The Heroic Life of Sgt. John Basilone - USMC - I'm Staying with My Boys

I picked this book up with much anticipation after having seen the HBO series "The Pacific", but I really wish I had looked into this account of his life before I bothered, as it was not what I was expecting at all, and let me down from an historical standpoint.

I found it rather off-putting, and a huge breach of historical accuracy that a book could be written posthumously, in first person, by someone who had no first-hand contact with the subject. It compromises the integrity of the book for me. You're reading "his voice" give accounts of his life, all the while I can't help but skeptically think "how did the writer know this?", "was this from an interview or written account?" and "what other liberties are being taken that I wouldn't know?". It diminishes the book and it's subject. In a way, the writing style struck me as reminiscent of "I, Claudius" which is a "fictional autobiography" - writing a book in the voice of a dead historical figure. It makes for a fun novel, but a crappy history book. I really don't wish to demean Basilone, but the book explains that he dropped out of school after the 8th grade, and the prose of the book reflects that too, to it's detriment. It makes for a light, conversational type read, but it's very casual, buddy-buddy tone wasn't what I was looking for (as opposed to the artful prose of Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific). Being that it's "his voice" as presented by the author, it casts a cloud of doubt on everything, in my mind. Also, I don't know how much objectivity one can have writing about themselves (except that this is written 1st person from someone else - see how this problem starts to break down the integrity of the book?). There are also parts where the writer describes what Basilone is thinking about what Chesty Puller is thinking. Some kind of posthumous double telepathy at play? Very disconcerting approach, as I found myself grappling with those questions instead of enjoying his story.

I found the accounts of his home life to be a very monotonous and repetitive part of the narrative. It became apparent that he didn't feel suited to civilian, 9-to-5 life, and this point was driven home ad nauseum. Is it really necessary to rehash the returns to the caddy shack over and over? Having already read a similar, but more flamboyant narrative in Boyington's Baa Baa Black Sheep, I felt like this ground had been covered before, and more colorfully. After a few chapters of him hopping from job to job, girl to girl, I had to skip over these parts. It seemed like a canned, Hollywood attempt at character development for it's own sake, complete with a timeline that hops backwards and forwards abruptly to make the movie script-like adaptation fait accompli.

In no way do I wish this review to demean or diminish the selflessness and sacrifice that John Basilone exhibited in the service of our country. He is heroic beyond measure and deserves recognition and respect that I don't think this book afford him.

Nor is this book terrible. If you want a light, colorful read in the vernacular of the time/place (lots of salty language and insight into the horrors of a foot soldier's life in the Pacific War) it's an entertaining read. Histo-tainment. If you walk in expecting more of a non-fiction history book like myself, you might be disappointed.

How can you credibly write what is basically the memoirs of a man who has passed half a century ago, written in "his voice" when you've never met the man?

I was very disappointed this is not a biography per se. Using a first person narrative really doesn't work here.....just like showing a Marine on the cover of "Battle Cry" with an M-14 doesn't work. Got insomnia? This will help.

Very enjoyable book. Very informative. As written in the first person, of course, there has to be some speculation regarding thoughts and words. However, this makes for a great story, not detracting at all. Really feel I got to know this hero. Appreciated the passages about the "Old Man", Chesty Puller. As a result, I will likely read about him soon. This book can be read in a few days at most. Highly recommended, especially for WW2 buffs.

Like most, if not all, Marines of my generation my boot camp experience was punctuated with references to Manila John Basilone, one of the heroes of the Battle of Guadalcanal. Sgt. Basilone won the Medal of Honor for his exploits there, and was sent on a widely successful war bond selling tour. Sgt. Basilone could have sat out the rest of the war, but that wouldn't do for John Basilone, who, as the title of this book says, wanted to stay with his boys, and so, ended up on the black sands of Iwo Jima. What I really appreciated about this biography was that a good portion of the book dealt with his life before joining the Marine Corps, such as explaining how he got his nickname, "Manila John" because of his boxing victories while serving with the U.S. Army, and his fascination for the heavy machine gun. The biography also dealt with Sgt. Basilone's home life, depicting him as a regular all-American guy, certainly no saint, but an honest, sometimes brawling and drinking young man who was mystified and somewhat disturbed by his survival in battles that took so many of his friends. This is not a chest-thumping, flag-waving glorification of war, but a heartfelt memorial to one of America's greatest fighting men - who also happened to be a regular guy who loved life and his fellow Marines.

