The Last of the Old Breed: An Oral History of the Final Marines from World War II

by Scott Davis

An oral history of the brutal Pacific Theater in WWII, told by many of the last living U.S. Marine veterans.

During World War II, over 16 million Americans served in the Armed Forces. Today, less than 1 percent are still alive. The Last of the Old Breed is an unprecedented oral history of the final living United States Marines from World War II, featuring over 130 veterans, ranging in age from 90 to 103. Told in harrowing detail, the witnesses reveal the brutal reality of combat against a fanatical enemy and the heavy toll it took on their post-war lives.

From retirement facilities, veteran’s hospitals, and modest homes across the country, the last witnesses opened up about the war like never before, determined to leave an honest account for future generations. For many of the veterans, this was the first – and final – time telling their stories.

The Last of the Old Breed is a rare, unvarnished look at the Pacific War, in the words of those who were there. These are the stories that could not be told – until now.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War

330 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 19, 2026

About the author

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Scott Davis (2 spaces): GRs author humor
Scott Davis (3 spaces): GRs author business
Scott Davis (4 spaces): comic book writer and artist
Scott Davis (5 spaces): thrillers and post-apocalyptic
Scott Davis (6 spaces): computer programs
Scott Davis (7 spaces): microhydro technology
Scott Davis (8 spaces): Parenting advice and self-defense
Scott Davis (9 spaces): GRs author sci-fi

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible collection of first hand accounts from Marine Vets in Pacific Theatre.
First hand stories are priceless and as the years go by it is so important to record these stories before it’s too late. Scott Davis does an excellent job with “The Last of the Old Breed” . The stories are so impactful and arranged in a way that really connects you with the people involved and the reality of experiencing combat at such a young age. I can’t recommend this book enough.


Thank you to NetGalley for the arc

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few years ago I read and was really moved by “With the Old Breed, At Peleliu and Okinawa.” So when I saw “The Last of the Old Breed, an Oral History of the Final Marines from World War II” on NetGalley, I was interested in reading it. My extended interest was due to my Papaw (my dad’s dad) serving as a marine during WWII in Okinawa.

In this book, author Scott Davis interviews dozens of WWII Marines who are still living. All the guys quoted were in their 90s and a few were even over 100, which is especially amazing given the grueling events they lived through so long ago. Davis has small bits of intro material in each chapter, but this book is largely just quote after quote by the Marines themselves, divided usually into specific South Pacific locations where they served. I particularly found books like this interesting because it seems that “WWII” usually conjures up Nazis and concentration camps rather than conflicts in Guam, Japan, and other Pacific islands.

I marked many things in this book. Among them:

