Richard Tregaskis (1916–1973)
Author of Guadalcanal Diary
About the Author
Works by Richard Tregaskis
Associated Works
Reporting World War II Part One : American Journalism, 1938-1944 (1995) — Contributor — 477 copies, 3 reviews
100 Best True Stories of World War II (WW2) (with 32 illustrations) (2011) — Contributor — 36 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Tregaskis, Richard
- Legal name
- Tregaskis, Richard William
- Birthdate
- 1916-11-28
- Date of death
- 1973-08-15
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Harvard University (BA|1938)
- Occupations
- journalist
war correspondent
screenwriter - Organizations
- International News Service
Boston American Record - Awards and honors
- George Polk Award (1964)
- Relationships
- Tregaskis, Moana (second wife)
- Short biography
- Richard Tregaskis, born in New Jersey in 1916, was a war correspondent and author. Prevented by bad eyesight from enlisting in the armed forces during World War II, he covered both the Pacific and European theaters as a correspondent and was badly wounded in Italy. He chronicled his wartime experiences in many books, including "Guadalcanal Diary" (1943) and "Invasion Diary" (1944). The bulk of his career was spent reporting on events in Asia and Oceania. Tregaskis covered nine wars, including the Chinese Civil War, Korean, and Vietnam War. He also wrote poetry, novels, biographies, magazine articles, and screenplays for motion pictures and television. Tregaskis drowned near Honolulu in 1973.
- Cause of death
- drowning
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA
- Places of residence
- Honolulu, Hawaii, USA (death)
Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA (birth) - Place of death
- Hawaii, USA (drowned after heart attack)
- Burial location
- cremated
Waikīkī, Hawaii, USA (ashes scattered off Waikiki Beach) - Associated Place (for map)
- Hawaii, USA
Members
Reviews
Guadalcanal Diary opens on July 26, 1942 as war correspondent Richard Tregaskis is travelling on an American destroyer toward an island in the Pacific where the Marines are going to be landed and meet the enemy in the first land battle of World War II. The island turns out to be Guadacanal and Tregaskis is there every step of the way as the Americans battle the Japanese throughout the Solomon Islands.
The book was published in 1943 and gave Americans at home a bird’s-eye view of the battle show more in the Pacific as he lived alongside the soldiers and experienced all that they did. Morale was high even though they were dealing with night raids, snipers and bombing attacks. Even dealing with disease, lack of food and sleep, he was able to let America know that their “boys’ were performing well.
Guadalcanal Diary is frontline reporting at it’s best. Written in diary form, there is very little about “me” or “I”. It’s all about the soldiers. The story is engrossing and historically accurate, written in simple prose that highlights the slang of the day and grounds the book in reality. This is an honest and compelling account of what the Marines were facing as they fought and liberated this small corner of the Pacific. show less
The book was published in 1943 and gave Americans at home a bird’s-eye view of the battle show more in the Pacific as he lived alongside the soldiers and experienced all that they did. Morale was high even though they were dealing with night raids, snipers and bombing attacks. Even dealing with disease, lack of food and sleep, he was able to let America know that their “boys’ were performing well.
Guadalcanal Diary is frontline reporting at it’s best. Written in diary form, there is very little about “me” or “I”. It’s all about the soldiers. The story is engrossing and historically accurate, written in simple prose that highlights the slang of the day and grounds the book in reality. This is an honest and compelling account of what the Marines were facing as they fought and liberated this small corner of the Pacific. show less
Dick Tregaskis was a legendary American war correspondent who covered the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam. When he was just 26 years old, he accompanied Marines who landed on the island of Guadalcanal with the goal of taking it back from the Japanese. This book — his best-known work — tells the story of the first three months of that battle, which lasted many more months, and which ended in an American victory.
The historical significance of Guadalcanal consisted of the fact that it show more was the first land battle between American and Axis troops during the Second World War (the U.S. landing in North Africa came a few months later).
But Tregaskis was not interested in the broad strategy. This is history told at ground level, stories of men (always identified by their home town – e.g., Lieut. Col. William S. Fellers of Atlanta, Ga.) engaged in personal combat. Encounters with Japanese snipers, enemy craft bombarding the shore, Zero fighters coming in to bomb and strafe, are still frightening to read now, eight decades later.
Tregaskis does find some men who panic, some who flee, some who hide — but the vast majority display incredible heroism under fire. However, his description of the enemy is unflattering in the extreme and will make for uncomfortable reading today. show less
The historical significance of Guadalcanal consisted of the fact that it show more was the first land battle between American and Axis troops during the Second World War (the U.S. landing in North Africa came a few months later).
But Tregaskis was not interested in the broad strategy. This is history told at ground level, stories of men (always identified by their home town – e.g., Lieut. Col. William S. Fellers of Atlanta, Ga.) engaged in personal combat. Encounters with Japanese snipers, enemy craft bombarding the shore, Zero fighters coming in to bomb and strafe, are still frightening to read now, eight decades later.