John Basilone, Marine-Epic American Hero.
Wonderful biography of a true American war hero. I like this book for what it isn't, not just what it is. It is not a story of battle, although the authors cover battle up close and personal, no, it is the story of a simple man who loved life, his family, and the Corps. It is an examination of who John Basilone really was. It is a story about "Manila John" Basilone boxer, lover, warrior, and leader of men. It is the probing biography of why a man who won the "Blue Max" (Medal of Honor) and could ride out the war on easy street, refused the cush and demanded to be sent back to be with his "boys". Yes, he loved the rush of battle and the camaraderie of the warrior, but more he enjoyed the clarity of kinship in the heat of the fight. He was a true warrior in the classical sense of that word. He epitomized General Douglas MacArthur's famous line "Duty, Honor, Country." He was a Marine's Marine in the Chesty Puller mode. He was everything honorable and good about the American fighting man.

Written in the engaging first person by using insights from family members, in particular his brothers Carlo and Donald and sister Phyllis, the authors "...attempted to include every historical fact known about Sgt Basilone and many personal stories that cannot be verified." They did an admirable job of presenting just who this man known as "Manila John" really was. I found the biography to be well written and very engaging. I particularly enjoyed reading about John Basilone's early pre-military life during his formative years as a rebellious youth. It was indeed a typical Americana story of trial, tribulation, and eventual peace at finding one's true life's calling. When asked why he wanted to return to battle with his beloved Marines when he could have enjoyed a hero's life of luxury, he simply said, "I'm staying with my boys. They need me." And so Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone returned one final time to the battlefield where he died a hero's death leading his boys.

Strong recommend. A must read. As a combat vet I have a great appreciation for the heroic sacrifices made by men such as John Basilone. His is a story that makes one proud to be an American.

As others have said, Gunnery Sergeant Basilone deserved better. His selflessness would never have allowed for him to write a book about his exploits. That these authors have done a disservice to such a hero is shameful.

After reading the author was a draft dodger, I didn't want to read anything he had to say. I find the book hard to follow how it jumps from one period to the next instead of being in order. I forget where that part left off and find it frustrating to concentrate. I hope there is a better written book on his life to read than this one.

Author and Film Producer Jim Prosser has created a richly detailed, raptly written, devastatingly powerful book about the life of American War hero John Basilone. This book is especially pungent at this time in history because it revives a lost tradition of the country's view of maritime heroism. Since the atrocities of the Vietnam mistake to the present harrowing details of a similar (or worse) war in Iraq the concept of war is now very much in a negative light. Even the words 'war hero' seem an oxymoron, so strident are the feelings about America's latest aggressions. But to appreciate this fine book requires a return to the mindset of the US during World War II when not only was Europe under the vile threat of Hitler and Mussolini, but the Japanese warriors were annihilating China, Korea, and ultimately the Philippines in the mission to own the Pacific Ocean. And even in those early years the threat seemed frightening but distant until the Japanese successfully decimate the US Pacific Fleet on December 7, 1941. That incident unified the country, creating a fighting force and support system at home that eventually resulted in the defeat of the massive evil outside the borders of the USA.

Given that atmosphere of over a half century ago, author Proser has created one of the most convincing portraits of a military hero in literature. And the intensively researched and detailed approach results in a biography that fully restores the ambience of WW II. John Basilone was a nice Italian boy form Raritan, New Jersey, a lad who quit school to follow his recurring visions. He caddied for Japanese businessmen at a country club, seeing in his prophetic mind that at some day he would be at war with Japan. After trying multiple jobs he finally enlists in the Army, makes the best of boot camp by gambling and boxing, and is shipped to the Philippines where he spent time waiting, boxing (becoming a champion nicknamed Manila John), running a little bar with his Island sweetheart, and finally returning home. Frustrated once again with the boredom of work and the embarrassment of not having finished his education, Basilone finally returns to the military by signing on with the USMC, trains hard at Quantico, Cuba, and other US training camp swamps, and finally is shipped to Guadalcanal where his brilliance and dedication to his commanding officer ("Chesty" Puller) through one of the most devastating battles in the Pacific arena earned him not only the respect of his men, but also the Medal of Honor - the highest commendation offered by his country. Returning home form this mission he ride the waves of adulation form the American people, hobnobs with movies stars, sells War Bonds, and falls in love, only to be shipped out once again to the Pacific where he is killed in action in the battle for Iwo Jima.

