Give Me Fifty Marines Not Afraid to Die: Iwo Jima (Paperback)

by John K. Wells (Author), Bradley T. Macdonald (Author), Lawrence R., III Clayton (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A faint glow of light in the eastern sky announced the coming dawn and the United States Marine Corps' third day of attack on the island of Iwo Jima. The chill of the morning air matched the cold that lay in the pit of my stomach. My mind worked razor sharp, the way that I suspect the mind of a cornered animal's would. I searched for any means to attack and destroy the enemy facing us. No one could pray harder than I prayed for God to show me the way to do just that. Many men in the 3rd Platoon would be wounded and killed in the next few hours. I knew it, and the men knew it. I was their platoon leader.

About the Author
Lt. John Keith Wells USMCR commanded the most decorated Infantry Platoon to come out of a single engagement in the history of the United States as Platoon Leader of the 3rd Platoon, Easy Company, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division. He was born in North Texas in 1922, Lt. Wells attended Texas A&M College military school in agriculture & military science in the horse cavalry from January 1940 to December 1942.

He joined the Marine Corps as 12 March 1942 and prepared himself for Officer Candidate Class the following summer. The class was full and he joined the second officer's class to ever attend Private Boot Camp at Parris Island, South Carolina prior to Officer's School st Quantico, Virginia.

After World War II, January 1946, he entered Texas Tech College, Lubbock, Texas, and obtained a degree in Petroleum Geology the summer of 1948. He works in that field today.

In 1959, Lt. Wells was honorary retired United States Marine Corps Reserve as a Major.

Lt. Wells was given the second highest medal the Marine Corps gives for bravery & leading his men in battle - the Navy Cross.

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Ka-Well Enterprises (February 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 096446750X
• ISBN-13: 978-0964467507
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #615,226 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Give Me Fifty Marines...", December 23, 2001

By	Michael M. Barnett (Eustis, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This is one of the best memoirs I've read about the battle for Iwo Jima and ranks right up there with the best from the Pacific War. It's style is akin to Eugene Sledge's "With the Old Breed", only from an officer's perspective. As with Sledge's book, Wells' book is very readable. In fact, I was fascinated and found it very hard to put down. Wells starts off with a taste of his experiences of the battle to wet our appetites and then shifts to the early years of his preparations and various trainings that led him to that place. These are the sections in many other memoirs that I find somewhat ho-hum or lackluster. I usually find myself wanting to get on to the 'action' and combat experience. Not so with Wells' book! His story telling ability held my attention and his vivid descriptions of the personalities in his unit made the battle scenes (where you find out what happened to each of these young men) more poignant. Even though his time in battle was limited (due to wounds) there is still a wealth of information rich in detail pertaining to this campaign. Taken along with Richard Wheeler's "The Bloody Battle for Suribachi", Wells' book provides a fascinating insider's view of the experiences of his unit (Wheeler was a corporal under Wells). This book is a must-read for students of this campaign!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A personal account of Iwo Jima by a true hero., February 20, 2001

By A Customer

Mr. Wells' story of his time preparing for and fighting on Iwo Jima is a raw and gripping account from a Marine's Marine. His earthy writing style brings the reader along the facinating path of development of a platoon leader destined for combat in the bloodiest battle in Marine Corps history. His story starts in Texas where he began to develop the skills necessary to lead men in battle and continues through boot camp, officers training, paratroop training and duty on Guadalcanal. The main body of the book describes his experiences during combat training in California and Camp Tarawa on the Big Island of Hawaii in preparation for the attack on Iwo as well as his perspective of the attack itself. The combat sequences of this book are explict and stunning and also provide a historical perpective on the first several days of fighting on Iwo, including the famous flag raising on Suribachi, culminating with actions that result in Lt. Wells recieving the Navy Cross. If you are looking for an individual's perspective of war this is a must-read work for you. Lt. Wells and his heroic actions are mentioned promenantly in several books about Iwo Jima including "Flags of Our Fathers" by James Bradley.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent read, July 8, 2000

By	Kenneth E. Duprey (Griswold, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the first book that I have read that actually talked about some of the attrocities of war from the eye's of one man. He tells of his extensive training to some of his horseplay to the final destination that he would fight for our freedom we all enjoy today, Iwo Jima. He was the Lieutenant of the first flag raising platoon, but wouldn't be present on the island at the time of the first flag raising, he was on a ship receiving medical attention. This book is similar to Normandy to the Bulge by Richard Courtney and If You Survive by George Wilson in the aspect that they were writen from young men who were there and lived this hell on earth. Of course the later two books mentioned were from the European theatre, but give a really good idea of what it must have been like. If you are interested in reading up on Iwo Jima during the war, this is the book for you.