Worlds Away

by Patrick Finelli

The son of a Marine Corps combat veteran journeys to the far western Pacific and makes his way to an island where military and personal history was forged in the crucible of fierce combat. He retraces his father's deployments as a demolitions specialist and Marine reconnaissance swimmer with one of the Navy's original underwater demolition teams during World War II. He visits Peleliu, the site of a bloody campaign in which 20,000 Marines invaded a heavily fortified island occupied by the Japanese. In the first wave alone, the Marines suffered more than 4,000 casualties. Of the 20,000 Japanese soldiers stationed there, less than 300 survived. The U.S. forces were victorious, but the cost was high. "Worlds Away" is part military history, part travel log. Fans of military history will appreciate his meticulous battle site descriptions. Divers will appreciate the technical details as he dives the World War II wrecks of Truk Lagoon. The tropical beauty of the Rock Islands of Palau provide the picturesque setting as the author uncovers the scars of war in a foreboding place where the ghosts of the past look out upon the sea. The book features 45 color photographs taken on Peleliu by the author and 30 B&W from the Marine archives taken in 1944.

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004