In 1994, Bill and I sailed to Normandy for the 50th Anniversary of D-Day, the landing of the Allies on the beaches of Normandy on 6 June 1944. Here is an account of that trip from the upcoming Arthur, Publisher, Marketing Man. – Sandra Bill was invited to sail to Normandy for the 50th…
The story of the Fatal Voyage of Task Unit 32.4.4 The story began on 16 June 1943 . . . A convoy of seven U.S. ships, designated Task Unit 32.4.4, was en route to Guadalcanal. Suddenly, at 1350 (1:30 p.m.), the convoy was attacked from the air by a Japanese strike force of 120 aircraft.…
In 2011, Bill and I attended the USS LCI (Landing Craft, Infantry) National Association Reunion in Nashville, TN. At the reunion memorial service, Rev. Michael Gatton, Chaplain for the group, spoke about the “Lessons Learned from the Greatest Generation.” I was so moved by his remarks that I asked for permission to post them on…
The Solomons Campaigns, 1942-1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville, Pacific War Turning Point wins the MILITARY WRITERS SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2018 SILVER MEDAL AWARD FOR HISTORY Nov 10, 2018 – Bill McGee was honored to be the recipient of the Military Writers Society of America Silver Medal Award for History. The Solomons Campaigns, 1942–1943 is…
The Solomons Campaigns, 1942-1943 by William L. McGee has been designated as a 2018 awards finalist by the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA). The award category – Gold, Silver, or Bronze – will be announced at MWSA’s General Membership Conference on November 9, 2018 in Charleston, South Carolina. Sandra McGee, Bill’s publishing partner and wife,…
A big thank-you to the Military Writers Society of America for the May 2018 review of The Solomons Campaigns, 1942-1943… Click to read review Since its publication in 2001, The Solomons Campaigns, 1942-1943 has been repeatedly lauded as one of the most comprehensive books on all the campaigns fought in the Solomon Islands. “Enough gripping drama, heroism, and…
The U.S. Navy Armed Guard was a special service branch of the U.S. Navy responsible for defending U.S. and Allied merchant ships, their valuable cargo, and crews from attack by enemy aircraft, submarines, and surface ships. In World War II, nearly 145,000 men served in the Naval Armed Guard, including Gunner’s Mate and Bronze Star…
August 2017 marks the 75th Anniversary of the Battle for Guadalcanal… a major turning point in the Pacific war. On the morning of 7 August 1942, eight months to the day after the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. 1st Marine Division, under MGen Alexander A. Vandegrift, landed on the islands of Tulagi…
For the seventh consecutive year, PACIFIC EXPRESS — THE CRITICAL ROLE OF MILITARY LOGISTICS IN WORLD WAR II, edited by William L. McGee with Sandra McGee, is on the Marine Corps Commandant’s Professional Reading List for Logistics. The books on the Commandant’s Professional Reading List are selected as most pertinent to critical thinking and professional development at…
On 8 August 1942, the American public, starved for good war news for two months, read in their morning papers that on 7 August 1942, United States Marines landed on Guadalcanal and Tulagi, islands in the South Pacific of which few had ever heard. For the next year, hardly a day passed when Guadalcanal was…
“I would like to thank Bill McGee and his wife, Sandra, for their work over the years to preserve U.S. Navy Armed Guard and Merchant Marine history so people of future generations may read and see what both crews did in World War II. Without Bill and Sandra working together, and their interest, the Naval…