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Red Blood, Black Sand: Fighting Alongside John Basilone from Boot Camp to Iwo Jima
A story of heroism, friendship, and courage in World War 2—as seen in the award-winning HBO miniseries The Pacific .
In 1944, the U.S. Marines were building the 5th Marine Division—also known as “The Spearhead”—in preparation for the invasion of the small, Japanese-held island of Iwo Jima...
When Chuck Tatum began Marine boot camp, he was just a smart-aleck teenager eager to serve his country. Little did he know that he would be training under a living legend of the Corps—Medal of Honor recipient John Basilone, who had almost single-handedly fought off a Japanese force of three thousand on Guadalcanal.
It was from Basilone and other sergeants that Tatum would learn how to fight like a Marine and act like a man—skills he would need when he hit the black sand of Iwo Jima with thirty thousand other Marines.
Red Blood, Black Sand is the story of Chuck’s two weeks in hell, where he would watch his hero, Basilone, fall, where the enemy stalked the night, where snipers haunted the day, and where Chuck would see his friends whittled away in an eardrum-shattering, earth-shaking, meat grinder of a battle. This is the island, the heroes, and the tragedy of Iwo Jima—through the eyes of one who survived it.
In 1944, the U.S. Marines were building the 5th Marine Division—also known as “The Spearhead”—in preparation for the invasion of the small, Japanese-held island of Iwo Jima...
When Chuck Tatum began Marine boot camp, he was just a smart-aleck teenager eager to serve his country. Little did he know that he would be training under a living legend of the Corps—Medal of Honor recipient John Basilone, who had almost single-handedly fought off a Japanese force of three thousand on Guadalcanal.
It was from Basilone and other sergeants that Tatum would learn how to fight like a Marine and act like a man—skills he would need when he hit the black sand of Iwo Jima with thirty thousand other Marines.
Red Blood, Black Sand is the story of Chuck’s two weeks in hell, where he would watch his hero, Basilone, fall, where the enemy stalked the night, where snipers haunted the day, and where Chuck would see his friends whittled away in an eardrum-shattering, earth-shaking, meat grinder of a battle. This is the island, the heroes, and the tragedy of Iwo Jima—through the eyes of one who survived it.
368 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2010
172 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
October 11, 2023
This book was a real struggle for me to finish as it could never hold my interest for long enough when I picked it up. The book is not well written and repetitive at times, and it is hard to believe that alongside "Helmet for my Pillow" and "With the Old Breed", it was used as for creating The Pacific miniseries. It is not nearly in the same league as those two legendary books by Leckie and Sledge who were seriously good writers. The title is also very misleading, as probably every Marine on Iwo Jima on D-Day could have claimed to be fighting with John Basilone, as the action is only briefly mentioned.
Hugely disappointing book and I would recommend picking up the other two books I have mentioned, and if you have already read those then pass on this one.
Hugely disappointing book and I would recommend picking up the other two books I have mentioned, and if you have already read those then pass on this one.
July 10, 2014
If you spent any time at all watching the Sean Mcginnes character in AMC TV’s graphic western series, “Hell on Wheels,” you may have wondered to yourself, “where have I seen him before?” Chances are you have seen that face before. Ben Esler, the red-haired Australian actor who played the Irish brother in “Hell on Wheels,” previously played author Chuck Tatum in the 2010, award-winning HBO miniseries, “The Pacific.”
With Tatum’s first-person account of life in the U.S. Marines during World War II, at least for war historian Stephen E. Ambrose, “no combat veteran’s memoir is better and only a handful is equal.” Tatum’s war diary is one of several sources screenwriter Bruce McKenna used in producing “The Pacific.” After viewing the ten-part HBO series for the first time only recently, I knew I had to read all of McKenna’s sources, including this one.
For someone who admits on page 142 that he has “a short attention span,” you have to wonder how an 88 year-old man can possibly recall all the details crammed into this war diary covering Tatum’s adventures “from boot camp to Iwo Jima.” On page 315, Tatum writes, “some sixty-six years after the fact is a long time to remember anything, but I can’t forget the Marines I served with in the big war.”
