Ebook: Among Heroes: A Marine Corps Rifle Company on Peleliu

This small book Among Heroes, published by the U.S. Marine Corps History Division, is a fairly quick read and well worth the effort. The book is actually a compilation of notes taken by First Sergeant Jack Ainsworth of Company C, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines during the battle on Peleliu. It covers the period from their landing on D-Day September 15, 1944 until they were pulled from the front lines on September 20th. 1stSgt Ainsworth apparently went over his written notes and typed them up shortly after the battle probably during R&R at Pavuvu. Ambassador Pope's father, then Captain Everett P. Pope, was the Company Commander of Company C and received the Medal of Honor for his actions during this period. The interesting twist is that these typewritten notes were found by Pope when he was going through his father's papers only a few months before his death in 2009.

Pope worked with the USMC Historical Branch to obtain the official history of these events. He also provides some background information on 1stSgt Ainsworth who was only 26 in September 1944, but had served with the Marines in Shanghai before the war. Footnotes are provided along with a Postscript that provide some comparative information between the notes and the official Marine Corps history of the battle.

Military historians, war veterans, and history students may be interested in this resource.