Dispatches from the Pacific: The World War II Reporting of Robert L. Sherrod

by Ray E. Boomhower, David Sears, Owen V. Johnson, James H. Madison

Overview

In the fall of 1943, armed with only his notebooks and pencils, Time and Life correspondent Robert L. Sherrod leapt from the safety of a landing craft and waded through neck-deep water and a hail of bullets to reach the shores of the Tarawa Atoll with the US Marine Corps. Living shoulder to shoulder with the marines, Sherrod chronicled combat and the marines' day-to-day struggles as they leapfrogged across the Central Pacific, battling the Japanese on Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. While the marines courageously and doggedly confronted an enemy that at times seemed invincible, those left behind on the American home front desperately scanned Sherrod's columns for news of their loved ones. Following his death in 1994, the Washington Post heralded Sherrod's reporting as "some of the most vivid accounts of men at war ever produced by an American journalist." Now, for the first time, author Ray E. Boomhower tells the story of the journalist in Dispatches from the Pacific: The World War II Reporting of Robert L. Sherrod, an intimate account of the war efforts on the Pacific front.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780253030368
Publisher:	Indiana University Press (Ips)
Publication date:	08/08/2017
Pages:	254
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Ray E. Boomhower has written books on the lives of Ernie Pyle, Lew Wallace, Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, May Wright Sewall, and John Bartlow Martin. He is Senior Editor at the Indiana Historical Society Press and 2010 winner of the Regional Award in the annual Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards.

Table of Contents

Preface
1. The War Correspondent
2. Learning the Trade
3. Somewhere in Australia
4. War in the Fog and Atolls: The Aleutians and Beyond
5. Betio: Red Beach 2
6. Saipan: Smith versus Smith
7. Uncommon Valor: Iwo Jima and the Flag Raising
8. Okinawa: The Final Battle
9. "Taps"
Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

David Sears]]>

World War II combat correspondent Robert Sherrod is as substantial a hero as the U.S. Marines he so faithfully followed and so convincingly covered during the war in the Pacific. And Ray Boomhower's Dispatches from the Pacific is as fine a way to make sense of this immense battle tapestry as any book I've encountered. A spirited work—and fine reading!

"World War II combat correspondent Robert Sherrod is as substantial a hero as the U.S. Marines he so faithfully followed and so convincingly covered during the war in the Pacific. And Ray Boomhower's Dispatches from the Pacific is as fine a way to make sense of this immense battle tapestry as any book I've encountered. A spirited work—and fine reading!"

Owen V. Johnson

In Dispatches from the Pacific, veteran biographer Ray E. Boomhower writes the compelling story of Time and Life reporter Robert L. Sherrod. Like Ernie Pyle in World War II Europe and North Africa, Sherrod eloquently told the story of American troops in the Pacific. And Boomhower tells Sherrod's story just as well in this beautifully written book.

Hoosiers: A New History of Indiana and Slinging Doughnuts for the Boys: An American Woman in World W - James H. Madison

Robert Sherrod landed with the Marines on the beaches of Tarawa, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Armed with a notebook and pen, he risked his life to report the Pacific War. Sherrod’s dispatches to Time and Life magazines brought America’s bloodiest war to a sometimes unknowing and complacent home front. Ray Boomhower’s deeply researched and superbly written book makes clear why Sherrod was one of American’s greatest reporters and why his work rings true today.

author of Pacific Air: How Fearless Flyboys, Peerless Aircraft, and Fast Flattops Conquered the Skie - David Sears

World War II combat correspondent Robert Sherrod is as substantial a hero as the U.S. Marines he so faithfully followed and so convincingly covered during the war in the Pacific. And Ray Boomhower’s Dispatches from the Pacific is as fine a way to make sense of this immense battle tapestry as any book I’ve encountered. A spirited work—and fine reading!

freelance writer, former Indianapolis Star columnist - Dan Carpenter

In Dispatches from the Pacific, Ray E. Boomhower explores World War II through the light of an extraordinary individual with fresh, sobering insights. Boomhower succeeds again with the saga of Time correspondent Robert Sherrod, who felt called to go where "history is being written when men are dying"—and came near joining the dying in landing boats, dive bombers and foxholes across a bloody Pacific he covered with harrowing integrity.

Hoosiers: A New History of Indiana and Slinging Doughnuts for the Boys: An American Woman in World W - James H. Madison

Robert Sherrod landed with the Marines on the beaches of Tarawa, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Armed with a notebook and pen, he risked his life to report the Pacific War. Sherrod's dispatches to Time and Life magazines brought America's bloodiest war to a sometimes unknowing and complacent home front. Ray Boomhower's deeply researched and superbly written book makes clear why Sherrod was one of American's greatest reporters and why his work rings true today.

David Sears

World War II combat correspondent Robert Sherrod is as substantial a hero as the U.S. Marines he so faithfully followed and so convincingly covered during the war in the Pacific. And Ray Boomhower's Dispatches from the Pacific is as fine a way to make sense of this immense battle tapestry as any book I've encountered. A spirited work—and fine reading!

author of At Home with Ernie Pyle - Owen V. Johnson

In Dispatches from the Pacific, veteran biographer Ray E. Boomhower writes the compelling story of Time and Life reporter Robert L. Sherrod. Like Ernie Pyle in World War II Europe and North Africa, Sherrod eloquently told the story of American troops in the Pacific.And Boomhower tells Sherrod’s story just as well in this beautifully written book.