Nor will you ever forget what real war is like if you read Tatum’s take on U.S. Marine action in the Pacific. From the moment Tatum and the rest of his unit B Company of the 27th Marines leave their LST and ride their amtracs to Iwo Jima’s Red Beach 2, the author takes you on a roller coaster ride through Hell. Thanks to Tatum’s masterful pen, you hear and feel every mortar round, every bullet, every grenade, every rocket and bomb hurled by both sides. The sounds and smells of death and dying leap off every page. This is as close to actual combat as you will ever want to get.
For me, however, the highlight of Tatum’s war bio is what comes after he’s medevac’d off the island. His efforts to track down his fellow survivors of Iwo Jima over several decades, priceless. The same could be said of Tatum’s complete list of what happened to all of his comrades in arms. That plus Tatum’s personal involvement in the making of HBO’s “The Pacific,” made all those hours watching him dodge Japanese rifle and machine gun fire well worth the trip!
With Tatum’s first-person account of life in the U.S. Marines during World War II, at least for war historian Stephen E. Ambrose, “no combat veteran’s memoir is better and only a handful is equal.” Tatum’s war diary is one of several sources screenwriter Bruce McKenna used in producing “The Pacific.” After viewing the ten-part HBO series for the first time only recently, I knew I had to read all of McKenna’s sources, including this one.
For someone who admits on page 142 that he has “a short attention span,” you have to wonder how an 88 year-old man can possibly recall all the details crammed into this war diary covering Tatum’s adventures “from boot camp to Iwo Jima.” On page 315, Tatum writes, “some sixty-six years after the fact is a long time to remember anything, but I can’t forget the Marines I served with in the big war.”
Nor will you ever forget what real war is like if you read Tatum’s take on U.S. Marine action in the Pacific. From the moment Tatum and the rest of his unit B Company of the 27th Marines leave their LST and ride their amtracs to Iwo Jima’s Red Beach 2, the author takes you on a roller coaster ride through Hell. Thanks to Tatum’s masterful pen, you hear and feel every mortar round, every bullet, every grenade, every rocket and bomb hurled by both sides. The sounds and smells of death and dying leap off every page. This is as close to actual combat as you will ever want to get.
For me, however, the highlight of Tatum’s war bio is what comes after he’s medevac’d off the island. His efforts to track down his fellow survivors of Iwo Jima over several decades, priceless. The same could be said of Tatum’s complete list of what happened to all of his comrades in arms. That plus Tatum’s personal involvement in the making of HBO’s “The Pacific,” made all those hours watching him dodge Japanese rifle and machine gun fire well worth the trip!
March 12, 2020
With this, I've completed my goal of reading all the memoirs used for the screenplay for HBO's The Pacific. It doesn't have much about John Basilone as I thought it would, since Tatum knew him only briefly during boot camp and later saw him fighting and dying on Iwo Jima, but the title is likely to be a publicity stunt to be ascribed more to the publishers than the author, since Tatum doesn't make the claim himself in the book: he wasn't a close friend and teammate of Basilone's, Basilone was his hero and role model, and that's it.
It's a worthy memoir on its own, even taking out the famous other on the title. Tatum has a more colloquial and informal style than most WWII memoirists, he's a bit of a goofball at times (one has to remember how young these soldiers were), and generally an entertaining storyteller. The book includes bonus content on his attempts to track and reconnect with survivors of his old unit for decades, as well as a chapter on his experience with the HBO show and the actor that played him, which were very interesting as he was one of the rare vets who got to watch the show's début.
It's a worthy memoir on its own, even taking out the famous other on the title. Tatum has a more colloquial and informal style than most WWII memoirists, he's a bit of a goofball at times (one has to remember how young these soldiers were), and generally an entertaining storyteller. The book includes bonus content on his attempts to track and reconnect with survivors of his old unit for decades, as well as a chapter on his experience with the HBO show and the actor that played him, which were very interesting as he was one of the rare vets who got to watch the show's début.
February 5, 2020
Imagine sitting on the couch with your uncle or your grandfather and listening to them talk about what they did in World War II--this book is like that.
The author, Jack Tatum, enlisted in the U.S. Marines at the age of 17 and was assigned to be a machine gunner in the 5th Marine Division which was forming in Southern California. Slated to be in the first wave of troops landing on Iwo Jima, Tatum finds himself right in the middle of one of the bloodiest battles of the entire Pacific War.