Milton Cronk, 98: “I could have stayed home on the farm–I had the chance. But I didn’t want to. I wanted to go in with the Marines and do my patriotic duty.”
Elburn Cooper, 95: “I went to the Air Force first: ‘No, we can’t take you because you don’t have enough math.’ Then I went to the Navy: ‘No, we can’t take you because you don’t have enough math.’ Then I went to the Army: “No, we can’t take you because you don’t have enough math.’ Then I went to the Marine Corps and–bang! They just wanted cannon fodder, I think.”
Lee Robinson, 97: “If I could blame it on anything, it would be the uniform. I thought that uniform was great.”
Milton Cronk, 98: “When I went into the Marine Corps, my mother told me: ‘I hope, if the Japs get you, that you can kill yourself before they torture you.'”
Louis Bourgault, 97: “The average age was probably twenty. We had four or five guys in theiri upper twenties, but anybody over twenty-five, we called them ‘Pops.’ War is a young man’s business.”
Harmon Hunter, 101: “The Japanese were very brave people. They were cruet and they were mean, but they were very brave … They were really experienced. They’d been slaughtering Chinese for practice for the last five years.”
Tom Baker, 98: “Another one of my buddies got killed: We were standing together alongside of an airplane, talking, when a Japanese sniper cut loose. They hit him but didn’t hit me. I don’t even remember the kid’s name. But you learn quick: If your best friend gets killed today, you forget about him tomorrow. That’s the way it was done back then. That’s the only way you could survive. I’ve seen people who couldn’t do that, and they went nuts; they couldn’t stand it. That was one thing we all understood: If it happened to you, that’s too bad. If it happened to your buddy, you’re lucky. That’s just he way it was.”
Burt Withee, 95: “The thing about combat was, as scared as you were, you’d see somebody else being brave and you’d think: Hell, if he can do it, I can do it. That carried a lot of guys through combat, because things could get pretty nasty.”
Marvin Strombo, 95: “Martin knew he was going to die. When we got to Saipan, he put his arm on me and said, ‘I ain’t gonna make it. But I enjoyed my time taking this little ocean cruise with you.'”
Burt Withee, 95: “In combat, there was a certain class of guy that just let everything go. Nothing was too bad; nothing was too violent, ugly, dirty, or nasty to do. Combat gave you the excuse to do whatever you wanted to do, and some guys took that liberty. But most of the guys wanted to get in there, get it done, get it over with, and get out.”
Roy Earle, 98: “You know what the Japs told the civilians? That the Marine Corps was the meanest fighting force in the world; that we were so tough that we had to killed our father and mother to get in. Can you imagine? The women certainly weren’t going to fall prey to that kind of vicious character, so they jumped off the cliffs and killed themselves. And if they had children, they threw their children over and killed them, too.”
John Marx, 97: “A guy named Clayton from Jersey got his foot blown off. As he went down the hill, he yelled, ‘I’m going home!'”
Bob Ehrlich, 94: “I thought combat would be neat. But guess what? It isn’t.”
Robert Schultz, 102: “We had dead guys and nowhere to put them. A smell I’ll never forget was all those guys rotting. The South Pacific is hot no matter where you are, and we had no air conditioning. We laid those guys out in an area that we called the ‘barber shop’ because that’s where we cut hair. We couldn’t do anything while we were in action. But once we got some free time, we did a burial.”
Ernie Ferguson, 98: “One of the boys went out of his mind on Peleliu and some of the guys had to take him down from Bloody Nose Ridge and tie him up. That poor man: When we were getting ready to go to Okinawa, he committed suicide. He didn’t want to face another beach landing.”
John Marx, 97: “There were legs and arms and torsos laying all over the place. There were sharks in the shallow water eating bodies–big hammerheads and tiger sharks. If you stayed on the beach, you were going to be killed.”
Gordon Black, 94: “Thank God for the atomic bomb” (narration explains that the War Department had estimated over a million Allied lives would have been lost had ground troops fought in Japan, as the plan had been prior to the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima). Ray Garland, 96: “(The bombs) saved a lot of lives. It killed a lot of Japanese, but it saved a lot of lives.”
Chuck Meacham, 96: “My dad and I were sitting around (after the war). I said, ‘I think I’m going to take the next year off with all my buddies’ … The GI Bill allowed twenty dollars a week for fifty-two weeks, for one full year. I said, ‘I think I’ll do that.’ My dad looked me in the eye and said, ‘Son, you take that welfare and you’re not welcome in my house.'”

This book is just now coming out and I found it to be a fascinating look into what WWII South Pacific life was really like for Marines. I liked the way the story was basically just the quotes from the veterans. Even better, I think, is “With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa,” which is a book that will always stay with me.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

How much do you know about the Marines in World War II? Besides the Marine Monument In Washington, DC, which celebrates Marines raising the Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima. Well, if you want to hear from actual WW II Marines, Scott Davis has a volume for you in The Last of the Old Breed. He spent ten years interviewing veterans and their families and then weaving their individual tales into this book.

