Review: Some holes but mainly very enjoyable read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 6, 2014
I admit that as a career US Army person and one very familiar with the history of World War 2 in the Pacific and the China-Burma-India Theater, I could be very critical of part of the book.  However, remember that almost everyone reading this will not know that an SBD and it's US Army Air Force sister the A-24) was armed with two .50 caliber machine guns firing forward and two .30 caliber machine guns mounted in a 180- degree slide mount in the rear cockpit.  Also, that at the time of this book, the slower, less powerful engine'd SBD-2 would have been the airplane flown (They were "new" in 1940-1941).  Also, the little problem of mis-naming a Browning Automatic Rifle ('The BAR") as something else, I think.  No matter except to hyper-critical military readers as I am.  The interplay between the soldiers on the island was just about what I would have expected in that situation.  The guys probably didn't even have the "new steel helmets" to wear but were perching the old World War I "Dishpans" on their heads.  I think Richard has a very interesting and promising series building up here.  People who are displaced in Time are always a fascinating story.  Remember reading "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" when we were in the 4th and 5th grades?  (Well, not today they don't, of course, considering that literacy is no longer important in USA Public Schools)  However, Young people, particularly, will enjoy this book especially if they "follow up" by getting their computers out and looking up "SBD", Navy Nurse Corps, Army Air Force, Pacific War, etc. and so forth on their Wikipedia.  Its the research by yourself which goes hand in hand with enjoyment of a historical book.  I recommend that you buy this book and read it.