The book is full of humorous anecdotes as Tatum is a bit of a screwball during training and delights in playing pranks on his fellow soldiers...some of which backfire in quite spectacular fashion. However, once he gets to combat he proves to be a very reliable Marine and survives for over two weeks before being evacuated because of wounds and battle fatigue.
Now, the subtitle mentions "fighting alongside John Basilone from boot camp to Iwo Jima"...but this is a little misleading. Tatum was a huge admirer of Basilone (pretty much every Marine was at the time) and they are in the same unit for a short time during training. There are a few mentions here and there of seeing Basilone in training, but to say they trained together is a little bit of a stretch. Once they land on Iwo Jima, they do meet up again and end up fighting together for a short time in the initial stage of the fight for a Japanese airfield.
While the book is a very personal view of what Tatum experienced, he does add more to his story to give an idea of the bigger picture of the war. So, while I wouldn't recommend this book to someone who wants to know all about the Battle of Iwo Jima, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to know what it was like to fight and try to survive on that hellish chunk of rock.
If you've seen the HBO series "The Pacific", this book was used for part of the basis of the series and the author is depicted in the episode on Iwo Jima. After reading this, I think I need to go back and watch the series again.
The author, Jack Tatum, enlisted in the U.S. Marines at the age of 17 and was assigned to be a machine gunner in the 5th Marine Division which was forming in Southern California. Slated to be in the first wave of troops landing on Iwo Jima, Tatum finds himself right in the middle of one of the bloodiest battles of the entire Pacific War.
The book is full of humorous anecdotes as Tatum is a bit of a screwball during training and delights in playing pranks on his fellow soldiers...some of which backfire in quite spectacular fashion. However, once he gets to combat he proves to be a very reliable Marine and survives for over two weeks before being evacuated because of wounds and battle fatigue.
Now, the subtitle mentions "fighting alongside John Basilone from boot camp to Iwo Jima"...but this is a little misleading. Tatum was a huge admirer of Basilone (pretty much every Marine was at the time) and they are in the same unit for a short time during training. There are a few mentions here and there of seeing Basilone in training, but to say they trained together is a little bit of a stretch. Once they land on Iwo Jima, they do meet up again and end up fighting together for a short time in the initial stage of the fight for a Japanese airfield.
While the book is a very personal view of what Tatum experienced, he does add more to his story to give an idea of the bigger picture of the war. So, while I wouldn't recommend this book to someone who wants to know all about the Battle of Iwo Jima, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to know what it was like to fight and try to survive on that hellish chunk of rock.
If you've seen the HBO series "The Pacific", this book was used for part of the basis of the series and the author is depicted in the episode on Iwo Jima. After reading this, I think I need to go back and watch the series again.
October 19, 2015
Tatum writes his memoirs of the last half of World War II to include his bootcamp and training experiences and his short acquaintance with Congressional Medal of Honor holder "Manila" John Basilone. He observed Basilone's death at Iwo Jima and continues the story of the historic battle past his own medical evacuation. This memoir of a young Marine is much better than the wordy and prejudiced one by James Mitchner. I highly recommend for young people for the charter traits portrayed in this work which served as one of works on which the HBO series The Pacific was based. It was hard for me to put the book down. Semper Fi Mr. Tatum.
November 13, 2020
Outstanding book about Iwo Jima.
November 4, 2019
Of the WWII memoirs I’ve read this one isn’t the best but it was still very compelling. I enjoyed following Tatum through his time in boot camp all the way to his postwar life. I especially liked the epilogue. My biggest pet peeve in this book was the phrase ‘Marine-speak for’ as a way to explain military terms. It got on my nerves so much (I did listen to the audiobook so that may be why..) and it is used often. Other than that, this is a decent WWII book, especially about Iwo Jima which is not talked about as much.
February 7, 2024
I knew this book was one of the books they used as source material for the Pacific and so it's been on my radar for a while. I randomly caught the title out of the corner of my eye one day as I walked passed the "for sale" books at the Library. I instantly bought it and brought it home to live happily beside Helmet for my Pillow and With the Old Breed.