Tregaskis does find some men who panic, some who flee, some who hide — but the vast majority display incredible heroism under fire. However, his description of the enemy is unflattering in the extreme and will make for uncomfortable reading today. show less
It was good to finally read this classic memoir of a war correspondent's experiences during the opening weeks of the battle for Guadalcanal. It was very interesting and informative. Tregaskis was often right up on the firing line and describes taking the scantiest of cover as bullets whistled around him. I didn't know, or didn't remember, the rather amazing fact that the Japanese forces on the islands were taken by surprise by the arrival of the Allies' huge invasion armada and so the show more invading forces essentially walked onto the island and established a beach head unhindered. Obviously, the fighting soon grew fierce, and remained that way for months. Tregaskis describes the conditions for the troops quite well. And yet there is something somehow unsatisfying about the book. Tregaskis' method is definitely more one of "telling" than of "showing," and I often felt a lack of detail that would enable me to see the scenes more fully. Maybe it's because I've grown so used to the more graphic medium of movies and the more "pull no punches" style of modern journalism (such as Michael Herr's excellent Viet Nam War memoir, Dispatches). This book was written, of course, and published while World War II was still raging. The agreement among correspondents (and/or their editors and publishers) seemed to be not to show the horrors of war too graphically, so as not to upset the home front too much. Even the brilliant Ernie Pyle did not focus his lens that harshly on the blood and guts of it all. Also, at times I wondered whether or not there might be a certain amount of propaganda inserted. There are frequent descriptions of Japanese bombing attacks on the American forces on the island. And we are often told of the high percentage of these Japanese planes shot down by American fighters, with no mention of American losses. Were the Japanese pilots really that bad? Maybe that is exactly how it was, but it did make me wonder. I suppose more research is in order.
At any rate, despite the reservations provided above, Guadalcanal Diary is indeed a fascinating account of the first weeks of one of the most horrific and protracted battles of World War Two. show less
At any rate, despite the reservations provided above, Guadalcanal Diary is indeed a fascinating account of the first weeks of one of the most horrific and protracted battles of World War Two. show less
From history classes and documentaries I was definitely familiar with John F. Kennedy and in a cursory way familiar with his naval career, especially as it related to action with PT-109. Until reading this book, however, I was unaware of the full story of not only Kennedy’s service, but of the PT boat program as a whole.
Richard Tregaskis is perhaps best known for his gripping account Guadalcanal Diary, but I had been unaware that he also wrote several more WWII histories, this one in show more particular. First published in 1962 during the Kennedy administration, John F. Kennedy and PT-109 serves to highlight the military career and heroism of who was then the sitting President of the United States. Tregaskis seems to have written it through that lens, as there is very little that does not paint JFK in the most glowing light, and honestly, I can see why. The calm and poise he seemed to show throughout the harrowing days after the sinking of PT-109 and his efforts to save himself and his crew are second to none.
As for Tregaskis’ account, it is very methodical to say the least. He does an excellent job painting the scene, not only of a young Lt. Kennedy’s military career up to that fateful day in 1943, but how he came to be in the Pacific Theater and on a PT boat specifically. We are walked through step by step the young officer’s entry to naval service while at the same time learning about the development and implementation of the little PT boats that served so heroically in the war. Tregaskis had taken very little liberty with the facts surrounding events and this makes John F. Kennedy and PT-109 a good piece of source material for research on this subject.
My only real knocks on this text is that first, because of the methodical nature of the prose I was not as gripped in the story or held in suspense as much as I would have liked to be. I had trouble imagining myself serving there alongside Kennedy and really experiencing the danger and horror and fear that must have swept over each crew member (whether they would have admitted it or not) after their boat was lost. This could also be in part because I knew how it would all turn out in the end! My second fault was the lack of maps, diagrams, and pictures about Kennedy and his PT boat and crew. I am not sure if this is a feature of just my copy, or is the final publication will have these items. As a visual learner, I would have enjoyed reading much more if I was able to see and experience these within the text or as an insert, rather than looking elsewhere. Overall these are not enough to dissuade me from recommending John F. Kennedy and PT-109 to anyone interested in the subject matter and I would consider this as a possible addition to my high school library collection. show less
Richard Tregaskis is perhaps best known for his gripping account Guadalcanal Diary, but I had been unaware that he also wrote several more WWII histories, this one in show more particular. First published in 1962 during the Kennedy administration, John F. Kennedy and PT-109 serves to highlight the military career and heroism of who was then the sitting President of the United States. Tregaskis seems to have written it through that lens, as there is very little that does not paint JFK in the most glowing light, and honestly, I can see why. The calm and poise he seemed to show throughout the harrowing days after the sinking of PT-109 and his efforts to save himself and his crew are second to none.
As for Tregaskis’ account, it is very methodical to say the least. He does an excellent job painting the scene, not only of a young Lt. Kennedy’s military career up to that fateful day in 1943, but how he came to be in the Pacific Theater and on a PT boat specifically. We are walked through step by step the young officer’s entry to naval service while at the same time learning about the development and implementation of the little PT boats that served so heroically in the war. Tregaskis had taken very little liberty with the facts surrounding events and this makes John F. Kennedy and PT-109 a good piece of source material for research on this subject.
My only real knocks on this text is that first, because of the methodical nature of the prose I was not as gripped in the story or held in suspense as much as I would have liked to be. I had trouble imagining myself serving there alongside Kennedy and really experiencing the danger and horror and fear that must have swept over each crew member (whether they would have admitted it or not) after their boat was lost. This could also be in part because I knew how it would all turn out in the end! My second fault was the lack of maps, diagrams, and pictures about Kennedy and his PT boat and crew. I am not sure if this is a feature of just my copy, or is the final publication will have these items. As a visual learner, I would have enjoyed reading much more if I was able to see and experience these within the text or as an insert, rather than looking elsewhere. Overall these are not enough to dissuade me from recommending John F. Kennedy and PT-109 to anyone interested in the subject matter and I would consider this as a possible addition to my high school library collection. show less
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 16
- Also by
- 4
- Members
- 1,638
- Popularity
- #15,683
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 21
- ISBNs
- 53