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Into the Rising Sun: In Their Own Words, World War II's Pacific Veterans Reveal the Heart of Combat
 
 
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Into the Rising Sun: In Their Own Words, World War II's Pacific Veterans Reveal the Heart of Combat (Hardcover)

~ Patrick K. O'Donnell (Author) "ON A CLOUDY AUGUST DAY IN 2001, more than one hundred veterans stood shoulder to shoulder at Arlington National Cemetery..." (more)
Key Phrases: Marine Division, Raider Btn, Iwo Jima (more...)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The author of Beyond Valor offers a new collection of oral histories from veterans of the Second World War, this time from the Pacific theater. In an introduction, Patrick K. O'Donnell warns, "oral histories are perhaps the best means available to reveal the horrors and pathos of the foxhole." Indeed, several of the accounts he compiles on these pages are grisly, such as the story of Tom Lyons, stabbed in the neck by a Japanese soldier on Guadalcanal. Lyons survived, but only after being heaped on top of a pile of dead bodies. Rumors of his death reached home: "My mother got a check from my insurance company saying I was dead the same day she got a letter from me written by a nurse at a hospital in New Zealand." Combat stories abound, including a firsthand account of Gunnery Sergeant William G. Walsh jumping on a grenade to protect his squad on Iwo Jima, a feat for which he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. O'Donnell organizes his material chronologically and introduces each chapter to help readers understand the context of the soldiers' individual narratives. For those who enjoy real-life war stories told from the perspective of the men who were there, Into the Rising Sun is hard to beat. --John Miller


From Library Journal

Ten years ago, O'Donnell, founder of the Drop Zone web site (www.thedropzone. org), began a study of the personal combat history of World War II that culminated in Beyond Valor, a work on the European theater of the war. O'Donnell now focuses on ground combat in the Pacific theater, drawing from over 800 interviews with World War II veterans. From raids on remote Japanese outposts, to the desperate fighting on Guadalcanal and in Burma, to the hellish catacombs of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, O'Donnell has assembled chilling tales told by survivors of some of the most vicious fighting in the war. These stories are organized by that campaign's many battles and end with Okinawa, the surrender of the Japanese, and the veterans' poignant, heartbreaking remembrances of friends who did not survive. Succinct historical narratives help set the stage for these eyewitness accounts, which often involve horrific tales of best friends killed, whole units decimated, and the madness of wartime atrocities. This important work preserves these veterans' shocking and moving stories for generations to come. Highly recommended. Dale Farris, Groves, TX
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Free Press (March 5, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0743214803
  • ISBN-13: 978-0743214803
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.8 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #248,397 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Memoirs of the Pacific War by the Men who Fought There, March 11, 2003
Author Patrick O'Donnell has done a masterful job of interviewing surviving Pacific war veterans for this marvelous book. From the first American offensive at Guadalcanal to the final shots on Okinawa, McDonnell's interviews take the reader into the heart of combat in the Pacific. Often graphic and touching at the same time, these interviews tell the reader firsthand what it was like to fight against the Japanese. The soldiers often speak of the horrors of war, such as having a buddy die in their arms, seeing a fellow soldier break down mentally, or facing the atrocities of the Japanese, such as cannibalism of dead American soldiers.

The heart-felt interviews by these veterans were touching to read, and they brought a human element to the war. Many of the vets said that they tried to never get too close to another soldier because of the risk of death, but inevitably, friendships were formed, and when someone died, it usually affected other soldiers in a very personal way. Many of these men would cry like babies after losing a buddy, especially if his dying had saved someone else's life. Uncommon valor was a common virtue amongst these men. The vets spoke of men hurling themselves on live grenades to save their platoon or crawling great distances under enemy fire to rescue a wounded comrade. Compassion was also talked about by the vets. American soldiers on Okinawa continuously helped the civillian population after the Japanese tried to use them as human shields to stop the Americans.