The amazing (that is, ONE of the amazing) aspect of this book is that Proser has elected to write it in the first person of John Basilone. Everything is told as Basilone perceives it, lives, feels, and survives it. Rarely has a story been written with such clarity and perception: we truly feel that Basilone has written his memoirs. The language of the period is exactly right, the descriptions of the various battles and conditions of being a soldier under tremendously adverse conditions are vivid, and the soldiers' mentality of being in the thick of war are written with such bulls-eye focus that no matter what the reader's opinion of War might be, this book makes it all understandable form the point of view of the soldiers who fought. Some of the battle passages are tough to read: "On October 23, a light tank and infantry attack across the mouth of the Matanikau ran right into the teeth of Vandegrift's defenses. It was chewed up in short order with over 600 Japs killed, many of them trapped in a jungle clearing where US tanks just drove over them instead of wasting ammunition. They ground the poor bastards up like sausage under the tank treads until the entire clearing was covered in gore and left to rot in the sun." And a soldier's impressions: "We all heard a lot about the bravery of the Japanese soldier before we got on the island. They were supposed to be the most fearless warriors ever to fight. But I kept thinking what kind of bravery it was that sent them, one after the other, right into the same guns that mowed down dozens before them. I don't know if that was bravery. I don't know what it was. Either they were crazy or they just didn't care. So I didn't care either. They weren't even men anymore. They were dumb animals who wanted me dead and had killed all my friends."

Proser very cleverly weaves snippets of Iwo Jima from the opening of the book to its finish, which in an act of brilliance makes the whole story more pungent in retrospect. There is little doubt the Sgt. John Basilone was an extraordinary soldier and military hero along with the thousands of others who lost their lives in the incomprehensibly vast WW II. I think this is a very important book that everyone should read, and I say that as a pacifist, as a Vietnam Veteran convinced that war on any level is simply not an option. This book is vastly important, well written, and contains a story and moment of history we all should face and incorporate. And perhaps then we can all better empathize with soldiers form throughout history to the very present. Recommended without reservation!

No further points to add that has not already been said by the other 1 and 2 star reviews. There are far better accounts of Marines in the Pacific Theater available (e.g. Leckie, Manchester, Sledge . . .). It's too bad and would not recommend you spend your cash on this one.

If you are interested in a personal story of WWII, then this is an excellent book. Rather than getting into the details of the conflicts this book focuses on the personal story of John Basilone - one of the handful of true American Heroes from WWII.

Written in the first person with an ample dose of personal details from his family, this book truly brings Manilla John back to life for many. I've been studying WWII for only 10 years and have read my share of the technical assessments of the important battles in WWII. This book stands out in my mind because it puts the reader in touch with the qualities of America's best young men and women of the 1940's; selflessness, courage, a supreme sense of duty, and in Basilon's case, a supreme sense of destiny.

Highly recommended for anyone with a passing interest in WWII, or for anyone who wants to learn about what made America's young people "tick" 60 years ago.

Some reviewers have complained about the 1st person perspective in this book. Are they that narrow-minded? Clearly, the authors have done a ton of research and chose this format to help shed light on the type of person Basilone was--not just the type of heroic warrior he was.

As the only authorized book on Basilone, you couldn't find a more informative, insightful and thrilling read. I loved it.

If you are interested in a personal story of WWII, then this is an excellent book. Rather than getting into the details of the conflicts this book focuses on the personal story of John Basilone - one of the handful of true American Heroes from WWII.

Written in the first person with an ample dose of personal details from his family, this book truly brings Manilla John back to life for many. I've been studying WWII for only 10 years and have read my share of the technical assessments of the important battles in WWII. This book stands out in my mind because it puts the reader in touch with the qualities of America's best young men and women of the 1940's; selflessness, courage, a supreme sense of duty, and in Basilon's case, a supreme sense of destiny.

Highly recommended for anyone with a passing interest in WWII, or for anyone who wants to learn about what made America's young people "tick" 60 years ago.

Some reviewers have complained about the 1st person perspective in this book. Are they that narrow-minded? Clearly, the authors have done a ton of research and chose this format to help shed light on the type of person Basilone was--not just the type of heroic warrior he was.

As the only authorized book on Basilone, you couldn't find a more informative, insightful and thrilling read. I loved it.