The Last Lieutenant: A Foxhole View of the Epic Battle for Iwo Jima

by John C. Shively

Iwo two words that will forever bring to mind the thirty-six days of continual, chaotic combat in which the U.S. Marines fought the entrenched Japanese for every inch of the tiny volcanic island. When it was over, more than twenty-six thousand Americans were killed or wounded, and only slightly more than two hundred Japanese defenders survived. Twenty-seven Medals of Honor were awarded—many posthumously. Jim Craig was a platoon commander with the Marines on Iwo Jima. This is his story, as told to his nephew John C. Shively. In a particularly vivid and exciting account of some of the most intense fighting of the Pacific War, the immediacy of the story is heightened by the detail that Shively’s research has added to Craig’s recollections. The result will pull you onto the beach, into the foxhole, and over Mount Suribachi with those who lived, fought, and died on Iwo Jima.

Genres: Nonfiction, World War II, History, War

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 20, 2006

Reviews

[Izzy Ismert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read a book told from the point of view of a USMC Iwo Jima vet that fought on the island for a long as 2 Lt. Jim Craig fought on the island. He led his platoon from D Day to D Day+ 26...27 days of combat on Iwo (which is essentially as long as any Marine fought on Iwo as the last week or so combat duties were turned over to the US Army). Unbelievable. His platoon started with 41 men and finished with 10. His Company started with full allotment of 2nd Lieutenants/Platoon Leaders and he was the only one who didn't end up as a casualty. Well-written, carefully researched and emotional, this is a fantastic record of one man's war on Iwo and he saw it all.

[Bill Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this a long time ago, but remember it being my favorite book on WWII. At the time I was reading quite a lot on the subject and had completed over 30 books from the genre when I started this one. My habit had been to dogear pages that were particularly moving or that made my breath catch in my throat. By the time I closed the cover the number of dogears in this book had become comical in number, I'd even begun to dogear the lower corners of some pages because they had already been dogeared up top but needed extra emphasis. If I could give it 6 stars I would, and have recommended it more than any other book on the subject. ******

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an account of Indianapolis native Marine Lieutenant Jim Craig's experience as a platoon leader during the battle of Iwo Jima written by his nephew. Jim Craig was a graduate of Purdue and was probably at the university the same time as my dad also a Indiana native. Who knows, maybe they knew each other...

[Lex Rojas · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love learning about war history from any branch of service. my close friend is a marine and spoke often of iwo jima- weeks later i come across this book in a local bookstore and i’m glad i got the chance to read about a personal encounter retold with grace. very good book i love learning about history like this

[Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, interesting book. Pretty well written by the nephew of an infantry officer. Craig was a student at Purdue University. He enrolled in the Navy ROTC unit at Purdue. He was called into the Marines in 1943 and began training as a Marine officer. He was the only Lieutenant to survive the battle of Iwo Jima, Jim Craig survived 28 days of constant combat on Iwo Jima.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a few years ago, and I found it to be a great history of one of the worst battles of ww2. It really brings to light the tremendous amount of casualties both sides suffered, and shows the tremendous personall cost of Iwo Jima.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief story of one platoon on Iwo Jima. It was an ok read but I am sure there are much better ones out there.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I could give out 2.5 stars, that's what I would have given this book. This is in no way intended to take anything away form the person whom this book was written about, or his comrades. The rating is merely a judge of how well the book's writing was. I read this book mainly because it dealt with some of the exploits of the 4th Marine Division on Iwo Jima, but I didn't really enjoy the way it was written. First of all, it was written by the nephew of the main character. This caused the book to have a more "story-time" feel to it that I did not enjoy (i.e. "he did this. Then he went over here...") Second, the short snippets of detail left me wanting more, and since the story was told in the 3rd person, there was no room for personal sentiments to be added. It was really nothing in comparison to Sledge's "With the Old Breed."

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazingly researched account of historical events and actions that helps you understand the sacrifices made by the generation that fought and won World War II.

A must-read book to help all Americans appreciate the gift of freedom we enjoy.

Told from the perspective of one Marine who fought in the battle of Iwo Jima, it brings the horror of war to a personal level, and at the same time, portrays the meaning of true heroism.

[Savahana Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book a 4 because I really enjoyed how it was told about someone the author was close with. The book was interesting to me because I personally enjoy military books and learning about wars. This book was a pleasure to read because it was about a real life situation.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short history of World War II's battle of Iwo Jima based on 50 year old memories of a Marine lieutenant who was there as well as several previously published sources. It does present the battle from the same unit level.

[Ray Pierson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. My brother-in-law, Will, was there. Glad I wasn't.