Through These Portals: A Pacific War Saga

Wayne MacGregor was a US Army rifleman in the Pacific during World War Two who fought on Guam, the Phillipines and Okinawa. Through These Portals is a memoir of his childhood and war experiences. The battle descriptions are as descriptive of the horrors of war as any book ever written. The difference in this book is that he tries to place his experiences in the context of the war at large. For those with an intimate knowledge of the war this may seem redundant but for those who aren't as knowledgable of the war this extra information is helpful. The author also tends to moralize a bit but he is merely voicing common views of his generation. This book is definitely a must read and a good first memoir to read on the war in the Pacific.

I was assigned to read Through These Portals in my WWII in the Pacific Class about a year ago at WSU. As a history major I enjoyed reading it and had a few things to say about this book.When boys signed up for the service in WWII and even WWI they were expecting a "great adventure" where they would get to punch some "Jap" or "Jerry" however once they got their first taste of combat their attitudes changed from adventurous to survival. The title "Through These Portals" perfectly identifies with the coming of age in wartime conditions. They go in as beach boys from all over the US, and they come out battle hardened men who have seen death multiple times and in many cases were the instrument of death. MacGregor perfectly captures this in his thesis about the transformation of boys to men. MacGregor's experience at Okinawa, Leyte, the Philippines and Guam really illustrated his own philosphes.Which brings me to my next point, the imagry was nice, since this is an explicit memoir of MacGregor's experience he got to tell us every detail he could remember from the run-down boots he was forced to wear, to the horrible conditions of being in a foxhole to the Japanese fighting spirit that casted hell on our boys in the Pacific. The only bone I have to pick is the first two chapters (56 pages) where he talks about himself growing up in the depression torn Pacific Northwest. This portion of the book REALLY dragged on and on and on till I had to skip that portion of the book. There were some dragging parts in between battles during the war portion of the book that also dragged however that could not be helped, however, the intro COULD have been better.I personally met MacGregor a year ago and got to talk to him about why he included that section in his book, he said it was mostly just him recolecting his experience so yes, it could've been left completely out or maybe just a few pages. Overall, a great book for history buffs like myself. However for general reading I would think twice. A great book for both would be With the Old Breed by EB Sledge.

Wayne C. MacGregor Jr. is a decorated veteran of the U.S. Army 77th infantry division. Through These Portals: A Pacific War Saga is MacGregor's personal memoir of service in the U.S. Army during the Pacific campaigns, where he fought alongside the Navy and Marine Corps. Informative remembrances of the dire hardships of the Great Depression, background the values, attitudes, and morals that sustained the American troops who were thrust into lethal confrontation with the highly trained, combat savvy, ideologically fanatical, and sometimes suicidal Japanese soldiers. Also available in a hardcover edition, and a very highly recommended addition to World War II Military History collections, Through These Portals vividly captures both dramatic events and the grind of daily life as American soldiers struggled and often forfeited their lives in a war in the Pacific Theatre.