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Iwo Jima: Legacy of Valor
An hour by hour account of the largest and most brutal assault ever conducted by the Marine Corps.
380 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 7, 2018
The book stands as a fine tribute to the sacrifice made by the United States Marine Corp on Iwo Jima. It does a fine job capturing the horror of fully exposed Marines fighting a suicidal foe that for the most part could not be seen.
This was a very detailed account of the battle of Iwo Jima. The book gets right down to small unit events and briefly summarizes nearly every Medal of Honor winner of the campaign. There were too damn many opportunities for a young Marine to get killed on Iwo Jima and consequently too many Medal of Honors awarded posthumously. It becomes painful to read account after account of Marines falling on grenades to save the lives of the Marine on his left and right.
The book answers many questions but raises several more that I hadn’t considered. Would it have made a difference if Turner and Nimitz would have given Howlin-Mad Smith the proper naval bombardment that he asked for? Would it have made a difference if Smith and Turner would have landed the floating reserve of the 3rd regiment on the Island as Erskine had asked for? Was it necessary for the Marines to suffer 26,000 casualties for that miserable spec of volcanic rock in the first place with the atom bomb available just a short time later? Why didn’t the Japanese surrender after all hope was lost and it was clear that they were defeated and had no chance to alter the outcome of the battle? And finally, was it necessary for Nimitz to snub the Marine Corp at the surrender ceremony by not inviting General Smith. After all the fighting and dying that they did on behalf of the United States all the way from Guadalcanal to Okinawa, why wasn't Smith there?
The island was in the flight path of the B-29s that were bombing Japan. The enemy could scramble fighters to harass and shoot down bombers. After the Japanese fighter squadron was neutralized, the island still served as an early warning lookout for bombing missions on Tokyo ~650 miles away. Fighters were scrambled over Japan to defend against these air raids due to radar on Iwo Jima. Also, not only could US bombers make emergency landings there but US fighter escorts now had the range so that they could accompany the bombers from Iwo Jima to mainland Japan.
The book also tells the story of the flag raising. Ross calls it "…a masterpiece of instantaneous composition and lighting that captured the mood and unfolding drama on Iwo Jima. Its stage like setting and powerful position of the men gave it the graven look of a posed statue; so much so, in fact, that cynics and critics of the Marine Corp later suggested the photo was staged.”
The final pages of this book take the reader to a ceremony in Camp Pendleton commemorating the 40th anniversary of the flag raising on Iwo Jima. Colonel Walter J. Ridlon Jr., a company commander on Iwo Jima and Navy Cross recipient said these words:
We commemorate our comrades, living and dead, who fought here with bravery and honor, and we pray that our sacrifices on Iwo Jima will always be remembered but never repeated.
Reading this book and writing this review and telling anecdotes to friends, family and co-workers is my effort to remember those young men who died too soon.
Thanks to my brother Mike, who picked up a copy of this book at the Marine Corp museum in Quantico, VA and sent it to me for a birthday gift. Incidentally, my birthday falls on the day after the flag raising and day before the historic photo were published in newspapers across the United States.
This was a very detailed account of the battle of Iwo Jima. The book gets right down to small unit events and briefly summarizes nearly every Medal of Honor winner of the campaign. There were too damn many opportunities for a young Marine to get killed on Iwo Jima and consequently too many Medal of Honors awarded posthumously. It becomes painful to read account after account of Marines falling on grenades to save the lives of the Marine on his left and right.
The book answers many questions but raises several more that I hadn’t considered. Would it have made a difference if Turner and Nimitz would have given Howlin-Mad Smith the proper naval bombardment that he asked for? Would it have made a difference if Smith and Turner would have landed the floating reserve of the 3rd regiment on the Island as Erskine had asked for? Was it necessary for the Marines to suffer 26,000 casualties for that miserable spec of volcanic rock in the first place with the atom bomb available just a short time later? Why didn’t the Japanese surrender after all hope was lost and it was clear that they were defeated and had no chance to alter the outcome of the battle? And finally, was it necessary for Nimitz to snub the Marine Corp at the surrender ceremony by not inviting General Smith. After all the fighting and dying that they did on behalf of the United States all the way from Guadalcanal to Okinawa, why wasn't Smith there?