This book moved me in a way I've never felt by a book before. I found myself grimmacing with every bullet wound and crying with the men as they discussed the death of a friend or some horrible act committed by the Japanese. This book offers a perspective on the war which can only be told by the men themselves. I highly recommend this excellent work. The stories contained inside will truly move you, and I'm sure your emotions will come out as well.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Elite Units of, March 31, 2002
By A Customer
Reading "Into the Rising Sun" takes one to places of great emotion and leaves the reader's mind going over and over what those courageous Forces went through and had experienced. If you want the truth of battle and just what took place, this is the book to read. Mr. O'Donnell's book "Beyond Valor" is emotionally charged reading. Now, "Into the Rising Sun" gives oral histories a new and deeper perspective. The variation of Airborne, Rangers, Marine Raiders, Paramarines and Merrill's Marauders' stories go to the heart. From bloodshed, cannibalism, distribution of body parts on the battlefield to the compassion of Marines taking care of a crying baby are just a part of what can be found in the author's expertise of drawing out the many stories of these great men. For those that returned -- their lives went on building families and careers, but feeling and knowing that they had done the job of their country's call. They are the forerunners of our Elite & Special forces of today of whom we can be so very proud.
Mr. O'Donnell, thank you for bringing to 'life & lite' one of the greatest wars of time and introducing us to yet, more of it's 'heroes' as no other as done.
Recommend: Beyond Valor, Author Patrick O'Donnell
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than Beyond Valor?, February 22, 2002
By Mike Horn (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews
Pat O'Donnell's new book, "Into the Rising Sun", is a serious piece of historical research, but extremely "readable", interesting, and maybe even addicting. He has done a great service to our nation and to the heroes he has dedicated his life to honoring, our WWII veterans. In some ways, this book exceeds the fine job he did in his first book, "Beyond Valor", in the sometimes gruesome, sometimes funny, and always incredible stories of heroism and valor shown by our soldiers and Marines and their personal battles during WWII in the Pacific and CBI theaters. The stories of Japanese cannibalism shocked me, and descriptions of other horrors, and sacrifices, suffered on both sides moved me emotionally. No wonder my father's generation never wanted to talk about their experiences! The descriptions of the battles, as told by the veterans themselves, are exceptional, and confusing, and emotionally draining, and so realistic. Where these men went, and what they went through, no one should have to experience. Pat has done another great job with this book, and I don't know if I can wait another year for his third book. At least I hope there is a third.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
I loved this book and its many stories from the guys who were there. The Iwo Jima section was really good. Highly recommend.
Published 11 months ago by Eric B

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, if a bit limited in scope
This is the second of Patrick O'Donnell's books. O'Donnell is a gifted oral historian who's been collecting the recollections of men who were soldiers and served in the Second... Read more
Published on January 29, 2005 by David W. Nicholas

4.0 out of 5 stars Stories about the Pacific War.
A fairly interesting book. O'Donnell lists the campaigns of the elite troops of this theater of command, details the plan of battle, and then gives the oral histories of those... Read more
Published on May 29, 2004 by Kevin M Quigg

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most honest books about combat in the Pacific War
Well, if other reviews don't say it already, this book was one of the more brutally honest books written about war against Japan. Read more
Published on January 12, 2004 by lordhoot

5.0 out of 5 stars A measure of the sacrifices
This review is of the Audio CD version of this excellent book. Jeff Riggenbach did a fantastic job reading this text. Read more
Published on August 25, 2003 by dean_from_sa

5.0 out of 5 stars Experience Battle from your Armchair!
I read this book after "Beyond Valor" by the same author and I wasn't disappointed. "Into the Rising Sun" is a collection of first hand accounts of the brave... Read more
Published on April 15, 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Very unusual, readable format which grips your attention
I found this an unusually readable book as first person narratives of combat. The emotion was left in the accounts and you can't help but be touched by the various stories as... Read more
Published on February 4, 2003 by Harry S. Mustard 111

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks so much, Patrick
My dad has shared some, but not a great deal, about his S. Pacific experiences as a demo specialist w/ the rangers. Read more
Published on May 13, 2002 by David Glasgow

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE EVER READ
This book is one of the best documentaries of Pacific war veterans that I have ever read. I was spellbound for the two days it took me to read this book. Read more
Published on April 16, 2002 by TIMOTHY P. LAURIDSEN

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great work by Patrick O'Donnell
Into the Rising Sun takes the reader even further into the minds and hearts of WWII veterans than his previous book "Beyond Valor. Read more
Published on March 21, 2002 by Eric Minkoff

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