Scott Davis opens the book with what various individuals were doing before World War II came to American soil at Pearl Harbor and the reaction to this attack and the preparation by the Marines to get into action. There are chapters on Guadacanal, New Georgia, Tarawa, New Britian, Kwajalein, Saipan, Guam, Peleliu, the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa interspersed with chapters on Marines spending time in Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, and the home front. Scott Davis would provide the individual's name, age at the time of the interview, and their unit and then a snippet of their tale relevant to the particular chapter. He closes the book with three chapters - "Home Alive by '45," "Life After War," and "In the Shadow of War" which provides context for the veterans' lives after they came home and what they did along with some interactions with family members. At the tail end of the book is an appendix listing all the Marines who contributed to the book, an appendix of various awards given to the Marines in the book, and an appendix discussing the 121st Naval Construction Battalion - the Seabees - attached to the Fourth Marine Division.

If you are looking for first-hand accounts of WW II Marine veterans, pick up Scott Davis's The Last of the Old Breed and listen to their tales.

Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this title!

[Mike Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last of the Old Breed is a powerful look back at World War II through the eyes of the US Marines who lived it. Today, fewer than one percent of the Americans who served in World War II are still alive, and Scott Davis set out to capture their stories before they are lost to history. By seeking out this last group of veterans, Davis preserves firsthand accounts that might otherwise disappear with time.
The result is a fascinating and deeply personal view of the war in the Pacific Theater, told directly by those who were there. I listened to the audiobook version and found it impossible to stop listening. Davis allows the veterans to tell their stories largely in their own words, with very little editorial interference. This approach leads to some uncomfortable moments, especially when the Marines describe the horrors they witnessed in vivid detail, but that honesty makes their experiences feel more real and sobering.
There is also language that may offend some listeners, including derogatory references to Japanese soldiers. While this language is not acceptable by modern standards, I felt it was appropriate in the context of an unfiltered oral history from men and women speaking honestly about their wartime experiences.
The book follows a chronological structure, beginning with the veterans’ childhoods during the Great Depression, moving through their combat experiences, and concluding with the lasting effects of the war and their return to civilian life. I truly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in World War II, military history, or firsthand historical accounts.

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and Scott Davis for a free advanced readers copy for an honest review.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This is the compiled oral history of the firsthand accounts of over 130 U.S. Marines in the Pacific Theater during World War II. The stories are honest, raw and unfiltered. These intimate stories give the reader an up-close and personal look at the brutal reality of war. As Marine Eugene Jones indicated, “It’s not like some goddamned movie.”

The author did his research, and spent countless hours interviewing. At first, I didn’t like the format of the book. There are chapters introducing the Marines (background, childhood, youth) followed by chapters devoted to specific battles, places or time periods. The author first gives an overview, then continues with the Marines’ testimonies. At first I thought I would have liked to have each person’s chapter separate, but as I continued reading I realized this was more impactful.

The stories are horrific, yet are testimonials to the heroism, courageousness and bravery of these veterans. Oddly, none of those interviewed made their story about them. Instead, they spoke of those who “served” alongside them, and those who died next to them. Even Harold Rediske, a recipient of the Silver Star, stated, “The only heroes are the guys under the white crosses.”

These are stories that need to be told, and taught, and remembered. One of the veterans highlighted that point when he told the story of meeting a college-age woman who asked him if the Iwo Jima on his bumper sticker referred to “some kind of drink?”

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last of the Old Breed: An Oral History of the Final Marines from World War II by Scott Davis was an interesting, fast read. It was unique to anything that I have ever read on World War II. Too many books written by historians are boring and few authors ever get the truth about warfare. This book is oral history, so it takes its information from real men and women who were there, versus government paperwork.
I liked reading our veterans’ testimonies. I liked that the author decided to group the testimonies by topic chapter, instead of giving each person a chapter. I think that the reader would have been burnt out by a longer testimony by the time the veterans got to the tougher subjects.
I think that author was brave in today’s world, where people tend to remove words and clean histories to avoid offending others. I think historical voices should be left raw and in their original source because we the readers deserve to know the truth of war. The only thing that I did not like about the book was the format of the testimonies. I think that there should have been space between each one because sometimes I did not realize that the voice had changed even with their names in front of their testimony.
I received a complimentary copy of The Last of the Old Breed: An Oral History of the Final Marines from World War II and I freely left this review. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this reading opportunity.

