FROM THE CORNFIELDS OF INDIANA TO THE SANDS OF IWO JIMA

by Thomas B Speaker

A Historical Novel of Young Marines in WWII Two of the main characters, Jack and Larry, who are star players on a high school basketball team, suffer a devastating upset in the Indiana basketball tournament. Life as they know it is over. Hoping to regain a sense of pride and purpose, they join the Maine Corps. They quickly realize that life goes on as they bond with other young recruits through the rigors of boot camp. Soon we find our basketball stars and their new buddies strewn across the South Pacific. Jack, Larry, and Bobby leave for Hawaii, Jonny and Derrick go to Shanghai and then on to the Philippines, and Bill heads to aviation training to become a Marine pilot. On December 7, 1941, the world changes for America and our Marines. In the matter of a day they are transformed from naïve teens to warriors on the front lines for their country. In the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Larry and Bobby lead their squads onto the beaches of Guadalcanal, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima. Derrick and Jonny struggle to survive the Bataan March and Bill, our Marine pilot, takes part in Roosevelt’s greatest risk, the Doolittle Raid. The terror and grief of these teenage Marines is eased only by the love of women from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds. Not all of the Marines will survive the war. For those who do, their stories are far from over.

391 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 26, 2020