmet for My Pillow" but this book is not just another retelling of the same stories.

Mace was at the tip of the spear as they say for combat on Peleliu and Okinawa and even though he was well into his 80s (he's 88 now and I have chatted with him on Facebook a few times, he's sharp as a tack btw) before he started writing the book his memories are crystal clear. His descriptive nature and language really tells it how it is to be at the absolute front of the fighting in the most horrifying battles the Americans faced in WW2.

He is not politically correct but I wouldn't expect that from an 88 year old Marine that went through what he did. You can sense quite a bit of saltiness and disdain for any of the REMF's (rear echelon mother ****ers) that occupied any position more than about 50 yards behind the front line but I can't imagine not feeling that way after enduring what he did.

Either way if you are at all interested in the Pacific war and want to hear all the gut wrenching details of combat told in a way that makes you not want to put the book down even as you are cringing from the truth he is saying...i highly recommend his book. There's not many guys left out there that will be able to talk about their battles much longer, much less put a pen to paper.