Stay off the skyline

"The Sixth Marine Division fought its only action on the island of Okinawa, from April to June 1945. Formed on Guadalcanal in September 1944, its ranks filled with many battle-hardened veterans, the Sixth entered its initial battle with more combat experience overall than any other Marine division. It disappointed no one. Eight Army and Marine divisions fought on Okinawa, but the Sixth captured most of the ground in some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. Weeks later, atomic attacks on two Japanese cities and Soviet entry into the war brought hostilities to an abrupt end. "Before Hiroshima there was Okinawa. Because of Okinawa, in considerable part, there was Hiroshima," wrote one reporter. With the planned invasion of Japan concealed, the Sixth Marine Division went to China on occupation duty and, on April 1, 1946, was reorganized out of existence. As it was created overseas, so was it disbanded." "Stay Off the Skyline is the story of these Marines told in their own words. Historian Laura Lacey - a Marine family member who has lived on Okinawa - sympathetically portrays the men who in 1945 fought one of history's greatest battles but have not received their full share of recognition. Lacey considers the gritty details of close-quarters combat, as well as the many physical and psychological wounds that war wreaks. With Marines now engaged in a tough fight in Iraq, Lacey's book reminds us that whether or not a war is popular, war is indeed hell."--Jacket.