Red Blood, Black Sand
Originally written for his Marine buddies, Chuck Tatum’s Red Blood, Black Sand became a primary source for the cable television mini-series The Pacific—and Chuck himself was the basis for a central character in the drama.
Red Blood, Black Sand transports us back to 1944, when the Marine Corps built a fresh division, the 5th, for an apocalyptic battle: Iwo Jima. This gripping narrative takes us from Tatum’s training at Camp Pendleton to the raucous port of Pearl Harbor to the island of death itself, where Chuck hit the beach, an 18-year-old Marine machine gunner in the climactic battle of the war.
This is the story of Chuck's two weeks in hell, where he fought alongside his mentor, Medal of Honor recipient John Basilone, and watched his hero fall, where enemy infiltrators stalked the night and snipers haunted the day, and where Chuck would see his friends whittled away in a meat grinder of a battle. Before the end, Chuck would find himself, like his hero Basilone, standing alone, blind with rage, firing a machine gun from the hip, while in a personal battle to keep his sanity. Here are the island, the heroes and the tragedy of Iwo Jima through the eyes of the battle’s greatest storyteller.
Hardcover Book : 368 pages
Publisher: Putnam Berkley Pub. Group ( May 01, 2012 )
Item #: 13-491220
ISBN: 9780425247402
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.25 inches
Product Weight: 15.0 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Very good book 
June 27, 2012
In the same league as With the Old Breed, and Helmet for My Pillow. Very well written. Tatum does an excellent job of making his fellow Marines come alive in the book and I actually grieved when harm came to them. The story is compelling and he puts the reader in the middle of the action. I would highly recommend this book.
Reviewer: Roy
Red Blood , Black Sand
June 18, 2012
Outstanding. I grew-up in the same town, went to the same school, enlisted in the USMC, and was assigned to the Fifth Div. at Camp Pendleton, only it was 24 years after Tatum was there. I could identify with Chuck's experience in the Corps. Reading his book brought back many forgotten memories of the Corps. I loved the book and wish I could meet Chuck Tatum.
Reviewer: Lucas
red blood, black sand 
June 14, 2012
very good read, dates places all accurate since most people have no idea how short and bloody affair Iwo was humorous and dark at the same time, real war, thanks for glossing over the boring times
Reviewer: eddie
Good
June 13, 2012
Good story of Iwo. Only problem i had in reading it was the phrase "marine speak", used to describe military jargon. Came up at least a 100 times. Otherwise book is a good read.
Reviewer: Dee
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