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Rating: 
Summary: Classic reporting from the front lines
Review: "Guadalcanal Diary" is a classic of war reportage. In the first American offensive of World War II, Tregaskis went ashore with the Marines at Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942 and stayed with them for the next six weeks while they fought for survival against the Japanese. Appropriately, he focuses the book on the fighting men rather than himself, giving the name and hometown of Marines he met or were worthy of special mention."Diary" is a bit understated, perhaps due to wartime censors. Tregaskis mentions disease, the shortages of food and equipment, and the sense of the marines that they were abandoned by the Navy and forgotten by the "Brass." I suspect, however, that the fear and desperation of the Marines at Guadalacanal were considerably stronger than he expressed. I recommend you read "Diary" with a modern account of the battle for Guadalcanal and maps at your side. You can then compare Tregaskis' account of events with those of later scholars. I found "Diary" to be believable in most details and atmosphere -- which is not always the case with on the spot reportage.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Personal Account of Battle
Review: "Guadalcanal Diary" is a classic of war reportage. In the first American offensive of World War II, Tregaskis went ashore with the Marines at Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942 and stayed with them for the next six weeks while they fought for survival against the Japanese. Appropriately, he focuses the book on the fighting men rather than himself, giving the name and hometown of Marines he met or were worthy of special mention. "Diary" is a bit understated, perhaps due to wartime censors. Tregaskis mentions disease, the shortages of food and equipment, and the sense of the marines that they were abandoned by the Navy and forgotten by the "Brass." I suspect, however, that the fear and desperation of the Marines at Guadalacanal were considerably stronger than he expressed. I recommend you read "Diary" with a modern account of the battle for Guadalcanal and maps at your side. You can then compare Tregaskis' account of events with those of later scholars. I found "Diary" to be believable in most details and atmosphere -- which is not always the case with on the spot reportage.
Rating: 
Summary: To Land With The Marines And Tell Their Story
Review: Guadalcanal Diary is one of the rare books that captures the characters and machinery of war in the midst of an unfolding island campaign. Richard Tregaskis lands with the Marines on Gaudalcanal and is not an outsider amongst them, he is in the foxhole, taking cover and fearing for his life. Despite many close calls he never avoids danger in order to get the facts about the Marines or their mission; his accounts are literally taken from looking over the shoulders of the commanders and the riflemen. This unique viewpoint gives the reader an appreciation for the planning and execution of the war fought on Guadalcanal. This book is a good read in 2000 because it lacks the sanitized objective analysis that often comes with contemporary accounts of military action. Tregaskis is an American on foreign soil and you can sense the solidarity of purpose that he feels with the Marines. He is not afraid to acclaim the strength of the Marine leaders and never questions their decisions or judgment. His courage and unpretentiousness are a refreshing change from today's celebrity journalist that search for the negative aspects of modern military action.
Rating:
Summary: To Land With The Marines And Tell Their Story
Review: Guadalcanal Diary is one of the rare books that captures the characters and machinery of war in the midst of an unfolding island campaign. Richard Tregaskis lands with the Marines on Gaudalcanal and is not an outsider amongst them, he is in the foxhole, taking cover and fearing for his life. Despite many close calls he never avoids danger in order to get the facts about the Marines or their mission; his accounts are literally taken from looking over the shoulders of the commanders and the riflemen. This unique viewpoint gives the reader an appreciation for the planning and execution of the war fought on Guadalcanal. This book is a good read in 2000 because it lacks the sanitized objective analysis that often comes with contemporary accounts of military action. Tregaskis is an American on foreign soil and you can sense the solidarity of purpose that he feels with the Marines. He is not afraid to acclaim the strength of the Marine leaders and never questions their decisions or judgment. His courage and unpretentiousness are a refreshing change from today's celebrity journalist that search for the negative aspects of modern military action.
Rating:
Summary: Good book
Review: It's a good book. The eyewitness account of a war correspondent during the Battle of Guadalcanal, Guadalcanal Diary's a book that should be read by anyone with an interest World War II. I read it in either junior high school or high school, I can't remember which, and I loved it.
Soldiers and Marines were forbidden from using cameras and keeping diaries because if they were killed or captured,
they'd provide good intelligence for the enemy. War correspondents, like Richard Tergaskis, weren't under any such prohibitions. World War II was the first war with embedded reporters. And you thought it was Operation Iraqi
Freedom. Didn't you? Well, 'tain't so! I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: this book is one of the best war book I have ever read.
Review: Mr. Tragaskis downplays most of the blood and gore that would be in most contemporary accounts of this type. You have to read between the lines to get a feel of what the actual conditions were like. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in WWII history. I have personally read this book numerous times and will undoubtedly read it many more.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: Read Tregaski's description of Red Mike Edson (paraphrase - the mouth smiles but not the eyes)...his account of the Tenaru River and Bloody Ridge....and marvel how the long road back started. Consider spending a few bucks on a first edition - surprisingly affordable. Then re-read every couple of years.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Personal Account of Battle
Review: Richard Tregaskis does an excellent job of keeping the readers attention to the story, while interjecting personal observations about the battle and the men involved in it. A must read for military history buffs!
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Summary: A part of our heritage
Review: Richard Tregaskis, a 24-year-old reporter, went ashore with the 1st Marine Division on Guadalcanal. He lived with the men, sleeping on the ground and eating the same chow. He remained on that nightmarish piece of coral for 50 days, usually under combat conditions. His retelling of the engagement along the Tenaru is as good or better than other first hand reports. His description of the several days of combat on Edson's Ridge was excellent, as he had moved his tent to that elevated location the morning of the first day. With an eye toward the readers' morale, losses of flights at Henderson Field were not reported as accurately as they could have been. As many as seven aircraft had crashed on take off while he was still on the island. Tregaskis left the island before the major battles on the Matanikau or the desperate fight for Henderson Field, but he had his story. He had seen the boys of democracy turn back the seemingly invincible Japanese Army; he had seen some of our flyers defeat the unstoppable Zeros; he had seen our navy hold their own against the designers of the attack on Pearl Harbor and he hurried home to tell the American public. This book was started aboard a B-24 before he returned home and was an instant best seller. This was a first hand reporting of our first offensive engagement of WW II. A nation hungry for news of the front greeted it eagerly. Not even the casual reader of WW II can bypass this major work, if for no other reason than the place it holds in the history of the war in it's own right.
Rating: 
Summary: Ok, but not great.
Review: This is a fair account but lacks the detail and authenticity of an actual front-line account such as E. B. Sledge's "With the Old Breed." Mr. Tregaskis was simply too far from the front lines to write with the same sort of impact imparted on the reader as in Mr. Sledge's fine effort. This book mainly consists of Mr. Tregaskis interviews of the Marines who were on the front lines during the intense fighting that occurred on Guadalcanal. Perhaps the year that this was published (1943) and the fact that the Pacific campaign was still raging has something to do with the lack of detail.
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