Owen V. Johnson]]>

In Dispatches from the Pacific, veteran biographer Ray E. Boomhower writes the compelling story of Time and Life reporter Robert L. Sherrod. Like Ernie Pyle in World War II Europe and North Africa, Sherrod eloquently told the story of American troops in the Pacific. And Boomhower tells Sherrod's story just as well in this beautifully written book.

Editorial Reviews

"Author Ray Boomhower gives us a fascinating look inside the life of a wartime correspondent and man whose insatiable curiosity brought him to the front lines of some of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific War. . . Boomhower does an excellent job building Sherrod's growing interest in covering the war from the heart of the battle."—WW2 Reads

"Biographer Ray E. Boomhower's Dispatches from the Pacific: The World War II Reporting of Robert L. Sherrod is a compelling read about a reporter whose dedication, drive, and personal bravery brought the war home."—World War II Magazine

"Dispatches from the Pacific is a gripping biography of a talented WWII reporter who left an incredible impact on the world of journalism. It is a perfect read for history buffs and those with an interest in journalism."—IDS

"Biographer Ray E. Boomhower's Dispatches from the Pacific: The World War II Reporting of Robert L. Sherrod is a compelling read about a reporter whose dedication, drive, and personal bravery brought the war home."—HistoryNet

"Dispatches from the Pacific will stick in the minds of its readers and compel them to reflect carefully upon and share with others its distressing insights into the costs exacted from the men and women that American citizens send off to fight their wars."—Michigan War Studies Review

"In Dispatches from the Pacific, Ray E. Boomhower explores World War II through the light of an extraordinary individual with fresh, sobering insights. Boomhower succeeds again with the saga of Time correspondent Robert Sherrod, who felt called to go where "history is being written when men are dying"—and came near joining the dying in landing boats, dive bombers and foxholes across a bloody Pacific he covered with harrowing integrity."—Dan Carpenter, freelance writer, former Indianapolis Star columnist

"Robert Sherrod landed with the Marines on the beaches of Tarawa, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Armed with a notebook and pen, he risked his life to report the Pacific War. Sherrod's dispatches to Time and Life magazines brought America's bloodiest war to a sometimes unknowing and complacent home front. Ray Boomhower's deeply researched and superbly written book makes clear why Sherrod was one of American's greatest reporters and why his work rings true today."—James H. Madison, Hoosiers: A New History of Indiana and Slinging Doughnuts for the Boys: An American Woman in World W

"World War II combat correspondent Robert Sherrod is as substantial a hero as the U.S. Marines he so faithfully followed and so convincingly covered during the war in the Pacific. And Ray Boomhower's Dispatches from the Pacific is as fine a way to make sense of this immense battle tapestry as any book I've encountered. A spirited work—and fine reading!"—David Sears, author of Pacific Air: How Fearless Flyboys, Peerless Aircraft, and Fast Flattops Conquered the Skie

"In Dispatches from the Pacific, veteran biographer Ray E. Boomhower writes the compelling story of Time and Life reporter Robert L. Sherrod. Like Ernie Pyle in World War II Europe and North Africa, Sherrod eloquently told the story of American troops in the Pacific. And Boomhower tells Sherrod's story just as well in this beautifully written book."—Owen V. Johnson, author of At Home with Ernie Pyle

"The contribution this book makes to the Pacific War historiography is well timed. While the First World War has now become separated by the centenary milestone, the Second World War is still intrinsically linked with the American public. Veterans are still with us and that is why Boomhower needs to be read."—JHistory

From the Publisher

The contribution this book makes to the Pacific War historiography is well timed. While the First World War has now become separated by the centenary milestone, the Second World War is still intrinsically linked with the American public. Veterans are still with us and that is why Boomhower needs to be read.

JHistory

Author Ray Boomhower gives us a fascinating look inside the life of a wartime correspondent and man whose insatiable curiosity brought him to the front lines of some of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific War. . . Boomhower does an excellent job building Sherrod's growing interest in covering the war from the heart of the battle.

WW2 Reads

Biographer Ray E. Boomhower’s Dispatches from the Pacific: The World War II Reporting of Robert L. Sherrod is a compelling read about a reporter whose dedication, drive, and personal bravery brought the war home.

World War II Magazine

"Biographer Ray E. Boomhower's Dispatches from the Pacific: The World War II Reporting of Robert L. Sherrod is a compelling read about a reporter whose dedication, drive, and personal bravery brought the war home."

HistoryNet

"Dispatches from the Pacific will stick in the minds of its readers and compel them to reflect carefully upon and share with others its distressing insights into the costs exacted from the men and women that American citizens send off to fight their wars."

Michigan War Studies Review

"Dispatches from the Pacific is a gripping biography of a talented WWII reporter who left an incredible impact on the world of journalism. It is a perfect read for history buffs and those with an interest in journalism."

IDS