Sterling Mace at Peleliu and Okinawa

Basically i'd say any title which brings the date closer...But i suppose i should not be a greedy pig...

I prefer "The Real Pacific War: True Confessions of a Marine Rifleman" to the other one, as the word confessions carries more weight than a trip to hell which has become a cliche in recent days...(no disrespect intended, but its calling a spade a spade)...

Regards,
TBA

 

Well, since you asked...

My opinion is that I like "The Real Pacific War: True Confessions of a Marine Rifleman" better, but both are pretty fitting.

 

Yes, thank you gents. We started looking at the word "hell" and I can't tell you how many times it's been used. I suppose it's one thing to say it in the text, but quite another to use it in the title. Plus, I feel that "confessions" to me, lets the reader know that they will be reading things they've never read before. There are a few confessions in there, as I bare my soul, how I felt when I was 20 and 21 years old. The things I did. The things I saw done, that people don't speak about. Some things that shed more light on what happened to some famous members of K/3/5.

 

The word "hell" has been beat to death in books, TV and movies. Confessions would draw my attention because of the personal implications. I'm almost tired of reading "armchair warrior" accounts of "war is hell". That is why I enjoy this forum so much. I will buy your book no matter the title because I know who wrote it and where your coming from. What you have posted here so far has primed my curiosity so to me the title is not the issue. If I was just strolling through a store though, confessions would grab my attention.

 

Mr. Mace,

I dont presume you can convince your publisher to give out a subsidised version of your books to near bankrupt students like me ?

Am eagerly awaiting the release

TBA

 

Mr. Mace,

I have to say, I'm looking forward to it as well. My grandfather's talked about Guam and Okinawa every once in a while, but he doesn't often say much. There are hints every now and then, that I almost hate to talk about because I worry my memory has altered them and I'll get them wrong. (Some of them, anyway.) I'm really looking forward to your book.

Thank you very much and keep us posted.

Sincerely,
David

 

Definitely looking forward to the book's release (if it hasn't happened already...I should probably check Amazon!)!!! Thank you, Mr. Mace, for your service and efforts, both then and now. I have greatly enjoyed reading this thread!

 

Gents, I look forward to my book too. haha. We got picked up by St. Martin Press, and I believe the book will go to press in July. This one will be a good book, I hope.

Sterling G. Mace

 

I'll second that. This is good news indeed. I look forward to it. Congratulations, Mr. Mace. And thank you.

 

I too am waiting for the book to be published Mr. Mace and thank you for your service sir.

 

Thank You for the update Mr. Mace. I hope you are doing well.

 

Mace: if you don't mind would like to ask a Q about the BAR. did you shoot from the shoulder or hip??? I worked for a guy many years that carried one in Europe. I remember noticing how flat and open his hips were. he said that's where he fired it from.

when I was in boot i only weighted 125 lbs. when i fired that weapon the recoil almost buried me

 

I never fired it from the shoulder because, for one, the first thing I did was take off the bipod; so firing from the shoulder was not practical without that brace at the muzzle. But see, that weapon was so long, the method was to just point and shoot. I fired it from many angles: hip, half-way to my shoulder, I fired it on the run, and I almost fired it from my shoulder at the Five Sister on Peleliu, because I was going to prop it against a Sherman tank...but I didn't do it because my target disappeared before I could register what I was looking at.

You said you fired it in boot camp. You know what's funny, I never even fired the weapon until I was on Peleliu. I never fired a single shot on Pavuvu at the range or anywhere. So, the first time I fired it, I didn't even have a chance to think about the recoil or whatnot. I think I was so nervous and I was blowin' and goin' that it never felt like I was shooting a huge piece of iron. Funny how those things work. I hope I anwered your question.

Sterling G. Mace

 

Mr Mace

Since I learned of my great uncle's participation in WWII I have been researching the war in the pacific. He (PFC Joe South) was with B 1 7 1st Marine Division at Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester and Peleliu. Sadly he was killed during the landing on Orange 3. I have been blessed to have visited his gravesite in Manila and to have met his very best friend during the war.

I am so glad to have found this forum and look forward to reading more

William Eagar
www.peleliu1944.com

 

it does sir. and thank you

 

thanks for sharing your website. a lot of info about your uncle. I enjoyed the links on that page. just awesome. I to have a record of my dad. he served in the USN on a cruiser in the atlantic and med. he passed away in dec of 97. a few years ago i went thru his old collection I had and found an unopend box I forgot to check out. it was a VHS video of the ship he served on. a documentary. I put it in an old VHS machine I saved. it was still viewable but was fading and spotchy. that's a problem with old VHS tapes.
well I wasn't about to let it get any worse. I purchsed some software that can convert anything analog (vids and music) to DVD. so I made a copy. at least now its preserved. I also sent a copy to a lady whose late dad served on the ship to.

 

Mr. Mace,

With every comment I read, I am more anxious to read your book!

I am just curious if you talk about Captain Haldane in the book? Sledge spoke so highly of him, and I was just curious to hear your comments.

 

Clementine,
Captain Haldane is mentioned a few times. I did not know him that well, since he was our CO, and I was just a rifleman on the line. A Marine would have to be an officer, or hang around the company command post, in the rear of the lines, to know to know Haldane well...and I didn't have that luxury. From all accounts I've heard he was a real standup Marine, though.

There was only one time he spoke to me personally. It was right before Ngesebus. He took a suggestion of mine, when he asked for my opinion...and that was about it.

Also take into consideration that there were a lot of officers who died. My book focuses on those that were closer to me, and on the ground level, like 2nd Lieutenant Bill Bauerschmidt, who lead our 3rd platoon. Even at that, we were lead by sergeants, or even fire team leaders, corporals, which I later became on Okinawa.

I think you'll read about a lot of names you never heard before, because it's important to the book that the reader sees things from the absolute point of attack. You've never read about the men I served with, hip-to-hip, because there really isn't a book from the rifleman's perspective.

I hope in that regard it will not only make our experience in K/3/5 fuller, but also, supply a larger perspective of how combat really is.

Sterling G. Mace