Marine Pioneers

Book excerpt: Marine Pioneers: The Unsung Heroes of World War II is a personal history of a young Marine during World War II. This book tells a powerful story that has never been told before and documents a rare look into a "Pioneer Unit", integrated with an infantry unit in the First Marine Division. Kerry Lane tells the riveting true story of his experiences as a Sergeant while serving with a Marine Pioneer Battalion during the Battle of Guadalcanal and the swamp battle known as "Suicide Creek" in the jungles of Cape Gloucester, New Britain. Assisted by the Marine Historical Center and other Pioneers, Kerry Lane has gathered numerous battlefield stories, anecdotes, and experiences told by those who were there and who lived them. With his own battlefield experiences providing an understanding of men in war, he has crafted an interesting book that tells those stories of marine pioneers in battle. Weaving these stories and vignettes together into the framework of the overall battle, this book honors the many marine pioneers, their companies and battalion, that contributed greatly to the victory that changed the course of the Pacific war.