A Special Valor: The U.S. Marines and the Pacific War (Bluejacket Books) [Paperback]

Richard Wheeler (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bluejacket Books | Publication Date: March 2006

If the U.S. Marines gave birth to a legend in the halls of Montezuma in the nineteenth century, they added glorious luster to it with their heroism and victories against the Japanese in World War II. For this vivid, foxhole view of the Marines' war, Richard Wheeler draws extensively on frontline eyewitness accounts of Marines and combat journalists and backs up their stories with official U.S. action reports and captured Japanese materials. First published in 1983, the book has earned praise as a popular, one-volume history of all the battles fought by the Marine Corps in the Pacific campaign. The book describes in fascinating and exciting detail the heroic defense of Wake Island against an overwhelming enemy assault force. It traces the long bloody battle for Guadalcanal that brought the Marines their first victory and gave America and its allies control of the strategically important Soloman Islands. It follows the painful, island-by-island counterattack toward the Japanese homeland when the Marines created new legends at such places as Bougainville, Saipan, Tarawa, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Here are the remarkable exploits of the Marines holding off Japanese assault waves at Heartbreak Ridge, storming across coral reefs, and struggling up the slopes of Mount Suribachi to raise the Stars and Stripes. Some sixty-five photographs enhance the book, which is now available in paperback for the first time.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Wheeler is a Marine veteran of the Pacific campaign and the author of Iwo and The Bloody Battle for Suribachi (see page XX), among other books. He lives in Pine Grove, PA

Product Details

• Paperback: 466 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press; 1st Bluejacket Books Ed edition (March 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591149371
• ISBN-13: 978-1591149378
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,430,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gung Ho!, April 3, 2001

By 

John Fraser (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Special Valor: The U. S. Marines & the Pacific War (Hardcover)

This book reports the Pacific campaigns of the United States Marine Corps during World War II. The narrative kept my attention throughout and I found it hard to put this book down. It is one of the best accounts I have read about the USMC in WWII. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in an overview which portrays the Marines' sacrifices during their brutal island hopping strategy which was instrumental in America's ultimate victory over Japan ending WWII.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read, February 7, 2006

By 

Who4Fan "Who4Fan" (Roan Mountain, TN USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Special Valor: The U.S. Marines and the Pacific War (Bluejacket Books) (Paperback)

For a long time I've felt that this book should be required reading for every American high school student. The book details the campaigns of the U.S. Marines in the Pacific war. It neither villifies the Japanese nor glorifies the Marines. The author merely presents the events in a relatively objective manner but in such a compelling way that if it doesn't grip your heart and bring tears to your eyes at times, then you're just not human.

Wheeler presents the events of the campaigns. He shows both the mistakes and the heroism. He presents the facts as they affected the man in the trenches, not as they appeared to the generals and the admirals.

This book is very inspiring. The men he talks about were real people: rich men, working men, poor men. They were all men who had nothing to gain and everything to lose. Some came back home, and some didn't. It challenged me personally but I can't quite explain it without sounding trite. You just have to read the book.

Every American should read this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Uncommon Valor Was A Common Virtue, Semper Fidelis!, September 8, 2006

By 

ThorBjorn "Norseman" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Special Valor: The U.S. Marines and the Pacific War (Bluejacket Books) (Paperback)

One of the most thorough books on the U.S. Marine Corps' campaigns in the Pacific theatre of World War 2, I must say that this book covers more material than most on the subject. As a Marine Corps veteran, I am impressed. The Marine Corps already had a reputation of ferocity in battle prior to World War 2. Their part in the second World War amplified that standing by prevailing in the most brutal battles of that conflict. The U.S.M.C. has traditionally accomplished more with less, improvised creatively when resources were scarce, and pioneered numerous innovations in tactics, technology, and training. Most importantly, the Marines win battles in the face of the most savage enemy resistance, and the least favorable of battlefield conditions. They take the fight to the enemy, they win by being more aggressive. Yet, they are often the least recognized branch of the armed forces in the public eye.
It is sad to say, that in our present frivolous time, too many people recognize the overly-hyped personas of popular entertainment, as if they are in any way more important than the average citizen. Yet many have forgotten the names of REAL AMERICANS who went into harm's way to ensure our national survival. This book is about some of those REAL AMERICANS.