I will admit that it took me a while to get into the book. The writing style grated on my nerves quite a bit at first. Each chapter started with a quote from within the chapter but none of the chapters were long enough to justify this. I quickly quit reading the opening quote to avoid repetition. Second, the constant use of (that's Marine speak for ...) got exhausting to read. The translation alone in a parathesis would have been better, or no translation at all. Many of the terms could have been easily defined by their context, so it kept taking me out of the story. Last, the inclusion of John Basilone on the cover is pretty misleading and sells the story short. Basilone was Tatum's hero and he did serve with him, but Basilone is in less than 5% of this book, possibly less than 1%. If you are looking for books about Basilone, this isn't the book you're looking for. If you are looking for books about the battle on Iwo Jima from a boots-on-the-ground perspective, this is absolutely the book you're looking for.
As a WW2 memoir, this book is excellent. Once I got over the above issues, I really enjoyed it. The whole section on Iwo Jima is well-written, heartbreaking, courageous, mind-boggling, and gut-clenching. It is everything you want from a memoir. Learning about Tatum as a person was wonderful. Several parts at the end made me tear up just simply because I had grown to love Tatum himself.
I am truly thankful I stumbled across this book and I'm happy it is now on my shelf.
I will admit that it took me a while to get into the book. The writing style grated on my nerves quite a bit at first. Each chapter started with a quote from within the chapter but none of the chapters were long enough to justify this. I quickly quit reading the opening quote to avoid repetition. Second, the constant use of (that's Marine speak for ...) got exhausting to read. The translation alone in a parathesis would have been better, or no translation at all. Many of the terms could have been easily defined by their context, so it kept taking me out of the story. Last, the inclusion of John Basilone on the cover is pretty misleading and sells the story short. Basilone was Tatum's hero and he did serve with him, but Basilone is in less than 5% of this book, possibly less than 1%. If you are looking for books about Basilone, this isn't the book you're looking for. If you are looking for books about the battle on Iwo Jima from a boots-on-the-ground perspective, this is absolutely the book you're looking for.
As a WW2 memoir, this book is excellent. Once I got over the above issues, I really enjoyed it. The whole section on Iwo Jima is well-written, heartbreaking, courageous, mind-boggling, and gut-clenching. It is everything you want from a memoir. Learning about Tatum as a person was wonderful. Several parts at the end made me tear up just simply because I had grown to love Tatum himself.
I am truly thankful I stumbled across this book and I'm happy it is now on my shelf.
July 3, 2018
Outstanding read from the eyes of a young Marine going ashore on Iwo Jima. With a 1st hand look at heroes like John Basilone. But the real impact of the story is the day to day life as a young Marine facing combat for the 1st time on Iwo Jima. The grit, the toil, the loss of friends.
Great read, recommend it highly and written in a very readable style that lets you feel you are there. Excellent narrative.
Great read, recommend it highly and written in a very readable style that lets you feel you are there. Excellent narrative.
May 20, 2022
Great recollection of the fight for Iwo Jima by a marine who was there, Charles “Chuck”Tatum. This is one of the better combat veterans memoirs I have read. If you are interested in WWII battles, this is a must read.
January 5, 2025
Very eye opening, firsthand account of Chuck Tatum’s experience of becoming a marine and surviving the battle on Iwo Jima. I was glad to find most of the foul language was redacted by Chuck. Hearing the bravery and determination of these marines was inspiring. The loss of so many of his friends was devastating to hear when you’re hoping they could all make it through safely. Definitely worth reading and remembering this part of history.
Read
March 19, 2018its a good book
June 13, 2014
I have always been interested in memoirs and books based off of true events because they alaways mean more to me. I will say, I have never really read a book based off of experiences of war. This is my first time reading a soldiers memoir about his trek throgh Iwo Jima and what type of training he went through as a marine. This also happens to be my first time reading a novel by Chuck Tatum. Anyways, on with the review. I was extremely impressed and even teared up a few times.It took a little time to get to the more main points and objective of the memoir, but it was worth the wait. This book is amazing, and the way it the soldier describes the feeling along side John Basilone makes you feel like you are in the book too, feeling everything under the sun. It is hard to say everything without giving anything away and it was so breathtaking it is hard to summerize it all. The book is all about the title. The title says it all and the memoir shows the courage of those who fought for freedom, who lost their best friends, as he described in the book. The feeling of lonlieness. I recomend this book to everyone. It was an eyeopener, and you can never truly judge a book by its cover( cliche I know..) Wonderfully written, and I hope everyone else gets a chance to enjoy this book the way I did.
