From Omaha to Okinawa: The Story of the Seabees (Bluejacket Books) Book

In this rousing sequel to his classic Can Do! The Story of the Seabees, William Bradford Huie continues the saga of the combat-trained civilian plumbers, carpenters, heavy equipment operators, wharf builders, and civil engineers who served in the U.S. Navy Construction Battalions. A lieutenant (j.g.) in the battalions himself, Huie begins this story in 1944 with the battle for Iwo Jima when the Seabees secured the beachhead while braving concentrated enemy fire and lwo's daunting terrain to rig floating causeways, blow up wrecked landing craft, and drive their bulldozers up three terraces that rose from the ocean. This book fully chronicles their heroism, including the unforgettable efforts of the men of the 31st Battalion who crawled the length of a landing strip to pick up shrapnel as Japanese snipers fired away. Huie does equal justice to the historic actions of the Seabees at Omaha Beach on D-Day, where they manned fifteen hundred vehicles during the first wave of landings at Normandy. His fascinating accounts of the creation and testing of various pierheads, floating bridges, and "Rhino" ferries are laced with colorful stories of moonshining, brawling, and carousing. Huie's stories of the Seabees's accomplishments in World War II are often credited with as inspiring succeeding generations to rise to the same spirit of devotion and loyalty to their task.Read More