A Good Read

Today marks the 75th anniversary of V-J Day. It was on this day in 1945 that the Japanese signed the surrender document that officially ended WWII.

Martha MacCallum has penned a book describing the events that surrounded this day. She had a personal reason for doing so as her own uncle died in the struggle that ended WWII. The book has been very well received and is given 5 stars by Amazon readers. It is on The New York Times bestseller list and they have this to say about the book:

“Admiral Chester Nimitz spoke of the “uncommon valor” of the men who fought on Iwo Jima, one of the bloodiest and most brutal battles of World War II. In thirty-six grueling days, nearly 7,000 Marines were killed and 22,000 were wounded.

Martha MacCallum takes us from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima through the lives of these men of valor, among them Harry Gray, a member of her own family.

In Unknown Valor, she weaves their stories—from Boston, Massachusetts, to Gulfport, Mississippi, as told through letters and recollections—into the larger history of what American military leaders rightly saw as an eventual showdown in the Pacific with Japan. In a relentless push through the jungles of Guadalcanal, over the coral reefs of Tarawa, past the bloody ridge of Peleliu, against the banzai charges of Guam, and to the cliffs of Saipan, these men were on a path that ultimately led to the black sands of Iwo Jima, the doorstep of the Japanese Empire.

Meticulously researched, heart-wrenching, and illuminating, Unknown Valor reveals the sacrifices of ordinary Marines who saved the world from tyranny and left indelible marks on those back home who loved them.“

We have such a debt of gratitude to these brave and patriotic young men, and the women who served, and gave their all for us to enjoy the freedoms we have grown up with in our country. Without their service…their valor, our lives and the freedoms we enjoy, and those of our children, would be sadly different.

Thanks to Martha MacCallum their valor need not be “unknown” any longer. We can read about these heroes and celebrate their lives and their service to our country and understand how their service is still benefiting those living here today.

You can pick up a copy of the book at your local bookstore, or Target, or order it on Amazon, or listen to the book on Audible. This is history worth reading about and remembering.