Earned in Blood: My Journey from Old-Breed Marine to the Most Dangerous Job in America

by Thurman Miller, Richard Frank (Foreword)

Born in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia in 1919, Thurman Miller was the sixteenth of eighteen children in a family so poor, the local coal miner's kids looked down on them. His father was a subsistence farmer and it was rare for the Miller family to have enough food for everyone. But for Thurman, Appalachia was not just a it was a culture, a frame of mind, a being. Fighting, playing, and hiding in the hills would soon serve him well. In 1940 he enlisted and served in World War II with the legendary unit K-3-5 of the First Marine Division. He was involved in some of the most horrific and famous battles in the Pacific Theater, including Guadalcanal and New Britain, where as Gunny Sergeant he sent men to their deaths and narrowly escaped it himself. From harrowing battlefield experiences to the loss of comrades, his powerful combat experiences would stay with him forever. Upon returning stateside, he taught at the prestigious Officer Candidate School at Camp Lejeune, preparing young officers for the horrific battles to come on Okinawa and Iwo Jima. After the war, suffering badly from the malaria and other diseases he contracted in the Pacific and unable to find work, Miller took a job in the coal mines in his home state of West Virginia, where he toiled in darkness for thirty-seven years. The blackness of the mines fed the terrors he lived with since the battlefield and the backbreaking labor ate away at his already compromised body. Bowed but unbroken, Miller survived because of his strength and lifelong devotion to his beloved wife of sixty-five years―a relationship that shines brightly in this distinctly American journey. With uncommon wisdom, intelligence, and humility, this member of the Greatest Generation spins a gripping tale through peace and war, work and family, love and redemption across ten tumultuous decades.

Genres: Military Fiction, History, Memoir, Biography, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published May 21, 2013

Reviews

[Positive Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first U.S. battles with the Japanese after the attack on Pearl Harbor was the Guadalcanal Campaign in the Pacific Theater, and this autobiography talks about the invasion and the events on this island. This book describes his life, his time in the military, being on the front lines, and his recovery from his time in the Pacific Islands. Miller had a tough childhood, which made him an excellent marine.

I would give the first half of the book five stars and would compare it to “In Deadly Combat” by Gottlob Herbert Bidermann, which I believe is one of the best memoirs of fighting on the front lines. The second half of the book feels rushed and more of a collection of memories. If you're interested in the Pacific Theater of World War II or the history of the U.S. Marines, I highly recommend this book. I would give this book four and half stars.

[John Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free from Goodreads for my honest review.
I loved this book. Mr. Miller writes in a very down to earth style. It felt like I was listening to my Paw-paw and how he would talk about the war. Unfortunately, he was never comfortable talking a lot about it before he died. That is why books like this as so important. It is the stories from the people that lived through the fighting, not scholars that are looking at the events from a different place and time (although those are important as well).
Mr. Miller's book takes you on a journey of growing up in West Virginia (near where my family is from), to basic training and the Pacific Theater as a Marine, and finally the struggles of returning home and dealing with life after war and the hardships of rural West Virginia in the mining towns. It shows how much these brave men gave for their country and how much they continue to give.

[Katherine Clifford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read many war books, and each has been insightful, heart-breaking, and eye-opening, a testament to what these people have faced. It is unfathomable. However, something about this one hit me harder. Thurman Miller worked and suffered his whole life, and passed away in 2017. He protected our country, serving to keep those he didn't even know, those not even born yet, safe. He saw hell itself, and survived. He truly earned it in blood. God rest his soul.

[Ben Coyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shockingly intimate and poignant, EIB would bring value to any reader. As opposed to a list of gruesome war stories and their impact on the author, Miller takes time to tell his life story and how war came to be a part of it. It’s hard to overstate the value of first hand experience in the retelling of history and I’m grateful to have gotten this glimpse.

[Angelia Herrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an inspiring book. Mr. Thurman Miller has lived a life as full as three men. The book starts off describing his struggles growing up during the great depression. He was born dirt poor in the Appalachian Mountains, and he was one of eighteen kids. I can't even begin to understand how hard they had to struggle just to eat.
Mr. Miller is a Marine who fought and served in the South Pacific in World War II. The book describes his incredible harrowing experience during his service. He returned home to work as a coal miner in those same Appalachian Mountains. One can't help but have a great respect for this man after reading this book. It is an easy fast read that will draw you in early and will have you in admiration of this incredible man. They just don't make men like this anymore.

[Jean Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thurman Miller joins the ever-growing number of members of the Greatest Generation who, as they edge into their 90’s, have been anxious to share their wartime experiences while they are still able to so do. His book joins “With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa” by Eugene Sledge; “Helmet For My Pillow” by Robert Leckie; “Guadalcanal Diary” by Richard Tregaskis; and most recently “Islands of the Damned” by R.V. Burgin in telling the story of jungle/island warfare in the South Pacific, particularly the involvement of the First Marine Division.

