On September 15, 1944, U.S. Marines landed on a small island within the significant Pacific known as Peleliu, as a prelude to the liberation of the Philippines. one of the first wave of Marines that hit the seashore that day used to be 22-year-old George Peto.

Growing up in on a farm in Ohio, George had continuously most popular exploring to being interior. This made institution a problem, yet his looking, fishing and trapping talents helped positioned meals at the family’s desk. As residing in a coarse sector he acquired into normal brawls, and he stumbled on retaining down a role difficult due to his wanderlust. After a succession of jobs he determined that becoming a member of the Marines provided him the chance for event plus 3 sq. foodstuff an afternoon, so he and his brother joined the Corps in 1941, quite a few months prior to Pearl Harbor.

Following boot camp and coaching, he was once in the beginning assigned to a safeguard unit. came across now not responsible of misconduct after falling asleep on responsibility whereas very unwell, he used to be then shipped out to a wrestle unit. His first event of wrestle used to be through the landings at Finschhaven and Cape Gloucester. He used to be a ahead Observer in a single of the lead amtracs of the first Marines for the Peleliu touchdown, and observed fierce combating for per week earlier than the unit used to be relieved as a result of mammoth casualties. The unit used to be then the quick reserve for the preliminary touchdown on Okinawa. They encountered no resistance on touchdown on D+1, yet could then struggle on Okinawa for over six months.

This is the wild and memorable tale of an "Old Breed" Marine, from his formative years within the nice melancholy, his education and wrestle within the Pacific in the course of WWII, to his lifestyles after the conflict, advised in his personal words.