Fuji fire : sifting ashes of a forgotten U.S. Marine Corps tragedy / Chas Henry.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Henry, Chas, 1958- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Marine Corps--History--20th century.

United States.

Camp Fuji (Japan)--History--20th century.

Camp Fuji (Japan).

Fires--Japan--Camp Fuji.

Fires.

Typhoons--Japan.

Typhoons.

Physical Description:

xi, 297 pages, 12 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

[Washington, DC] : Potomac Books, an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press, [2025]

Summary:

"In this first account of the intimate and compelling stories forged by an October 1979 tragedy at Camp Fuji, Japan, journalist Chas Henry uses years of exhaustive research and interviews to document the incident and uncover the causes of what many have called the U.S. Marine Corps' worst-ever peacetime disaster"-- Provided by publisher.

"On October 19, 1979, the largest, most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded propelled 5,500 gallons of gasoline into corrugated steel huts filled with U.S. Marines. The gas ignited, injuring seventy-three people, thirteen of them fatally. The Marine Corps commandant, a veteran of combat in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, was stunned as he met scores of horribly burned survivors. "Having witnessed a lot of bad things, ugly things," the general declared, "none can compare to that experience." And yet this 1979 catastrophe on the slopes of Japan's iconic Mount Fuji remains all but forgotten except by those directly affected. Now, the fruits of Chas Henry's exhaustive four-year, two-continent investigation provide insight into what many have called the U.S. Marine Corps' worst-ever peacetime disaster. Fuji Fire shares the compelling and intimate stories of heartbreak and inspiration forged by these events while bringing to light new, critical analyses of the incident's causes and effects. "-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1. Burn Ward

2. Seagoing Marines, Choppy Waters

3. A Disturbance

4. The Camp

5. Fuel Farm

6. Super Typhoon

7. Friday, October 19, Morning

8. Friday, October 19, Afternoon

9. Friday, October 19, Evening

10. Saturday, October 20

11. Sunday, October 21

12. Brooke

13. Back at the Camp

14. An Informal Investigation

15. Aftermath. Addendum 1: Those Who Died

Addendum 2: Those Who Were Injured

Addendum 3: Those Who Received Awards .

Machine generated contents note: List of Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Introduction 1. Burn Ward

15. Aftermath Addendum 1: Those Who Died

ISBN:

9781640126459

1640126457

OCLC:

1451661637