June 29, 2014
I have read numerous books on the Battle of Iwo Jima in the past thirty years, anywhere from the official battle reports to overviews to first-person accounts from participants. It is rare that I rate a book so highly, but Chuck Tatum's version of events I rate very highly. First off, he stays in his lane. Instead of telling us what every unit was doing, as many accounts do, he stick with a narrow focus telling us what happened to the men of his machine gun platoon of B Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Marines of the 5th Marine Division. We see the personalities of his squad mates during training and it sticks with us through the battle. We feel the fatigue and the nervousness. We laugh at the pranks, and come away with a better understanding of a small group of people who put their lives on the line at Iwo Jima.
Writing in the memoir genre is difficult, but Tatum does a great job. He doesn't come off as the hero. He doesn't come off as a goat. He makes us feel what is happening during his youth, both good and bad. That is part of what makes this book so excellent.
If you are interested in reading about Iwo Jima and what the men faced, this book should be among the tops in your reading list.
Writing in the memoir genre is difficult, but Tatum does a great job. He doesn't come off as the hero. He doesn't come off as a goat. He makes us feel what is happening during his youth, both good and bad. That is part of what makes this book so excellent.
If you are interested in reading about Iwo Jima and what the men faced, this book should be among the tops in your reading list.
February 8, 2016
This review was first published in the Historical Novel Review.
The black sands of Iwo Jima were witness to the largest battle ever fought by the US Marines. 30,000 Marines took part, and Chuck Tatum was one of them. He was a young man, fresh from boot camp, when he scrambled out of his AAV and up the beach. That first day he fought alongside John Basilone, hero of Guadalcanal, and continued fighting through weeks of some of the most brutal combat of WWII. His company would suffer 90% casualties on Iwo Jima.
Tatum wrote this memoir in honor of his fellow Marines. It has since become one of four sources cited in HBO’s mini-sires The Pacific. This is a true memoir, with none of the polish of professional writing, and all of the charm, authenticity, and grit of a man who is looking back on his wartime experiences with 50 years of perspective. We’re with him through boot camp, through his antics while on leave, and alongside him as the Marines fight for every scrap of volcanic soil. Though his tale is grim, Tatum delivers it with such enthusiasm that it isn’t overwhelming, like so many other books on war can be. This is a must-read for any student of WWII.
The black sands of Iwo Jima were witness to the largest battle ever fought by the US Marines. 30,000 Marines took part, and Chuck Tatum was one of them. He was a young man, fresh from boot camp, when he scrambled out of his AAV and up the beach. That first day he fought alongside John Basilone, hero of Guadalcanal, and continued fighting through weeks of some of the most brutal combat of WWII. His company would suffer 90% casualties on Iwo Jima.
Tatum wrote this memoir in honor of his fellow Marines. It has since become one of four sources cited in HBO’s mini-sires The Pacific. This is a true memoir, with none of the polish of professional writing, and all of the charm, authenticity, and grit of a man who is looking back on his wartime experiences with 50 years of perspective. We’re with him through boot camp, through his antics while on leave, and alongside him as the Marines fight for every scrap of volcanic soil. Though his tale is grim, Tatum delivers it with such enthusiasm that it isn’t overwhelming, like so many other books on war can be. This is a must-read for any student of WWII.
July 20, 2015
Reading a combat memoir is always best when written by the combat veteran themselves. There's an air of reality about it which I like and which outweighs any shortcomings in skills of written composition. I watched the HBO miniseries, 'The Pacific' a couple of years ago and have wanted to read this book ever since. Now I have done so, I'm glad I made the effort. Together with Robert Leckie ('Helmet for my pillow') and Eugene Sledge ('With the old breed'), Chuck Tatum and Tom Hanks have brought much-needed attention to the great campaigns of the Pacific theatre. These are no less significant for Australians than they are for Americans, as we too were under grave threat from Imperial Japan.
September 14, 2014
This is one of the best day-by-day memoirs of battle I have read. I can see why it was used as source material for the HBO mini-series The Pacific. An excellent exploration of the horror of war, the boredom of military life, and the bonds of military brothers.
February 17, 2015
I have read many world war 2 books but this one really hit the nail on the head. With great detail and explanation. Tatum does a great job of describing his experiences on Iwo Jima. Great book, a must read for all world war 2 history fans.
