Full Description
In October of 1942, Charles Walker, a second lieutenant with the 164th Army National Guard Infantry Regiment, was in New Caledonia in the South-West Pacific, waiting for his chance to fight the Japanese in the Pacific islands. Yet, just as he was about to board the McCawley, the ship that would take him into the fight, he received orders to report to the hospital to be evacuated to the US. Refusing to desert his men, and anxious to contribute to the downfall of the Japanese forces, Walker decided to sneak onto the Zeilin, another ship headed to Guadalcanal. Days later, reunited with his men, he found himself embroiled in hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese, in what would ultimately become the heaviest land battle fought in the Pacific theatre.Over the two years Walker served during the war, he was promoted from second lieutenant to first, and ultimately became the Commanding Officer of the famed`Easy' Company. From this bastion,Walker saw it all: from superior officers who pretended to be have appendecitis in order to escape battle, to trying desperately to dodge `friendly fire' from the skies while on patrol; from narrowly avoiding capture by the Japanese while searching for supplies on the beach, to receiving a telegram from his wife telling him he's a father for the first time. Combat Officer captures the day-to-day struggles and triumphs of the American soldier during this pivotal time in World War II.Charles Walker remained in the Army Reserve after serving in World War II. He spent ten exciting years as a bush pilot in Ontario, Canada, before returning to the United States and serving twelve years as a county commissioner. Now retired, Walker concentrates on writing historically accurate stories about the military and pioneering. He lives in Pembina, North Dakota.
