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Islands of the Damned: A Marine at War in the Pacific |  | Authors: R.V. Burgin, Bill Marvel
Publisher: NAL Hardcover
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $11.97
as of 7/30/2010 23:44 MDT details
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Seller: drakesbooks
Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 25468
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2
ISBN: 0451229908
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.545973092
EAN: 9780451229908
ASIN: 0451229908
Publication Date: March 2, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
An unvarnished and moving memoir of a Marine veteran who fought his way across the Pacific Theater of World War II-whose story is featured in the upcoming HBO(r) series The Pacific
This is an eyewitness-and eye-opening-account of some of the most savage and brutal fighting in the war against Japan, told from the perspective of a young Texan who volunteered for the Marine Corps to escape a life as a traveling salesman. R.V. Burgin enlisted at the age of twenty, and with his sharp intelligence and earnest work ethic, climbed the ranks from a green private to a seasoned sergeant. Along the way, he shouldered a rifle as a member of a mortar squad. He saw friends die-and enemies killed. He saw scenes he wanted to forget but never did-from enemy snipers who tied themselves to branches in the highest trees, to ambushes along narrow jungle trails, to the abandoned corpses of hara kiri victims, to the final howling banzai attacks as the Japanese embraced their inevitable defeat.
An unforgettable narrative of a young Marine in combat, Islands of the Damned brings to life the hell that was the Pacific War.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 26
 Reads like a grandfather telling a story ... July 15, 2010
DACHokie (Blacksburg, VA)
The HBO miniseries "The Pacific" has stoked interest in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, but more importantly, it has introduced many to some of the finest accounts of combat ever put on paper (E.B. Sledge's "With the Old Breed" and Robert Leckie's "Helmet for My Pillow"). R.V. Burgin's "Islands of the Damned" is a fine companion to the above-mentioned books. What makes Burgin's book worth the read is simple ... he's one of the dwindling number of World War II Marines alive that can still tell his story.
My first introduction to R.V. Burgin was while watching the prologue to each episode of "The Pacific" that included brief but somber interviews with nameless grandfatherly men telling us what they experienced during the war. One gentleman in particular spoke of Peleliu in a stern and quiet manner that I found particularly mesmerizing. It wasn't until the end of the 10th and final episode that he was finally named: R.V. Burgin. He'd been portrayed in the series all along, as E.B. Sledge's sergeant and had more prominent roles in the final few episodes. When the credits revealed his "Islands of the Damned" as contributing to the miniseries, I had to buy it.
More often than not, the fighting in the Pacific takes a back seat to the glory of Allied soldiers liberating historic European cities. However, the Pacific theatre arguably includes some of the most savage and intense combat of the entire war, including the Eastern Front. R.V. Burgin's personal account of his war experience echoes the brutal nature of the Pacific War as well as the misery the Marines endured and the bond that kept them together through it all. His story starts from childhood and carries on through the war to his current life in Texas (a perspective that the Leckie and Sledge books do not offer). His book reads exactly like he spoke in "The Pacific" prologues ... short, simple and effective sentences with no superfluous artistic drama added ... not that any is needed. Reading Burgin's book created an aura of sitting on a couch and listening to my grandfather tell stories of his youth. We're not only presented with the chaos, death and misery on places like Peleliu and Okinawa; we get a glimpse of his experience before and after the combat, aboard troopships and on the infamous island of Pavuvu. A major presence throughout the book is that of Florence, the woman he met while on leave in Australia (before he shipped off to Peleliu) who would become his wife after the war. The angst and pain experienced during a two-year courtship that ultimately depended on Burgin surviving Peleliu and Okinawa adds a point-of-view not common in many of the memoirs I've read. Additionally, I was left with the impression that Burgin's wartime experience had a less traumatizing effect on his life after the war (unlike E.B. Sledge), but then again, different people process horrible events in different ways.
"Islands of the Damned" is a lot like the books that veterans of Easy Company wrote following "Band of Brothers" in that Burgin adds clarity and a different perspective to the miniseries storyline (such as Burgin being wounded on Okinawa). His recollection of events are presented clearly and in a humble fashion ... even the action on Okinawa that earned him a Bronze Star is somewhat downplayed. As with most of these World War II veterans' recollections, the credit is always given to the men serving with them ... Burgin upholds this tradition. I see value in most veteran's memoirs, especially now that so few are left to tell us about their role in such an amazing historical event ... R.V. Burgin's story is definitely one that holds value.
 as exciting as a trip to Wal-mart July 11, 2010
Hill Fitzgerel (Annandale, VA United States)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I don't intend any disrespect to the author for his and millions of others in the Greatest Generation for all they did in World War II. Unfortunately, his story, as told in Islands of the Damned, is just about as exciting as reading about a trip to the local Wal-Mart. It has many facts about the author and his war in the Pacific but is told in a very manner of fact way. There is no evidence of emotion to the events that surrounded him. When he killed his first Japanese soldier, it appears it meant nothing to him. Other than to say "He was a good marine'" the deaths of his buddies appears to have had little effect on his. Similarly, the death of his brother elicits no reaction.
Mr. Burgin's story would have benefited from a good editor; someone who knew how to make his important story interesting to readers.
Great Read on WWII July 7, 2010
Jesse
This book should be added to the Professional Reading list for Corporals and Sergeants in the Marine Corps. I consider R.V. Burgin as being the embodiment of all the Marine NCOs of WWII. Marines like Burgin have helped establish the out standing fighting reputation of the United States Marine Corps. Read this book if you are a WWII history buff or have any interest in WWII Marine Corps History.
A great Marine memoir July 6, 2010
Marc L. Tavasci (Pacifica, CA USA)
This is a great book about combat against the Japanese in World War II. The author fought on New Britain, Peleliu and Okinawa as a member of the First Marine Division and was one of the fortunate few to make it through virtually unscathed. He doesn't go into every little detail about combat, but there is certainly plenty to read about. The part of the book dealing with New Britain was really interesting because this campaign seems to get almost no mention or publication anyplace. If you've read Eugene Sledge's "With the Old Breed" (a classic you should read if you haven't already) this book will provide you with a slightly different perspective of some of the same action since Sledge and the author were in the same unit.
A quick read and well worth it!
what a true quiet man but a couragous man exemplifies... thank you Burgy May 29, 2010
James O'Dell
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
R.V. Burgin stands for all that make us great as a nation, the quiet commitment to making life better for all and the willingness to put it all on the line without bravado but BRAVERY and in a manner that proves that Sparta still lives... it lives in the United states Marine Corps... thanks Burgy and all who served with you and all who serve now...
Showing reviews 1-5 of 26
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