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God Isn't Here
With attention to detail only an eye-witness can offer, corpsman Richard E. Overton's gut-wrenching memoir of the battle at Iwo Jima, captures the insufferable horrors of combat at the greatest battle of the modern era. It Is likely the most chaotic, intense, and deadly conflict ever fought by the U.S. military. The Marines attacked an entrenched and invisible enemy whose suicidal plan was to protract the battle, and break the American's will to fight. Because of the continually shifting lines, the Japanese were everywhere, and Overton and his unit faced relentless close contact with the enemy. He endured persistent mind-numbing artillery attacks, night-time infiltrators and deadly hand-to-hand combat. Within the first few days of battle, most of the men of his platoon were lost. His own survival is a mystery that still haunts him to this day. The trauma of seeing men eviscerated, added to the cumulative effects of sleep deprivation and adrenaline overload, led to his evacuation from Iwo Jima... but not before he endured the unimaginable.
- GenresMemoir
420 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 8, 2010
I finally found a book to rival Eugene Sledge's With The Old Breed. In many ways this book betters Sledge's book. I've had a hard time sleeping some nights after reading the narration of just what Overton experienced on Iwo Jima. I have no idea why this book is not better known. Every WWII buff and historian should read this book. I cannot recommend it enough. You'll curse me and thank me after reading it. If I could give this book more than five stars I would.
May 8, 2011
Great, great, great book. Very descriptive memoir that nearly rivals Eugene Sledge's "With the Old Breed." I am shocked that this book doesn't get more publicity or acclaim like some other WWII memoirs do.
March 25, 2021
I came upon this rough manuscript while researching my book, The Quiet Hero: The Untold Medal of Honor Story of George E. Wahlen at the Battle for Iwo Jima I had heard from several Iwo Jima vets that Richard Overton had written an incredible memoir of his experience as a corpsman on Iwo, and interestingly enough, he lived near my home in Utah. When I approached Dick about my desire to read it, he was hesitant, and put me off for some time, I think he hoped that I would go away. As I persisted, and I promised not to copy it or share it with anyone, he reluctantly agreed let me read his manuscript.
It was printed from an old dot-matrix printer and was falling apart from having been manhandled. Before handing it to me, Dick warned me that I would not be the same once I finished reading it. Admittedly, I dismissed his warning, and inwardly doubted that any book could change me to any significant degree.
In the months leading up to meeting Dick, I was heavily involved in researching my book, and I read everything about Iwo Jima I could get my hands on. Over time, many books began rehashing the same old stories and themes. But as soon as I began reading Dick's manuscript, I knew his story was unique. Now I knew why Iwo Jima veterans were recommending that I read this story. His was the brutal and grinding story of a combat veteran that could only be told by a personal witness. For once, I began to get a sense for the type of warfare waged on Iwo Jima, and how it affected those who were forced to endure it. I was indeed a changed man.
After completing the book, I called Dick, and asked the question everyone seems to ask after reading his book: "what accounts for your incredible attention to detail?"
He explained that shortly after being evacuated from Iwo Jima, he began writing notes about his day-by-day experiences on the battlefield. He recognized the battle would be a major milestone in his life, and he also understood the historical significance of what he had witnessed. He was determined to record his experiences for posterity, and he spent considerable time compiling his notes. Most of his notes were penned during the long, tedious days when the 5th Marine Division was stationed in Sasebo, as part of the occupation of Japan.
Upon returning to civilian life, these notes were among his most prized possessions. On one occasion, his well-intentioned mother nearly discarded his notes. She believed she would help her son cope with the memories that were troubling him, by ridding him of the volumes of notes he had collected. Fortunately, Dick retrieved them before the garbage man carted them off, and he faithfully safeguarded his notes for almost forty years, until he was finally ready to begin writing his manuscript.
He never intended for his manuscript to be published, it was written for his and a few friends. I was so taken by the book, that I worked with him and my publisher, American Legacy Media, and get it published.
