The Long and the Short and the Tall: Marines in Combat on Guam and Iwo Jima

by Alvin M. Josephy Jr.

In May, 1944, the author was a U.S. Marine sergeant and war correspondent with the 3rd Marine Division, leaving Guadalcanal for Guam. This narrative of the ensuing months follows Josephy through the the Guamanian jungle, and on into the teeth of one of the bloodiest assaults in all warfare -- Iwo Jima. This is a supremely vivid and spellbinding account of one of the most famous chapters in military history.

Genres: History, Military Fiction, Nonfiction

221 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1979

About the author

An American historian who specialized in Native American topics. He served as a combat correspondent during World War II and was awarded the Bronze Star for his coverage of the U.S. capture of Guam. His interest in Native American history started during an assignment from Time Magazine.

Reviews

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long before he became the "Leading Non-Indian writer about Native Americans"- Alvin M Josephy Jr. was a Marine War Correspondent with the 3rd Marine Division in the Pacific War. This is his memoir of his time as the Division moved from Guadalcanal where he joined it at rest and recuperation from recent combat. They participate in the Guam and Iwo Jima Campaigns which makes his narrative particularly compelling to the son of a WWII Pacific vet like me. My father traveled to Guam and Iwo to build the airfields that had been the very reason for the conquest. I found Josephy's simple prose style and keen powers of observation made this a very interesting addition to the Pacific War bookshelf.

Josephy was an NCO, a sergeant, and his copy went to the newpapers and magazines like "The Quantico Sentry" , "The Pendleton Scout" and of course the overall Services paper - Stars and Stripes. This is in contrast to Non-Military War Correspondents like Hemingway or Martha Gelhorn whose writing was for private newspapers or magazines and who had in in-theatre rank as officers. Josephy carried an M1 Carbine, a Garand Rifle or at least a 1905 .45 Auto Pistol at all times and in the confusion of deep Japanese penetrations of Marine lines, it is clear that he used it liberally. You can tell he is keeping some mental distance from the Front Lines he covers- but that he is very much inside the combat zone. I can't help but think all sorts of readers will find this as compelling as I did.

There are some adult themes and some graphic passages, so this is best for the Junior Reader over 13/14 years. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast its a good adjunct source -but not that great for direct application to Scenarios and Campaigns . Modelers will get some diorama ideas - but will need other colour resources. What both will find, as will Military Enthusiasts drawn to this book is that it is very good at giving you the inner war weariness that drove both battles. Casual readers will enjoy feeling WWII in the Pacific as it was lived by the US Marines.

[Jon Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have nothing but admiration for anybody who went through Hell like this. And to be a social commentator foremost as well.
Hats off to the author. Thank you for your service.

[Urey Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 1946, the author relates his year of combat with the 3rd Marine Division invading Guam in late 1944 and then Iwo Jima in 1945. It is a starkly gripping and personalized account of almost inconceivable physical hardship and sacrifice, constant danger, and the sudden visitations of death and injury upon Marines serving with him - events that are always surprising in their violence, and their total randomness. The author's orientation is necessarily limited to the viewpoint of the Marine rifleman. There is minimal wider perspective - understandably. This is an excellent, albeit short, immersion in the combat experience of the men fighting the Japanese from island to island in the Pacific - a different war than that in Europe forcing different demands upon its participants, and an extraordinarily different manifestation of the physical and emotional ordeals imposed upon them. This book is a worthy precursor to modern combat narratives such as Sebastian Junger's "War" and Jake Tapper's "The Outpost". If you like those books, you will not be able to put this one down once you start it! The combat experience of the Marine rifleman and the Army infantryman are little changed from 1944 to the present day - different only in the geography and the enemy and to a degree, the weaponry. The bitter, miserable and unforgiving nature of combat does not change.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a first hand account off the battle of Guam and Iwo Jima by a journalist in the army who reported back to the US on how the battle and invasion were going. It is from the 40's right after the war.

I picked it up for $4 at a used book store and it was a pretty good read. It had language and a tone that was set against the enemy in Japan. It was straight to the point on how he and the rest of the battalon felt against the enemy, which is something a little different from most WWII books.

The book is only 220, but it is not a quick read as the chapters are long and they account for different times in the war. Each chapter doesn't necessary flow with each other, but overall it makes sense.

The detail of how the men lived, how they died and what kept them going was good. It seemed like nothing was easy for any of them and this book has a lot of tragedy.

This is a decent to good book.

[Brea Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

My great-grandfather was part of the 21st regiment/3rd division, and this book accounts almost his exact timeframe in the war. Obviously for me with personal attachment to the book, it was powerful to read the thoughts of a fellow marine who shared many of the same experiences as someone I was lucky to know when he was alive and call family. Given that this book was first published right after the war, at times it reads a little out dated and is negatively toned against the Japanese. Keeping this context in mind, the power of this book truly lies in it's ability to allow the reader a glimpse into the sacrifices and trauma of Guam and Iwo Jima.