Crosses in the Wind, first published in 1947, is the first-hand account by the commander of the 611th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company during the Second World War in Europe. In an under-reported but vital part of the war effort, the Graves Registration Service was responsible for the massive task of collecting fallen soldiers, identifying remains, preparing bodies for internment, forwarding personal effects to families, and establishing military cemeteries across Europe. In addition to providing an overview of the major European battles, the book focuses on the activities of author Major Joseph Shomon, from the formation of his company at Fort Francis E. Warren in Wyoming, followed by the unit's transfer to England where they began processing D-day casualties, and then continuing eastward across Europe with the advancing U.S. armies. The book closes with the Company in southern France awaiting deployment to the Pacific theater, but after the atomic bomb drops on Japan and the subsequent ending of the war, the unit is broken up, with some troops returning to Germany and others to the U.S. Includes 30 pages of photographs and maps.

"My first telegram came Sep. 3 1942 that my son was missing in action. And the next telegram came Aug. 18 1943 that he was Declared Dead. Till this day I do not know what happened to him." Mrs. Ann M. Lyons, August 7, 1957. Between 1942 and 1944, nearly four hundred Marines virtually vanished in the jungles, seas, and skies of Guadalcanal. They were the victims of enemy ambushes and friendly fire, hard fighting and poor planning, their deaths witnessed by dozens or not at all. They were buried in field graves, in cemeteries as unknowns, or left where they fell. They were classified as "missing," as "not recovered," as "presumed dead." And in the years that followed, their families wondered at their fates and how an administrative decision could close the book on sons, brothers, and husbands without healing the wounds left by their absence. 'Leaving Mac Behind' reconstructs the lives, last moments, and legacies of some of these men. Original records, eyewitness accounts, and recent discoveries shed new light on the lost graves of Guadalcanal's missing Marines--and the ongoing efforts to bring them home.

No one has ever written a book like this before. Most books whose subject matter concerns military activities involve descriptions of heroic actions performed by the participants and give details of equipment, strategies, tactics, unit movements, and the like. Some try to develop the colorful personalities of the central characters and relate stories of how these men influenced the battle, but no one has ever written a book like this one. What you are about to read is a comprehensive research study which accurately identifies and locates the undiscovered graves of many Marines and Sailors killed in action during the battle for the island of Betio, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands. I must caution you that this is not a book about war. It is not about the United States Marine Corps, the United States Navy, Army or any other military organization. It is rather, a book about honoring sacrifice. It was written to recognize and honor a small group of American heroes, all of whom died in service to their country and to the cause of freedom. Who these men were and what they did materially affects the way we live today, and it is in their memory this work was created.

... To assist commanders and personnel officers in determining or establishing the eligibility of individual members for campaign participation credit, assault landing credit, unit citation emblems, and occupation duty credit for World War II and for the Korean War.