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Faithful Warriors: A Combat Marine Remembers the Pacific War Hardcover – May 4, 2009

by Lt. Col. Dean Ladd (Author), USMCR (Ret.) (Author), Steven Weingartner (Author)

33 customer reviews

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Faithful Warriors is a memoir of World War II in the Pacific by Lt. Col. Dean Ladd, USMC (Ret.), a combat veteran of the 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. Written with award-winning author Steven Weingartner, Col. Ladd s book chronicles his experiences as a junior officer in some of the fiercest fighting of the war, during the amphibious invasions of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, and Tinian. Ladd's recollections and descriptions of life--and death--on the far-flung battlefronts of the Pacific War are vividly rendered, and augmented by the personal recollections of many of the men who served with and under him in his wartime journey across the Pacific.Dean Ladd grew up in the Marine Corps; and the Marine Corps grew up in World War II. Faithful Warriors tells the story of how both came of age in history s greatest conflict. The book presents Ladd's journey through eventful times and extraordinary circumstances: prewar training outside San Diego; awaiting attack on Samoa after the attack on Pearl Harbor; surviving Guadalcanal; rest and recuperation in New Zealand; savage fighting and terrible suffering on Tarawa; recovery in Hawaii; more fighting on Saipan and Tinian This vividly written memoir will stir the memories of those who lived during these trying times and will help future generations of readers to understand the realities of the Pacific War.

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About the Author

Lt. Col. Dean Ladd, USMCR (Ret.), saw combat in the Pacific as a junior officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the Marine Corps Reserve after the war, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1960. In all, he served thirty years in the Corps. A resident of Spokane, WA, he remains active in several veterans groups. Steven Weingartner, a historian and writer specializing in military history and military affairs, is the recipient of the 1998 Carl Sandburg Award for Nonfiction. He lives in La Grange Park, IL, where he contributes articles to magazines and journals and serves as a consultant and commentator for the History Channel.

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Naval Institute Press; First Edition edition (May 4, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1591144523
ISBN-13: 978-1591144526
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
Average Customer Review: 33 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,211,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2724 in Books > History > Military > Naval
- #2898 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Military > World War II
- #6634 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Travelers & Explorers

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As well written as the war was brutal

ByJ. Foxon January 18, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Mr. Dean Ladd has written one of the very best WWII memoirs I have read, and it is certainly among the elite of those who fought in the Pacific Theater. This book is very well written and I'm sure you will cruise through this book and wonder where the time went. Personally, beyond reading this for enjoyment and my interest in WWII, I've used it for research for my own writing project, and it has been invaluable.

The best part of this book is Ladd's experiences at the Battle of Tarawa, during which Ladd quite honestly should have died. It is obviously no spoiler to say that he lived (he wrote this book), but his wound and circumstance at Tarawa gave him essentially zero chance for survival. Ladd, however, was saved by the sacrifices of a few brothers-in-arms, the identity of one is known but to God. If this weren't a true story, I wouldn't believe it! Had Ladd's Tarawa story instead been written in a work of fiction, I'd scoff at it and consider that book some Hollywood-style mumbo-jumbo. Yet, true stories are usually the most incredible of them all.

Beyond the Tarawa sections of the book, Ladd also quite vividly describes he time on Guadalcanal and Saipan. While he was not personally involved in the massive suicide/banzai charge at the end of the Battle of Saipan, some of Ladd's best buds were, and he integrates his own interviews of their experiences into his book--so you will get excellent personal stories of the most momentous part of the Battle of Saipan as well. That story is another one that I can hardly imagine to have really occurred. It is remarkable that Ladd's friends managed to live through that charge. As one example, they essentially turned their howitzers into sawed-off shotguns by mixing the explosive powders to explode the artillery shells within the actual second they fired out of the cannon. This meant that some of the shrapnel from their own guns would fly backwards and hit themselves; but they had to do this or certainly more Marines would have been killed in the attack.

For those interested in the war from the ground view, this is one of the best. For those interested in the Pacific Theater of the war, this book is essential!

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A 2nd Marine Division officer's vivid account of his Pacific War

ByJohn E. Larsenon December 7, 2009

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This book is superb! Ladd was with the 1/8th Marines of the 2nd Marine Division on Guadalcanal, Betio (Tarawa), Saipan and Tinian. He opens with his experience of the disastrous landing on Betio where the reef forced his battalion to wade 600 yards to the beach through curtains of heavy fire. He is lucky to survive and it is a gripping start to his story. Subsequently he covers his long stint on Guadalcanal in a very detailed and clear manner. His most searing experiences though are on Saipan and Tinian. While he just avoided the massive Banzai attack he was closely involved in the action the following day. He writes extremely vividly of the sights and of dealing with the surviving Japanese. This is followed by witnessing many of the cliff suicides and the general fanatical and at times diabolical resistance. It seemed like a war of extermination.

There is a 1993 version of this book, apparently this edition has been written to provide a more immediate and personal element. Ladd has a good understanding of the bigger picture too and there is a lot on units and general circumstances. Ladd writes on weapons, tactics, the failures of some men and the enthusiasm others had for killing Japanese. At times he is critical of various others and he sets the record straight in a few spots too. He gives a very clear picture of the challenges of being an officer and the attitude required to be a marine. There is some humour too in recounting the high-jinks of leave in New Zealand, some of which came back to haunt veterans at post-war conventions.

Ladd writes openly about his own actions, including on killing. He is an officer, initially of mortars, so he is usually directing the fighting though. He does go to some lengths to fill in the gaps by including the experiences of his men and there is some exceedingly interesting material here. He particularly writes about his commanding officer John Murdock, who had some amazing encounters (including with the ladies on leave!). Through this Ladd has given a very full picture of the war as his unit saw it. It remains essentially his story though. It is also a story of an incredibly merciless war. Some sections are harrowing and it is later quite moving to read of Ladd's meetings with former Japanese soldiers and the friendships he established.

This is a very full story indeed. Ladd's central narrative is engrossing and is enhanced by his intelligent context and the inclusion of relevant experiences of others. The writing is very strong and there is an extremely detailed index, as well as maps and pictures. It is therefore broader in scope than a standard memoir and while this is a strength, I will rate it just under Sledge's book. Highly Recommended!

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A great fast read

ByMatthew W. Gaffneyon May 14, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

A great fast read. My Dad landed on Gavutu on 7 August 1942, as part of the 2nd Marine Division. His opinion of the Reising gun was spot on with the author's.