Twenty-Two on Peleliu: Four Pacific Campaigns with the Corps: The Memoirs of an Old Breed Marine

by George Peto, Peter Margaritis Narrated by Paul Brion

Overview

On September 15, 1944, the U.S. First Marine Division landed on a small island in the Central Pacific called Peleliu as a prelude to the liberation of the Philippines. Among the first wave of Marines that hit the beach that day was twenty-two-year-old George Peto.



Growing up on a farm in Ohio, George always preferred being outdoors and exploring. This made school a challenge, but his hunting, fishing, and trapping skills helped put food on his family's table. As a poor teenager living in a rough area, he got into regular brawls, and he found holding down a job hard because of his wanderlust. After working out West with the CCC, he decided that joining the Marines offered him the opportunity for adventure plus three square meals a day; so he and his brother joined the Corps in 1941.



Following boot camp and training, he was initially assigned to various guard units, until he was shipped out to the Pacific and assigned to the 1st Marines. His first combat experience was the landing at Finschhaven, followed by Cape Gloucester. Then as a Forward Observer, he went ashore in one of the lead amtracs at Peleliu and saw fierce fighting for a week before the regiment was relieved due to massive casualties. Six months later, his division became the immediate reserve for the initial landing on Okinawa.

Editorial Reviews

The Columbus Dispatch

Peto comes across as adventurous, lively, outspoken, opinionated and, above all, lucky… Margaritis lets Peto tell his story his own way, while enriching it with extensive footnotes and passages that provide historical context for Peto’s personal experience. That double perspective, with Peto immersed in the action and Margaritis writing from a distance, enriches the memoir. Maps help place the combat scenes and photographs of the author from childhood onward, looking every bit as “ornery” as he describes himself, add to its intimacy.

Midwest Book Review

"An inherently riveting military memoir that reads with all the drama of a well honed novel, "Twenty-Two on Peleliu: Four Pacific Campaigns with the Corps: The Memoirs of an Old Breed Marine" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library World War II histories and biographies collections."

Army Rumour Service

This is a well described story coming from a remarkable man and it's a tale that has taught me things about the fighting in the Pacific...It is easy reading, informative and riveting. 5 stars.

New York Journal of Books

Twenty-Two on Peleliu will haunt, enchant and thrill you. And it will inspire you with stories of heroism and courage under fire. By the end, you’ll understand why these men and women were called, “The Greatest Generation.”

Miniature Wargames

"It is a very atmospheric account of life in the front line, including beach assaults, perimeter defence, and the constant fight against disease and exhaustion.

Books Monthly

"Peto's autobiography reads like a script from a Hollywood blockbuster..."

Winter 2018 Semper Fi

It was an honor to read the history of this American and to have it preserved forever in this book.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170665976
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	05/21/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

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