William Manchester

William Raymond Manchester (1922 - 2004) was an American biographer and historian. He published eighteen books, any of which have been translated into other languages. Manchester's father served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War I and was partially disabled from combat wounds.

After his father's death and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Manchester enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, expecting to serve in Europe. Instead, he was sent to the Pacific Theater. He gained the rank of sergeant, turning down an opportunity at commission, and saw combat duty in the final campaign of World War II on the island of Okinawa. There, he was severely wounded in the head and elsewhere. Manchester's personal memoir, the book here under consideration, juxtaposes descriptions of Marine Corps campaigns with personal experiences drawn from his fighting on Okinawa—this often confuses readers who mistakenly conclude he fought...