[Homerun2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a powerful and moving book, unvarnished first person accounts of World War II Marines in the South Pacific, and their stories about their experiences.

The author interviewed more than 100 veterans (now in their 90s and some over 100). Some had never talked about their war and were telling their stories for the first time. An informative but unobtrusive narrative gives an overview.

Many of the experiences are brutal and disturbing. The anecdotes are loosely arranged by battle locations. We learn the Marines' names and ages but not where they came from or most details of their lives.

There is no glorification here. These combat veterans are clear-eyed about the horrors of war and many note that history hasn't taught politicians anything. We do hear a bit about the aftermath of their experiences and how it affected them. This was decades before PTSD was recognized and the V.A. and society in general didn't have many mental health resources.

Most World War II veterans have already died. Many younger generation folks don't know much about this war, as evidenced by a sad story about a young woman who asked one of the veterans what the Iwo Jima bumper sticker on his car referred to.

This is an important book, but often difficult to read. I wish that more of this history was known by younger generations and politicians. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Laura Maynard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

I absolutely loved this book. I think there is so much written about the European theater in WWII and people find the Nazi’s to be so fascinating (don’t come for me, I said fascinating which does not equate to good) so it was very different to read a book that focused solely on the war in the Pacific, especially one that spends so little time on Pearl Harbor. I’ve often felt that history doesn’t care as much about the Pacific theater of WWII and I think that is so sad because every single one of these veterans deserves to be recognized for their efforts and the sacrifices that they made.

I loved how Scott Davis let the veterans tell the story. Davis gave background on battles and events but this was really a forum for Marines to tell their stories and I loved it. I think studying/learning/knowing history is so important and eyewitness testimony and accounts of historical events is, in my opinion, the gold standard. Unfortunately we are very quickly approaching a time where there won’t be anyone left to give witness to any part of WWII so I am very thankful Davis recognized this need and compiled the stories of these Marines.

I thought Davis did a very good job in organizing the stories - they flowed well and the book was easy to follow and kept me engaged.

I would read this again and will be buying copies as gifts. I very much recommend this book to anyone who is interested in WWII.

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last of the Old Breed is a powerful and deeply moving oral history that brings the Pacific Theater of World War II into stark, unfiltered focus. Through the voices of over a hundred surviving U.S. Marines, Scott Davis captures the brutality, fear, and resilience of men who fought in some of the war’s most harrowing battles. The firsthand accounts are raw and unsparing, offering a rare glimpse into both the physical realities of combat and the emotional weight these veterans carried long after the war ended.

What makes this book truly stand out is its humanity. Davis steps back and lets the veterans speak, creating a narrative that feels intimate, urgent, and incredibly real. It’s not just a history of war, but a testament to memory, sacrifice, and the importance of preserving these stories before they’re lost. The Last of the Old Breed is a sobering, unforgettable read that honors a generation with honesty and respect.

[Patricia Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the better books written about the military fighting in the Pacific during WWII. interviews of mostly men Marines retelling their training and scope of practice during the war. it is written that it was necessary to kill a Japanese soldier in order not to be killed yourself. most held that the Japanese were fierce fighters, there was no surrender in their fighting. awful how bad some of the injuries were that stopped a Marine from fighting. it was by the grace of a higher being that some escaped death while standing next to a dead person.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

5 stars.

An unedited, first hand account of the Marines in the Pacific theater during World War II. Incredibly moving, often graphic retelling from those men and women who served during that time. The details in the stories, in their own words, is extremely impactful and a must read.

[Nan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book of first hand accounts from marines involved in WWII in the Pacific. It is so important to record these experiences and for people to read about the events from the men and women who lived through the horrors.

The way the book was organized was perfect and ask the narrators were superb.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.