A gripping true story of the WWII Guadalcanal Campaign—told with no-holds-barred honesty and humor by a Marine who was there.

In August of 1942, Allied forces led by U.S. Marines came ashore on Guadalcanal, launching the first major land offensive against Imperial Japan. M. Sgt. Ore J. Marion of L Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment was among them. Here, Marion and other men of L-3–5 share a personal account of their experiences over the course of this grueling and protracted campaign.

The stories contained in these pages are harrowing, profane, heartbreaking, irreverent, and deeply human. As with many personal accounts, some memories recorded here are at odds with the official accounts in Washington’s archives. Rather than presenting a clean and consistent narrative, On the Canal reflects the messy business of warfare and human memory.

Thomas Cuddihy