John Basilone - I'm Staying With My Boys

I just finished this great book about one of the main characters in the HBO series The Pacific. John Basilone was a World War II Marine, a Medal of Honor winner for his heroics on Guadacanal. The approach of the book is a combination of Basilone's private life and his battlefield experiences. It chronicles his growth from a unfocused youth, unsure of his direction in life, to a battle hardened warrior whose primary duty is to his men. The personality of Basilone is well drawn and it with a sense of sadness that you reach the end of the book, being aware of the impending tragedy of Basilone's death at Iwo Jima.