The island was in the flight path of the B-29s that were bombing Japan. The enemy could scramble fighters to harass and shoot down bombers. After the Japanese fighter squadron was neutralized, the island still served as an early warning lookout for bombing missions on Tokyo ~650 miles away. Fighters were scrambled over Japan to defend against these air raids due to radar on Iwo Jima. Also, not only could US bombers make emergency landings there but US fighter escorts now had the range so that they could accompany the bombers from Iwo Jima to mainland Japan.
The book also tells the story of the flag raising. Ross calls it "…a masterpiece of instantaneous composition and lighting that captured the mood and unfolding drama on Iwo Jima. Its stage like setting and powerful position of the men gave it the graven look of a posed statue; so much so, in fact, that cynics and critics of the Marine Corp later suggested the photo was staged.”
The final pages of this book take the reader to a ceremony in Camp Pendleton commemorating the 40th anniversary of the flag raising on Iwo Jima. Colonel Walter J. Ridlon Jr., a company commander on Iwo Jima and Navy Cross recipient said these words:
We commemorate our comrades, living and dead, who fought here with bravery and honor, and we pray that our sacrifices on Iwo Jima will always be remembered but never repeated.
Reading this book and writing this review and telling anecdotes to friends, family and co-workers is my effort to remember those young men who died too soon.
Thanks to my brother Mike, who picked up a copy of this book at the Marine Corp museum in Quantico, VA and sent it to me for a birthday gift. Incidentally, my birthday falls on the day after the flag raising and day before the historic photo were published in newspapers across the United States.
March 11, 2014
The goals and battle objectives were clearly defined in advance, which is always a major plus. During WWII the Marine Corps was assigned the task to dislodge the entrenched Japanese military from the Pacific island of Iwo Jima. Some, more than others, knew the extreme difficulty in advance, but through all the ranks each Marine was confident of success.
This historical account exemplifies the Marine Corps tradition of dedication and determination where “uncommon valor was a common virtue”. Awakened on the ships, D-Day February 19, 1945 at 3 AM, the Marines later landed on the beach with but one directive to move forward. During the 36 day press for victory on the opposite shore 6,821 unique youthful Americans sacrificed their life.
This historical account exemplifies the Marine Corps tradition of dedication and determination where “uncommon valor was a common virtue”. Awakened on the ships, D-Day February 19, 1945 at 3 AM, the Marines later landed on the beach with but one directive to move forward. During the 36 day press for victory on the opposite shore 6,821 unique youthful Americans sacrificed their life.
November 29, 2009
This is a first class combat narrative of the battle fought at Iwo Jima. I have not read any other accounts of this battle and I found that this book provided more than enough information to satisfy my interest.
I note that one previous reviewer talks about the book being tedious in the reader following one man to his death and then being replaced by another. I found that this only brought home the terrible nature of the type of warfare carried out on the Pacific Islands towards the end of WW2.
Some of the stories of the men who earned America's highest decoration were truely sad and they rightly deserved to be told in this book. Overall this is an excellent combat narrative and I recommend it to anybody who wants to learn about this terrible conflict.
January 20, 2024
Iwo Jima. Two-month blood bath battle. Twenty-seven soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor. My high school classmate. Grandfather fought in Iwo Jima. After he was discharged. His future wife picked him up at a train station. She asks him where are your medals? Grandfather respond. Honey. The Best medal I ever earned. I can kiss my dam ass. I'm extremely lucky to be alive.
December 13, 2021
Most accounts of war either take a macro- or microscopic view. That is, they either take a wide viewpoint, describing events with broad panoramic strokes, or else they focus in and describe events in close and personal detail. Iwo Jima: Legacy of Valor is an excellent account of the penultimate battle of the United States’ drive to conquer Japan in World War II, because it assumes a microscopic viewpoint, describing the battle that lasted from February 19 through March 26, 1945, literally on a daily basis, mainly through accounts of a myriad individuals, Marines and sailors alike. This was, at the time, the bloodiest, costliest campaign the U.S. Marine Corps ever fought (to be eclipsed in the next couple of months by the even ghastlier fight for Okinawa), and the hell-on-earth nature of the fighting is brought home forcefully and in excruciating emphasis by the day-to-day nature of the account.
