Product Description

The Sixth Marine Division holds a unique place in U.S. Marine Corps history, because it was retired after one great battle. The division was formed on Guadalcanal in September 1944, its ranks filled with battle-hardened veterans and untested replacement troops. The Sixth Division fought its only action on the island of Okinawa from April to June 1945 but entered the fight with more combat experience overall than any other Marine division in its initial battle. It disappointed no one. The Okinawa campaign involved eight Army and Marine divisions, 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 in early August 1945 swiftly ended the war. "Before Hiroshima there was Okinawa. Because of Okinawa, in considerable part there was Hiroshima," wrote one reporter. With the invasion of Japan canceled, the Sixth Division went to China on occupation duty and, on 1 April 1946, was reorganized out of existence. As it was created overseas, so was it disbanded.

This book tells the story of these Marines in their own words. Historian Laura Lacey—a Marine family member who has lived on Okinawa—sympathetically portrays the men who in 1945 fought a tremendous battle that she contends has not received its full share of attention from historians. Lacey considers the gritty details of close quarters combat and considers the myriad 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #285402 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

About the Author
LAURA HOMAN LACEY is the historian of the Sixth Marine Division and U.S. representative of the Battle of Okinawa Museum. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in liberal studies and history from Mary Washington College and the University of Texas, respectively. Her interest in the Pacific theater of World War II resulted from having lived on Okinawa with her husband, a Marine aviator. She lives in Quantico, Virginia.

Customer Reviews

The 6th Marine Division & The Battle of Okinawa
Although as a participant I have a built-in prejudice, I feel compelled to comment on this notable example of the effectiveness of oral history. Ms. Lacey has combined her talent for conducting oral interviews with her ability to weave a most absorbing tale of the 6th Marine Division and its significant contribution to the Battle of Okinawa. She expertly and objectively explains the significance of the Battle of Okinawa and its influence on the decision to drop "the bomb." Her credentials are most impressive and she has gotten into the trenches for this endeavor. It's a MUST read, not only for military historians and history buffs, but those who want to learn what war is really like upfront and personal, with all the glory and hurrahs cast aside.

Down in the Mud at Okinawa
Oral histories from the men who where actually at places like Okinawa will soon be a thing of the past. Ms. Lacey has done a supurb job in tracking down and getting their histories from forth men of the Sixth Marine Division. And in the picture section of the book she shows pictures of several of the men, as they were during the war and as they are now. A surprising number of them then say something like 'Died in 2001.'

The Sixth was a division that came about as a result of the tremendous expansion of the Marines during the war. They were formed late in 1944, they were disbanded in 1946. They only had one big battle, but it was Okinawa where virtually all of the original front line riflemen, machine gunners, or anything else was killed or wounded, just about a hundred men per day.

Ms. Lacey is the official historian of the Sixth, and she has indeed done her job well with the publication of this book.

An oral history collecting the testimonies of the Sixth Marine Division in their own words
Stay Off The Skyline: The Sixth Marine Division On Okinawa is an oral history collecting the testimonies of the Sixth Marine Division in their own words. The Sixth Marine Division was formed of battle-tested veterans and fought its only action on the island of Okinawa from April to June 1945, capturing most of the ground in some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. A gripping compilation that immerses the reader in the experiences of those who laid their lives on the line for their country, Stay Off The Skyline is a primary source enthusiastically recommended for lay readers and military historians alike.