William Manchester
| William Manchester | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Raymond Manchester April 1, 1922 Attleboro, Massachusetts, USA |
| Died | June 1, 2004 (aged 82) Middletown, Connecticut |
| Occupation | Historian, Biographer, Professor |
| Nationality | American |
| Notable works |
American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880–1964 The Death of a President The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill |
William Raymond Manchester (April 1, 1922 – June 1, 2004) was an American author, biographer, and historian. He was the author of 18 books which have been translated into over 20 languages. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal and the Abraham Lincoln Literary Award.
Manchester was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts and grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts. His father served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War I. After his father's death, and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, William Manchester likewise enlisted in the Marine Corps. However, he was ordered back to college until called up. Initially he joined the Officer Candidate School but was dropped before receiving a commission. After being warranted to the rank of corporal, he was sent to Guadalcanal in 1944 for further training. Although he had expected to serve in Europe, Manchester ultimately found himself in the Pacific Ocean theater. He served in Pacific War's final campaign on the island of Okinawa, was severely wounded on June 5, 1945, and was promoted to sergeant in July and awarded the Purple Heart. (Note: Various obituaries and other biographical articles on Manchester claim that he was also awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star Medal, and a second Purple Heart. These are incorrect, as reference to the authoritative 1955 publication "Heroes: U.S. Marine Corps 1861-1955" by Jane Blakeney will definitively confirm.) Manchester's wartime experiences formed the basis for his very personal account of the Pacific Theater, Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War. In this memoir, Manchester uses personal anecdotes from his service on Okinawa in his descriptions of battles on Guadalcanal, Tarawa and Saipan. He stated this in the end notes, as well as clearly denying any attempt at a chronological account. Manchester's portrayal of his section in combat on Guadalcanal is a literary device.
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