R. V. Burgin served as a sergeant in the First Marine Division in World War II. He is a veteran of the campaigns for New Georgia, Peleliu, and Okinawa and was awarded a Bronze Star for his actions in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. He was featured in Eugene Sledge's classic memoir With the Old Breed, and he is portrayed in HBO's dramatic series The Pacific, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. William Marvel, now retired, had been writing features for the Dallas Morning News since 1986. He earned his bachelor of arts from Regis University in Denver and did two years of graduate study in English literature at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. He worked as a reporter and editor at the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, an art critic and senior arts editor at the National Observer, and an art writer at the Dallas Times Herald. William also freelanced for numerous publications. Sean Runnette, a multiple AudioFile Earphones Award winner, has produced several Audie Award–winning audiobooks. He is a member of the American Repertory Theater company and has toured internationally with Mabou Mines, an avant-garde theater company. Sean's television and film appearances include Two If by Sea, Copland, Sex and the City, Law & Order, Third Watch, and lots and lots of commercials, for which he apologizes.

One of the real-life heroes featured in HBO(r)'s The Pacific tells his own true story.

R.V. Burgin reveals his experiences as a Marine at war in the Pacific Theater, where Company K confronted snipers, ambushes along narrow jungle trails, abandoned corpses of hara-kiri victims, and howling banzai attacks as they island-hopped from one bloody battle to the next. During his two years of service, Burgin rose from a green private to a seasoned sergeant, and earned a Bronze Star for his valor at Okinawa.

With unforgettable drama and an understated elegance, Burgin's gripping narrative chronicles the waning days of World War II, bringing to life the hell that was the Pacific War.