The only criticism I have of Ross’ definitive account is at the beginning, before he descends into his hellish account of each day of the battle. To set the stage for why Iwo Jima was considered so necessary an objective, Ross gives a quick summary of the Pacific War up to the invasion of Iwo Jima, and I was surprised and slightly annoyed at some of the factual errors in his summary of the war from 1941 to early 1945. When I noted these gaffs, I wondered if the book was worth reading, but once the battle began, I was so morbidly fascinated by his account that I forgot my early annoyance. Besides, the book is a history of the battle for Iwo Jima, not an account of the entire Pacific War, so the author’s mistakes were easy to discount.
The only criticism I have of Ross’ definitive account is at the beginning, before he descends into his hellish account of each day of the battle. To set the stage for why Iwo Jima was considered so necessary an objective, Ross gives a quick summary of the Pacific War up to the invasion of Iwo Jima, and I was surprised and slightly annoyed at some of the factual errors in his summary of the war from 1941 to early 1945. When I noted these gaffs, I wondered if the book was worth reading, but once the battle began, I was so morbidly fascinated by his account that I forgot my early annoyance. Besides, the book is a history of the battle for Iwo Jima, not an account of the entire Pacific War, so the author’s mistakes were easy to discount.
February 17, 2023
This book was really interesting and gave me a really different impression of how battles were fought than I have ever had before. I liked all the descriptions of the individual men's stories, including all the support staff that sometimes had to take to the front lines, as well as the leaders and the part at the end about going back there after peacetime was also really affecting. It also makes me want to go back and read the rising sun again to see how much I had read about Kuribayashi.
March 19, 2019
Very descriptive personal account of what it took to conquer Iwo Jima in WWII. Very hard at times to think of so many very young men's lives lost. They gave their lives so we could have ours in freedom. My husband was wounded on Iwo Jima and thinking of lives lost brings tears to his eyes still after 75 years. We must never for get all of the Hero's of that era!!
January 11, 2018
Lots of facts along with stories of incredibly brave individuals who took crazy brave chances that made huge differences. So much respect.
August 31, 2023
For those interested in World War Two, this book is a must. You will perceive the suffering of Marines in battle and the cost of freedom.
June 28, 2025
Just as incredible as the first time I read it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
January 19, 2024
I don't recommend this one.
It does have quite a few small engagements reported on. This may serve as a good source for your history paper.
It does have quite a few small engagements reported on. This may serve as a good source for your history paper.
April 14, 2016
I believe Iwo Jima: Legacy of Valor is one of the best books written about WWII. It is so good, in fact, I believe this should be required reading for high school students, lest they forget what has been given in order for them to have.
You cannot possibly read this book, and not believe the U.S. Marines are the toughest fighting force of all time (sorry other branches of the military). Thrown against overwhelming odds against a force dedicated to victory or death, the Marines slugged it out across a speck of an island that no one had ever heard of to ensure the overall victory in the Pacific theater.
Death, the most horrendous injuries imaginable, thirst, hunger, and fear awaited the hardest man, and no one was untouched by it. Yet most all volunteered to give their lives for ours. Personal stories are woven in wonderfully with the hard facts of this campaign to give you the impression that you are there feeling their excitement, worry, love, pain and terror.
I walked away from this book with such a level of appreciation for those that fought for us in these almost forgotten battles, I am forever changed.
You cannot possibly read this book, and not believe the U.S. Marines are the toughest fighting force of all time (sorry other branches of the military). Thrown against overwhelming odds against a force dedicated to victory or death, the Marines slugged it out across a speck of an island that no one had ever heard of to ensure the overall victory in the Pacific theater.
Death, the most horrendous injuries imaginable, thirst, hunger, and fear awaited the hardest man, and no one was untouched by it. Yet most all volunteered to give their lives for ours. Personal stories are woven in wonderfully with the hard facts of this campaign to give you the impression that you are there feeling their excitement, worry, love, pain and terror.
I walked away from this book with such a level of appreciation for those that fought for us in these almost forgotten battles, I am forever changed.
April 14, 2020
Recommend that any family members of an Iwo Jima vet, read this book.
August 9, 2012
For those who forget that Americans can suffer casualties to win. Semper Fi.
March 31, 2015
excellent. does a fantastic job of explaining the battle, why it was important and the proud history of the Marines.
May 29, 2015
Very gritty in depth history of the Battle. A depressing but necessary read for the Pacific War history buff...
January 2, 2017
Well about all I can say is wow. Does a great job portraying the slaughter on Iwo Jima.
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April 28, 2019Good read. Very vivid description of what it was like.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews