Being there . . . . among the 2-F-23 “Fox” Company rifle Marines bravely fighting their way from Roi-Namur across Saipan and Tinian to the top of Iwo Jima’s Mount Suribachi.
INEFFABLE “BLACK DRAGON”
AS INDELIBLE AS ANY PACIFIC WAR NOVEL
YET WRITTEN
“I always made it a point to visit the cemetery before leaving the island, joining the long, slow procession of Marines strolling through the rows, looking for names of buddies on the white markers of the 6,820 guys who would not make it off the island. I wish I hadn’t gone. When guys got killed, I was in denial the whole time. Then, when you see their names, you realize they are dead. . .The group sat quietly along the embankment, looking out to sea. They weren’t elated. They were just sitting there with a determined look on their faces. And I thought to myself how proud I was to be a part of them. Because every morning they got up and hooked up their gear. And, without question, went where they were told. And they knew that some of them weren’t going to return and dig in that night. And they did that day after day after day. No attitudes, no complaints. I was very proud to be a part of that. . .”
Cpl. Roy M, Stewart, March 16, 1945 — see pp 436- 438
Reviewed and highly recommended by Don DeNevi
“BLACK DRAGON – – The Experience of a Marine Rifle Company In the Central Pacific,” by Steven D. McCloud, Foreword by Lt. Gen. Lawrence F. Snowden. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, Williams-Ford Texas A&M University History series: 558 pages, hc; $55.
Among aficionados of World War II fiction who have read “Black Dragon”, Steven’s story is already considered a publishing classic. Like Stephen Ambrose’s superlative oral history of E Company in the European theater, “Dragon’s” 558 pages of good men at war, their bravery, heroism, and heartbreak, leave indelible scars on empathic readers not readily erasable.
Read for yourself three of the ten finest WWII novels that have woven narration into visions of fighting, battles, survival, and death, revealing page after page rare personal close-ups. First and foremost, live being therefrom “Naked and the Dead”, written by 25-year-old ex-Marine Norman Mailer, detailing a platoon of 13 American soldiers stationed on the Japanese-held island Anopopei. Follow up with Robert Leckie’s, “Helmet for My Pillow”, and E.B. Sledge’s “With the Old Breed.” Under their evenly balance and proportioned guidance, “Black Dragon” will be appreciated and valued for its own “ineffable and indelible” rewards.
Rewards? In a superb Foreword, Lawrence F. Snowden, Lieutenant General, USMC, Retired, who was Commanding Officer on 19 February 1945 of “Fox” Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, writes, “Steve has produced a book that will become an important part of Marine Corps history. Having commanded rifle companies on Saipan and Tinian and Iwo Jima, I can verify that he has captured the true spirit of how those Marines talked and how they trained in the hard Marine Corps way, how the new recruits worked and played together on and off duty and performing as teammates during some of the most savage battles of World War II. His writings will inspire young Marines for decades to come. Steve also proved that he earned the rarely given right to be named an Honorary Member of ‘Fox’ Company.”
While still anchored off Iwo Jima, gazing at the island, Cpl. Roy M. Stewart’s desultory treatment of his days of fighting and survival signaled in a letter to his parents what thousands upon thousands of families would experience for decades to come – the returnees sharing virtually nothing about those horrific days other than general passing references.
“Often, those who saw and experienced the most, say the least,” writes author Steven McCloud, who epitomizes the finest attributes of an American Citizen-Marine. That’s precisely why you and I lucked out in having this nonpareil around to write, “Black Dragon.”
To order: WWW.TAMUPRESS.COM
Texas A & M University Press, College Station
Black Dragon: The Experience of a Marine Rifle Company in the Central Pacific
