by Tom McCarthy
First published 2022
Tom McCarthy presents ten accounts of American military valor spanning over two centuries of warfare. The collection opens with Revolutionary War battles and moves through the Spanish-American War, Civil War, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Each story focuses on soldiers and sailors who accepted missions with little chance of survival. Marines storm Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima and defend the besieged base at Khe Sanh. Navy pilots scramble to defend Pearl Harbor during the surprise attack. An outnumbered American regiment faces overwhelming Chinese forces at the Battle of Chipyong-ni in Korea. The men in these stories received orders that amounted to death sentences, yet they advanced without question. Their training prepared them for moments when fascination and terror merged on beaches, mountaintops, and battlefields. McCarthy captures the resolve of soldiers who understood the cost but stepped forward anyway, driven by duty rather than glory.
Genres: 20th-century, military-fiction, action, 21st-century, military-history, american-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: duty-over-glory, heroism
Setting: Iwo Jima, Khe Sanh, Pearl Harbor, Chipyong-ni
Period: Revolutionary War, Spanish-American War, Civil War, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War
256 pages · Paperback · Lyons Press
Content warnings: death, graphic-violence, war