It was a type of warfare which, with the exception of minor actions in Central America and the Caribbean in the 1920’s and 1930’s and in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War in the Philippines after 1898, had no precedent in the annals of the USMC, in terms of both the nature of the land on which it was fought, and the fanatical nature of the enemy against whom the Marines (and Army troops as well) were pitted. Miller, because of his background growing up in the backwoods of West Virginia, and because he was already somewhat of a veteran (having joined the USMC in 1940) was better prepared than many of his fellow Marines for a type of combat in which individual initiative and the ability to improvise often made the difference between victory and defeat, or life and death. Nevertheless, even he was hard-pressed to cope with the savagery of the Japanese enemy (as seen by the massacre of the Goettge patrol) and the extreme demands that the Guadalcanal and New Britain campaigns would make on his body, mind and spirit. It was not easy for him, as a gunnery sergeant, to order men to their deaths and listen to the cries of the wounded; or to wake up in his hammock to find himself webbed over, and, lurking underneath the hammock, a spider the size of a saucer.

As with many veterans, the aftereffects of Miller’s wartime experiences remained with him even into his old age. He battled recurring, crippling bouts of malaria which made it difficult for him to remain steadily employed in the coal mines of his home state; nightmares of jungle combat and the deaths of many friends; “survivors’ guilt” as to why he was able to come home, and so many others did not; and the inability to stop hating. The most touching parts of the book are the descriptions of how his wife of 62 years, Recie, was able to help him overcome these obstacles and finally, after many years, live at peace with himself and others. Cultivating a plot of land and growing a few crops every summer turned out to be a healing experience for him because it involved the creation of new life rather than the sowing of death; meeting a young Japanese boy (who accompanied Miller’s youngest son back from camp one summer) with a feeling of hope and optimism for the future, and none of the old hatred, made Miller realize that the hatred was no longer necessary. And the reader of his account cannot but share in that feeling of redemption.

**** review by Chuck Graham ****

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miller's memoir is centered on his experiences in the US Marine Corps. He joined prior to US entry into World War 2, so his memoir offers insight into the Marine Corps as it geared up from a peacetime force. He is very open about his experiences with the 1st Marine Division at Guadalcanal and New Britain. He talks of the connection, the leadership, the pain, the suffering, and the tragedy he witnessed first hand.
Miller's memoir also discusses his time growing up in rural West Virginia.
Miller is very open about his struggles after the war - trying to eke out a living in the West Virginia coal mines while dealing with both relapses of malaria and what is now known as PTSD.

[Michael Hood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great personal account. I really enjoyed this book! A greatest generation, American hero.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating account of WWII service. I especially appreciated the honest portrayal of Appalachia and the coal mining industry.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book.
Coming from a very poor family out of the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, Thurman Miller lived thru the killing battles in the Pacific Islands and barely lived thru some of the worst times back in the hills.
He made the best of the situations fighting the Japanese and fighting to survive the battles after he came back home. Working in the coal mines and having malaria attacks didn't slow his devotions and perseverance in making the best of what was in front of him.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

I blame the introduction for my review more than anything else. Been trying to place the memoir among other World War II memoirs the introduction indicated this was in the gym discussing postwar difficulties in dealing with malaria, PTSD, more flashbacks, etc.There was not much discussion of that. And the discussion centered mainly on the fact that he had it in that he experienced relapses. There was not much on his experiences in treatment relapses and how that affected his life. It was more statement of fact than anything else. This is not what I was led to believe from the introduction.

[Sharron Kennard · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fair memoir. My usual bug-a-boos of typos. Do publishers no longer have proof readers? Mistakes are rife in most recent books. Mr. Miller's story is much like my own father's. He, too, came from a hardscrabble Appalacian background, served in the army, Leyte being his Guadacanal and returned from war to the coal mines, where he was one of the casualties of a cave-in at age 30. He spent his remaining 23 years as a paraplegic and double amputee. That generation really gave it all.

[Thomas Hay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling story of courage, sacrifice, and bravery. A story every American should read and ponder. Amazing how someone could go through so much and live to be in their 90's. Thank you so much, Thurman, for your service and loyality.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gunny Miller presents a readable memoir of the of the life of a combat Marine in he Pacific during World War II. He concentrates on the men he served with with the story being fleshed out by other reliable works. Miller also deals with PTSD which was common among combat veterans.

[Vykki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for a military buff. I won this on Goodreads. Thank you

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring and moving book. Not your typical hard knock life and perfect for people who enjoy military reads.

*Won from Goodreads Giveaway*!