Never in Doubt : Remembering Iwo Jima [Hardcover]

Edmond B. Bart (Author), Lynn Kessler (Editor), Lawrence F. Snowden (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1999

Survivors of one of the fiercest battles of the war in the Pacific tell their dramatic stories in this collection of oral histories.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This gripping oral history offers military students a new perspective on an epic battle of the Pacific war. Not only infantrymen report their experiences; those who manned tanks and artillery, rescued the wounded, cleared the airfields, steered landing craft on and off the beaches, and eventually came in to replace the marines when some Japanese were still alive and fighting after the island was declared "secured" also testify. Individual informants vary from a Heisman Trophy winner and a career marine who eventually retired with three stars to many who returned to civilian life with relief and no desire to ever do anything like this again. The men point out, among other things, the physical demands made by the peculiar volcanic ash that covers most of the island, the various stenches, the absence of safety at their rear, and how most of the fighting after the first few days was a muddled mess of winkling the Japanese out of one underground complex after another. A very welcome addition to the Pacific war literature. Roland Green

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Naval Institute Press; illustrated edition edition (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557504636
• ISBN-13: 978-1557504630
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,998,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars many voices heard, January 21, 2009

By 

Harry S. Mustard (Hilton Head, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Never in Doubt : Remembering Iwo Jima (Hardcover)

I'm reading this now. Similar to the more recent anthology, "Iwo Jima" (can't remember editor), but this book features more people who had different specialized jobs in the invasion, covering more angles. E.g. there's a Navajo code talker. Their accounts sound verbatim from interviews and convey personal feelings as well as varying accounts of different units in the battle. Very readable and compelling from one who has read a lot of the Iwo literature and whose father was with the 1/21 Third Division.

3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mildly Interesting, April 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Never in Doubt : Remembering Iwo Jima (Hardcover)

This book was mildly interesting. Doesn't rank with the oral histories written by Ambrose or Ryan.

4 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book!, December 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Never in Doubt : Remembering Iwo Jima (Hardcover)

The stories and memories from the Iwo Jima veterans will make you laugh and cry. When I think about the "trail of beer cans," I wonder what other mischief these Marines were up to!