These astonishing memoirs capture all the impact and drama of the bitter and implacable fighting in the storming of Iwo Jima. The struggle for the Pacific island of Iwo Jima is possibly the most famous episode in the war in the Pacific and has been treated at length by official histories and narratives of the conflict. Yet here is the very human side of that story, a story which veers from courage beyond the call of duty and valour to panic, loss of nerve, costly blunders and futile commands. Dr Vedder, the chief medical officer of the 3rd Battalion of the 27th Marines, was present throughout the 33-day battle for Iwo Jima and has left a remarkable testimony from the front lines of the courage of both sides and of the enormous human cost of the battle. Decorated for his part in treating some of the twenty thousand marines wounded in the struggle for the desolate volcanic island and its two airfields, his account is an important historical document as well as a fitting tribute to the military prowess and endurance of the United States Marine Corps.