In the midst of World War II, teenager Donald B. Marshall was determined to serve. After two failed attempts, he succeeded on his third try: he convinced his mother he was older (the original records had been lost), and she signed the parental consent for the recruiter.

What followed was a brutal coming-of-age under fire. Assigned to the elite 5th Amphibious Tractor Battalion—the “Alligator Marines” for their armored “Alligator” landing vehicles (LVTs)—Don drove troops ashore in the bloody assaults on Saipan, Tinian, and finally Iwo Jima’s volcanic black sand beaches. There, in one of the war’s fiercest battles, he witnessed the iconic flag-raising on Mount Suribachi while facing relentless enemy fire that claimed thousands of his fellow Marines.

Written with unflinching honesty, dark humor, and vivid detail, Alligator Marines is Donald B. Marshall’s firsthand account of fear, brotherhood, sacrifice, and survival—from a boy too young to vote to a hardened combat veteran carrying the scars of the Pacific forever.

This hardcover edition is built to last—a timeless keepsake ideal for veterans, military families, history enthusiasts, and especially the children, spouses, and grandchildren of WWII Marines seeking the unvarnished truth behind the silence many veterans carried home.

Perfect for:

Active-duty service members and their families connecting to the Marine Corps’ legendary roots
Descendants of the Greatest Generation hungry for the real stories of teenage warriors on Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima
Readers moved by authentic tales of courage, loss, and the unbreakable spirit of young Americans who turned the tide against impossible odds

Alligator Marines isn’t polished propaganda—it’s the gritty voice of a teenage “Alligator Marine” who helped win the Pacific... and lived to tell it like it really was.

Content warning: Alligator Marines is an uncensored WWII Marine memoir told raw and real by a teenage combat vet Donald Marshall. Expect graphic depictions of Pacific island battles (Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima)—profanity, brutal violence, death, dismemberment, and dark battlefield humor—with no filters for modern sensibilities. Not for the faint-hearted; honors the unvarnished truth of war. Recommended for mature readers, veterans, and military history enthusiasts only.

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About the Author

Little did the tranquil Belgian couple, Louie and Nettie know about the son, Donald, they produced on a quiet July morning in 1926. As he grew to manhood, it was obvious that Donald would match their tranquil steadfastness with an opposite and equal boisterousness and lust for life known to few but the most auspicious of adventurers. The place, Elmhurst, Illinois. His birth was soon followed by the Great Depression of '29 wherein the family was forced to move. About that time WW II beckoned and Marshall successfully coned his way into in the United States Marine Corps, with the aid of a phony birth certificate. He excelled in knife, club, and bayonet fighting and was assigned to the hard hitting, first wave, 5th Amphibious Tractor Battalion. After serving a riotous life in the pacific from age 17 through 19, he returned to join the Los Angeles Police Department working the San Pedro waterfront and eventually advancing to Special Investigator. In Marshall's very active life, he had been declared dead, missing or captured on several occasions including by the Department of Defense, as having died in 2001, "A slight exaggeration" stated Marshall when he heard, "but nothing new." The day did dawn though, when Don Marshall, 84 years old ended the last chapter of his own life. On Nov. 3, 2010 in Tok, Alaska, the last proclamation of death was finally real. A wake was held the following Monday at the Tok Lodge because Marshall always wanted to buy all his friends a parting drink as he transitioned from this life to the next.Though he was in poor health the last few years, his life was rich with tales of a bygone era. He was always polite and never complained of his many ailments. And if anyone had a moment, Don had a story. His interests were archeology, criminology, flying, gold mining, the Civil War, and WWII. He had a large collection of antique guns and bayonets as well as other various antiques. When his legs could not take him far, Don piled books about his room and continued to read about places his body would no longer take him. His imagination and curiosity never wavered. He was a true hero and your hero too--read his book and find out what it was really like on Iwo.

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Alligator Marines

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