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When Chuck Tatum began Marine boot camp, he was just a smart-aleck teenager eager to serve his country. Little did he know that he would be training under a living legend of the Corps—Medal of Honor recipient John Basilone, who had almost single-handedly fought off a Japanese force of three thousand on Guadalcanal.
It was from Basilone and other sergeants that Tatum would learn how to fight like a Marine and act like a man—skills he would need when he hit the black sand of Iwo Jima with thirty thousand other Marines.
Red Blood, Black Sand is the story of Chuck’s two weeks in hell, where he would watch his hero, Basilone, fall, where the enemy stalked the night, where snipers haunted the day, and where Chuck would see his friends whittled away in an eardrum-shattering, earth-shaking, meat grinder of a battle.
This is the island, the heroes, and the tragedy of Iwo Jima, through the eyes of the battle’s greatest living storyteller, Chuck Tatum.
“Chuck Tatum was there, a participant in and a witness to history. If it is possible to answer the question ‘What was it like?’, he tells you in this book.” —Tom Hanks
JRMSC
Posted September 10, 2012
A very good read for anyone into USMC history. If you have seen the series Pacific Chuck Tatum shows up in the 8th episode fighting beside John Basilone and later saw him and some of the men around go down. Great insight into the fighting through the eyes of teenage Marine. Well written. At the end meet the actor who played Tatum in Pacific.
Like most first person accounts this one spends a bit of time telling of his youth just before getting the OK from his Mom to join. Picks up speed after that. Like I said, good read.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.PjVj
Posted June 29, 2012
Not as tightly organized as I would have liked. For a first person account there seemed to be less of the person and more of the event.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 13, 2012
Here
1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 14, 2012
The hills give way to mountains and huge cliffs. All of the mountains are black and forbidding and very tall. They are easy to climb up,but next to impossible to go down. No cats go here except to use the dirtplace:a small hollow where a rock used to be serves that purpose well.
0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 8, 2012
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Posted May 22, 2012
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Posted May 2, 2012
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Posted May 3, 2013
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Overview
In 1944, the U.S. Marines were building the 5th Marine Division—also known as “The Spearhead”—in preparation for the invasion of the small, Japanese-held island of Iwo Jima. . .
When Chuck Tatum began Marine boot camp, he was just a smart-aleck teenager eager to serve his country. Little did he know that he would be training under a living legend of the Corps—Medal of Honor recipient John Basilone, who had almost single-handedly fought ...