Twenty-two On Peleliu: Four Pacific Campaigns With The Corps: The Memoirs Of An Old Breed Marine
by George Peto /
2017 / English / Kindle
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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
22-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, just a few months before Pearl Harbor.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.
They encountered no resistance when they came ashore on D+1, but
would go on to fight on Okinawa for over six months.This is the wild and remarkable story of an "Old Breed" Marine,
from his youth in the Great Depression, his training and combat in
the Pacific, to his life after the war, told in his own
words.