May 25, 2015
If anything can pull at your heart string and make you remember a time when boys were sent off to do the job as man, this is the story for you. After reading this story a tear doesn't form in your eye your heart is dark as the days those young men lived through.
July 19, 2014
very enjoyable read. i always enjoy these types of books aka band of brothers or the pacfic,where u have a first hand account of the actions from someone that was there and lived through it
May 9, 2023
Red Blood, Black Sand: Fighting Alongside John Basilone from Boot Camp to Iwo Jima
Chuck Tatum
The average American knows nothing about the world outside their own little pocket of America and cares little about the wider world outside the US Borders. This Isolationist Attitude saw them late to enter both World Wars, the bombing of Pearl Harbour finally making it personal for them. It took another two years before they had men trained and ready to fight.
I’m auditioning an audiobook version of this account by Chuck Tatum of his limited part in the war in the Pacific. Of course to hear US braggadocio and jingoism they won the war. Nothing so vividly illustrates the military’s hurry up and wait attitude as the fact that 4 hours into this tale the marines still haven’t gone to war and almost all the men who trained them had had no field experience of War.
John Basilone is treated like a revered saint. If you’ve watched Tom Hanks’ The Pacific or read any of the other accounts of America’s Island Hopping war with Japan you’ll know that Iwo Jima may have been big in the minds of those who landed there and a photographer’s famous photo of a flag raising became iconic but it was only one chapter in a war that stretched for 7 long years and to which America was late to arrive.
Despite the title the author has little contact with Basilone the name dropping seems solely used to gain interest in his book. In this account the author seems to spend most of his time hiding from enemy fire. The reader gets little overall sense of the battle for Iwo Jima. The author spends considerable time writing about his induction and boot camp and his frustration with the military’s way of doing things. The oxymoron that is military intelligence comes through loud and clear. The troops were not prepared for the conditions on the island nor was there knowledge of the intricate underground fortifications and tunnel system built into the volcanic rock or the number of enemy that would be faced. The three day romp that was promised was hyperbole. As we see in the movie, The Thin Red Line the naval shelling of the island was strictly for show and totally ineffective but it sure bucks up the troop’s morale.
The book is the author’s limited experience of WW#2 but seems written to capitalize on the public’s interest in the event and as therapeutic exorcism. It adds little to the historical record.
Chuck Tatum
The average American knows nothing about the world outside their own little pocket of America and cares little about the wider world outside the US Borders. This Isolationist Attitude saw them late to enter both World Wars, the bombing of Pearl Harbour finally making it personal for them. It took another two years before they had men trained and ready to fight.
I’m auditioning an audiobook version of this account by Chuck Tatum of his limited part in the war in the Pacific. Of course to hear US braggadocio and jingoism they won the war. Nothing so vividly illustrates the military’s hurry up and wait attitude as the fact that 4 hours into this tale the marines still haven’t gone to war and almost all the men who trained them had had no field experience of War.
John Basilone is treated like a revered saint. If you’ve watched Tom Hanks’ The Pacific or read any of the other accounts of America’s Island Hopping war with Japan you’ll know that Iwo Jima may have been big in the minds of those who landed there and a photographer’s famous photo of a flag raising became iconic but it was only one chapter in a war that stretched for 7 long years and to which America was late to arrive.
Despite the title the author has little contact with Basilone the name dropping seems solely used to gain interest in his book. In this account the author seems to spend most of his time hiding from enemy fire. The reader gets little overall sense of the battle for Iwo Jima. The author spends considerable time writing about his induction and boot camp and his frustration with the military’s way of doing things. The oxymoron that is military intelligence comes through loud and clear. The troops were not prepared for the conditions on the island nor was there knowledge of the intricate underground fortifications and tunnel system built into the volcanic rock or the number of enemy that would be faced. The three day romp that was promised was hyperbole. As we see in the movie, The Thin Red Line the naval shelling of the island was strictly for show and totally ineffective but it sure bucks up the troop’s morale.
The book is the author’s limited experience of WW#2 but seems written to capitalize on the public’s interest in the event and as therapeutic exorcism. It adds little to the historical record.
December 24, 2019
Chuck Tatum's book covers his experience in the Marine Corps during World War II, from his enlistment through training and at the Battle of Iwo Jima, and then following his evacuation from the island. The story is a great document of what the fight on Iwo Jima was like for an ordinary Marine.
I've read the other two books that were the inspiration for the mini-series The Pacific, Eugene Sledge's With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa and Robert Leckie's Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific. Of the three, Tatum's book is the most fast-paced and engaging. That said, I recommend all of them.
Side note: The title is somewhat misleading. While Tatum was with John Basilone for a time during training in California, and fought with him on the first day at Iwo Jima, the two did not know each other well or spend a great deal of time together. Tatum revered Basilone and he was one of the last people to see him alive, but they weren't close. Don't let that stop you from picking this up though--it's a great read.
I've read the other two books that were the inspiration for the mini-series The Pacific, Eugene Sledge's With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa and Robert Leckie's Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific. Of the three, Tatum's book is the most fast-paced and engaging. That said, I recommend all of them.
Side note: The title is somewhat misleading. While Tatum was with John Basilone for a time during training in California, and fought with him on the first day at Iwo Jima, the two did not know each other well or spend a great deal of time together. Tatum revered Basilone and he was one of the last people to see him alive, but they weren't close. Don't let that stop you from picking this up though--it's a great read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2024
To me, it was easier to read along than both „Helmet for my Pillow“ and „With the Old Breed“.
The fact that Tatum writes a lot about his training might be boring to some, as you wait for the war action to begin, but to people who are into military stuff it is nethertheless interesting to read the conditions of the USMC back then. More than that, Tatum discloses how it felt to know that John Basilone died while in the same combat zone as one self, someone who was/is regarded as a war hero dying weight down on one’s conscious. Furthermore, Tatum‘s feelings after taken off of combat and sent to the med bay as well as when his good friend was evacuated are unlike anything I have read, as especially the matter of soldiers being taken off the front line due to psychological issues seems kind of like a red flag to talk about, and Tatum perfectly explains why that is.
Total recommendation for people interested in American war history.
The fact that Tatum writes a lot about his training might be boring to some, as you wait for the war action to begin, but to people who are into military stuff it is nethertheless interesting to read the conditions of the USMC back then. More than that, Tatum discloses how it felt to know that John Basilone died while in the same combat zone as one self, someone who was/is regarded as a war hero dying weight down on one’s conscious. Furthermore, Tatum‘s feelings after taken off of combat and sent to the med bay as well as when his good friend was evacuated are unlike anything I have read, as especially the matter of soldiers being taken off the front line due to psychological issues seems kind of like a red flag to talk about, and Tatum perfectly explains why that is.
Total recommendation for people interested in American war history.
April 21, 2024
4.5 Stars. Another great entry to the Pacific theatre memoirs. Tatum is a more humorous writer than some of his fellow marines, it was interesting to see his observations on the war and its happenings through a more lighthearted view. His writing was witty, a personal favorite line of mine was: “We had to do something quick to save our butts or we would be so far back in a Navy prison they would have to mail us sunshine”.
The only mild drawbacks were the handholding with various “Marine Speak”. It wasn’t my favorite but a very minor thing. I loved the section about him tracking down his old Marine buddies and reconnecting. The section about his involvement with The Pacific caught my attention as well. Overall a great read, it was the first memoir of an Iwo Jima combatant that I have read and the day by day walkthrough of events was very interesting, the picture of events is further painted by the great men who fought in the war and recorded their experiences.
The only mild drawbacks were the handholding with various “Marine Speak”. It wasn’t my favorite but a very minor thing. I loved the section about him tracking down his old Marine buddies and reconnecting. The section about his involvement with The Pacific caught my attention as well. Overall a great read, it was the first memoir of an Iwo Jima combatant that I have read and the day by day walkthrough of events was very interesting, the picture of events is further painted by the great men who fought in the war and recorded their experiences.
December 31, 2017
My last book of 2017. Read this one to get an understanding of what my father went through when he fought as a Marine in the WWII Battle of Iwo Jima. The book was good in giving you a vision of what this was like through the eyes of the soldiers that fought from boot camp to stateside return. I am awestruck by the fact that my father (long since deceased) was a part of this savage battle and I have no remembrance of his stories, reflections, tribulations from this. Sad, that I never matured enough before his death or was so self absorbed to never notice. While I had a high regard of my father before this, I will remember him in a different way now that I know what he went through in Feb/March 1945 as a special weapons marine fighting the Japanese in this harrowing and game changing battle for WWII.
January 26, 2021
I read Chuck Tatum's Red Blood, Black Sand to finish-out the third book that HBO's The Pacific was based on. I liked the book, but it is my least favorite of the three. Not that Mr. Tatum's war stories and experiences aren't important, I was just under the impression that he had followed along with John Basilone more through the war, not just on Iwo Jima in the final hours of Basilone's life. That part of the book only encompasses about one chapter of the book. Which is fine, because his story has been interesting, but it doesn't seem like enough of the book to put it as part of the title. Even so, his accounts of Iwo Jima were very good and well-worth the read. He was quite a character and prankster through his boot camp and training days. The first half of the book encompasses a lot of that.
July 1, 2021
I read another review that says this book is like your grandpa is telling you his war stories and I have to agree. This man is a natural story teller and the epilogue to this book blew me away. What an amazing story. I was a little hesitant with the secondary title that he fought with Basilone as I wasn’t too interested in a third person story about him, but really Basilone was a very minor character and I felt that the author just wanted to show his major respect for the man as a marine and I LOVE that about him. The author is a marine that defines himself as a marine which commands major respect from me. This book is a genuine memorial to the fellow marines lost in the battle of Iwo Jima and he does a MASTERFUL job of doing just that. What an amazing tribute and fantastic story!
July 7, 2022
How do you turn one of the most harrowing experiences anyone has ever suffered through into something only mildly interesting? Alas, the answer is that you let Chuck Tatum write about it.
Tatum joined the Marine Corps as soon as he legally could, and landed on Iwo Jima in the first wave (it turned out to be the only battle he was in - but if one battle is all that someone's in, Iwo is one of the worst). This book is about his experiences from first joining the Corps till his return home, including his training under John Basilone, who earned the Medal of Honor - and died - on Iwo Jima. The material is highly interesting. But Tatum isn't, unfortunately, a great writer. He uses Englishy competently, but not more, and on occasion his prose turns purple.
Tatum joined the Marine Corps as soon as he legally could, and landed on Iwo Jima in the first wave (it turned out to be the only battle he was in - but if one battle is all that someone's in, Iwo is one of the worst). This book is about his experiences from first joining the Corps till his return home, including his training under John Basilone, who earned the Medal of Honor - and died - on Iwo Jima. The material is highly interesting. But Tatum isn't, unfortunately, a great writer. He uses Englishy competently, but not more, and on occasion his prose turns purple.
January 19, 2022
This book was quite an eye opener about the marines in WW2 and their basic training, tactics and experiences. I was very surprised to learn that they actually trained for over a year as always thought they only had about 3 months training.
I also knew things were bad on Iwo Jima from the Pacific series (which is based on this book) and various films but I actually thought some of the worst things were not the fighting but the lack of water, sleep and support that they had.
I wanted to know more about Chuck Tatum after the war but apart from him becoming a race driver he skipped over the rest of his life and didnt mention PTSD or much apart from a few reunions he did later in life.
I also knew things were bad on Iwo Jima from the Pacific series (which is based on this book) and various films but I actually thought some of the worst things were not the fighting but the lack of water, sleep and support that they had.
I wanted to know more about Chuck Tatum after the war but apart from him becoming a race driver he skipped over the rest of his life and didnt mention PTSD or much apart from a few reunions he did later in life.
October 4, 2025
I'm not going to describe the whole story as it's already been well described in the book blurb here. What I can say is that it's very well written and easy to read. I'm very surprised that Tatum wasn't a professional book writer or that it wasn't penned with a writer. It definitely goes down very well with an easy humor of the times.
The book starts with a short pre-war description then goes into boot camp, training and finally the battle on Iwo Jima. I'm also very surprised that he remembered so many little details and all the names and people. He did an excellent job of describing everything. One of the best WW2 war memoirs I've read. Highly recommended.
The book starts with a short pre-war description then goes into boot camp, training and finally the battle on Iwo Jima. I'm also very surprised that he remembered so many little details and all the names and people. He did an excellent job of describing everything. One of the best WW2 war memoirs I've read. Highly recommended.
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