{"product_id":"islands-of-the-damned-a-marine-at-war-in-the-pacific-9780451232267","title":"Islands of the Damned: A Marine at War in the Pacific","description":"\u003cb\u003eA remarkable eyewitness account of the most brutal combat of the Pacific War, from Peleliu to Okinawa, this is the true story of R.V. Burgin, the real-life World War II Marine Corps hero featured in HBO(R)'s \u003ci\u003eThe Pacific\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Read his story and marvel at the man...and those like him.\"--Tom Hanks\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWhen a young Texan named R.V. Burgin joined the Marines 1942, he never imagined what was waiting for him a world away in the Pacific. There, amid steamy jungles, he encountered a ferocious and desperate enemy in the Japanese, engaging them in some of the most grueling and deadly fights of the war. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In this remarkable memoir, Burgin reveals his life as a special breed of Marine. Schooled by veterans who had endured the cauldron of Guadalcanal, Burgin's company soon confronted snipers, repulsed jungle ambushes, encountered abandoned corpses of hara-kiri victims, and warded off howling banzai attacks as they island-hopped from one bloody battle to the next. In his two years at war, Burgin rose from a green private to a seasoned sergeant, fighting from New Britain through Peleliu and on to Okinawa, where he earned a Bronze Star for valor. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e With unforgettable drama and an understated elegance, Burgin's gripping narrative stands alongside those of classic Pacific chroniclers like Robert Leckie and Eugene Sledge--indeed, Burgin was even Sledge's platoon sergeant. Here is a deeply moving account of World War II, bringing to life the hell that was the Pacific War.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eR.V. Burgin\u003c\/b\u003e earned a Bronze Star for his actions in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. He was the platoon sergeant featured in Eugene Sledge's classic memoir, \u003ci\u003eWith the Old Breed\u003c\/i\u003e, and was portrayed by Martin McCann in HBO's miniseries \u003ci\u003eThe Pacific\u003c\/i\u003e. A native of Texas, he passed away in 2019 at the age of 96.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Dutton Caliber","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50717727719698,"sku":"9780451232267","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_6554a364-7bca-41ae-819c-69748ec636f0.jpg?v=1734624847","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/islands-of-the-damned-a-marine-at-war-in-the-pacific-9780451232267","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}