Roecker. Geoffrey W. This Hemisphere of Hell

The First Battalion, 24th Marines in World War II

From "the land God forgot" to "hell without fire," the men of the 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, experienced the worst horrors of the Pacific War. They endured four major Pacific campaigns in just thirteen monthsfrom their baptism of fire at Namur, through the blood-soaked hills of Saipan and the burning sugarcane fields of Tinian, to the hell of Iwo Jima, where more than half their men fell. Had it not been for the atomic bomb, they would have been destined to lead the assault to retake Wake Island. Their story is more than operational data and casualty figures: it is the experiences of individual Marines, before and after the war, that bring the battalion to life. College students and dropouts, lawyers and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) personnel, football stars and teenage runaways served side by side: some became Marine Corps legends, some betrayed their comrades, and some died before they could truly live their lives. They were photographed by W. Eugene Smith for LIFE magazine, made into a Hollywood film, "Guadalcanal Diary," and profiled in newspapers. After the war, they became career soldiers, doctors, professors, politicians, family men, alcoholics, recluses, and criminals; their legacy encompasses heroism, perseverance, loss, anger, and acceptancethe full spectrum of human experience. This compelling account of their experiences combines previously untold personal narratives with meticulous research, offering a detailed, authentic portrayal of the Pacific War from a fresh perspective.