{"product_id":"the-class-of-42-marines-in-ww-ii-9781931646475","title":"The Class of '42: Marines in Ww II","description":"\u003cp\u003eThroughout 1942  many young students left their high school classes to join the U.S. Marine Corps  hence the title: The Class of 42  Marines in WWII. Tucker Giblin was one of them  joining just after his seventeenth birthday. After boot camp  Giblin was fortunate to be assigned to a company commanded by Capt. Joseph Edward Buckley  former master gunnery sergeant and Marine gunner. They are the central characters of this non-fiction book of camaraderie  war  and death. Lt. Col. Joseph E. Buckley (Ret.) \"Chesty\" Puller considered him one of the three best gunnery sergeants of the peacetime marines. Joe Buckley received high favor from Colonels Amor L. Sims  Julian N. Frisbie  and Herman H. Hanneken who commanded the 7th Marines at Guadalcanal  Cape Cloucester  and Peleliu respectively. Along the route to Tokyo  Buckley was awarded a Navy Cross and Bronze Star. Corporal Tucker Giblin received a Purple Heart and Bronze Star with combat \"V\". As a runner and later scout for a 37mm gun platoon  Giblin carried messages for four outstanding lietuenants; one of who was killed and the three others were wounded in combat. This book runs the gamut of Regimental Weapons Company  7th Marines  First Marine Division  from beach defense at British Samoa in early 1942  to defense of Bloody Ridge at Guadalcanal in the October battles 1942 with the superb 3\/164th National Guard unit from the Dakotas; the Cape Gloucester amphibious landing in 1943; Peleliu Island 1944; and the Okinawa landing in 1945. It includes episodes from rest and training camps at Australia; Oro Bay  New Guinea; and Pavuvu Island  British Solomon Islands. Giblin joined the 7th Marines in Australia after the Guadalcanal landing. Consequently the Guadalcanal battles are told in flashback. There follows the day-to-day combat and the last grueling battle at Okinawa that ended with the dropping of the atomic bombs. Soon after wars end in 1945  generals and admirals published their versions of WWII. Later  de\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45789705502773,"sku":"ByrdShop_1931646473","price":273.28,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781931646475.jpg?v=1784695325","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-class-of-42-marines-in-ww-ii-9781931646475","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}