Landing Force 48

About the Book

This compelling story is about a time when Marine divisions landed and fought their way across the Central Pacific Ocean in eight major island battles during WWII. In the three toughest of those amphibious operations, each of the six Marine divisions became fully involved, either on Saipan, Iwo Jima, or Okinawa.

I landed with them on those three islands, providing technical assistance and close air support for each of the six Marine divisions. My new Marine unit was called Landing Force, Air Support Control Unit One.

About the Author

Frank Gardner was born in Washington D.C. on Dec. 2nd 1922. After two years of college in 1942, Frank enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corps to fight in WWII. He fought in three major Pacific battles, landing in amphibious assault on Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Saipan. As WWII ended, Staff Sergeant Gardner was honorably discharged in 1945. He finished college two years later and in 1948, entered the FBI as a special agent and served for thirteen years. Along the way, he married Geraldine Donahue of Cleveland, Ohio, in 1951. In 1962, Frank moved to the U S. Department of State, where he served the next 16 years. There were a variety of stations; some temporary while others were longer term that spanned across Central and South America and Europe. He retired from the Foreign Service in 1986. Frank and Gerry had 9 children, 17 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren.