Excellent, very readable narative of the need, the battle and the results. Uses almost totally, very personal references not often found in typical battle histories. Benefits from long view after event: to question, the admirals reducing the prebombardment to little over one day; the ships leaving with almost full arsenals. Similarly the fast carriers went off to raid Japan, a likely public relations event, while many marines were dying and still more wounded on this tiny island. The almost 8000 deaths in less than 20 days causes casualties in Iraq over 5+ years to pale not in significance but by comparison. ( )