In getting the manuscript ready for print, Dick decided to pair down the manuscript, fearing that some stories would be too graphic or otherwise offend some readers. Dicks manuscript became a 330-page memoir titled God Isn't Here: A Young American's Entry into World War II and His Participation in the Battle for Iwo Jima.
The book went into a limited release in 2005, but the response was immediate. Veterans began calling Dick at all hours of the night, many in tears, thanking him for writing his book. With virtually no marketing but word-of-mouth, orders from around the world convinced Dick that his book had struck a chord.
With the success of the book came Dick's desire to tell the entire, uncensored story. The updated, revised and expanded version includes all the unvarnished and descriptive details that were edited from the original book. Now, the book is 432 pages long, but it's a more intimate and powerful work that is, what I believe to be among the most compelling World War II biographies ever written by an eyewitness.
I love this book. Everyone who has read it upon my recommendation has thanked me. If you can handle the gritty and gruesome details of combat, I highly recommend that you read it... you can't be helped but be changed for doing so.
It was printed from an old dot-matrix printer and was falling apart from having been manhandled. Before handing it to me, Dick warned me that I would not be the same once I finished reading it. Admittedly, I dismissed his warning, and inwardly doubted that any book could change me to any significant degree.
In the months leading up to meeting Dick, I was heavily involved in researching my book, and I read everything about Iwo Jima I could get my hands on. Over time, many books began rehashing the same old stories and themes. But as soon as I began reading Dick's manuscript, I knew his story was unique. Now I knew why Iwo Jima veterans were recommending that I read this story. His was the brutal and grinding story of a combat veteran that could only be told by a personal witness. For once, I began to get a sense for the type of warfare waged on Iwo Jima, and how it affected those who were forced to endure it. I was indeed a changed man.
After completing the book, I called Dick, and asked the question everyone seems to ask after reading his book: "what accounts for your incredible attention to detail?"
He explained that shortly after being evacuated from Iwo Jima, he began writing notes about his day-by-day experiences on the battlefield. He recognized the battle would be a major milestone in his life, and he also understood the historical significance of what he had witnessed. He was determined to record his experiences for posterity, and he spent considerable time compiling his notes. Most of his notes were penned during the long, tedious days when the 5th Marine Division was stationed in Sasebo, as part of the occupation of Japan.
Upon returning to civilian life, these notes were among his most prized possessions. On one occasion, his well-intentioned mother nearly discarded his notes. She believed she would help her son cope with the memories that were troubling him, by ridding him of the volumes of notes he had collected. Fortunately, Dick retrieved them before the garbage man carted them off, and he faithfully safeguarded his notes for almost forty years, until he was finally ready to begin writing his manuscript.
He never intended for his manuscript to be published, it was written for his and a few friends. I was so taken by the book, that I worked with him and my publisher, American Legacy Media, and get it published.
In getting the manuscript ready for print, Dick decided to pair down the manuscript, fearing that some stories would be too graphic or otherwise offend some readers. Dicks manuscript became a 330-page memoir titled God Isn't Here: A Young American's Entry into World War II and His Participation in the Battle for Iwo Jima.
The book went into a limited release in 2005, but the response was immediate. Veterans began calling Dick at all hours of the night, many in tears, thanking him for writing his book. With virtually no marketing but word-of-mouth, orders from around the world convinced Dick that his book had struck a chord.
With the success of the book came Dick's desire to tell the entire, uncensored story. The updated, revised and expanded version includes all the unvarnished and descriptive details that were edited from the original book. Now, the book is 432 pages long, but it's a more intimate and powerful work that is, what I believe to be among the most compelling World War II biographies ever written by an eyewitness.
I love this book. Everyone who has read it upon my recommendation has thanked me. If you can handle the gritty and gruesome details of combat, I highly recommend that you read it... you can't be helped but be changed for doing so.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews