Battle Cry (Uris Novel)
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''Battle Cry'' is a 1953
novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...
by American writer
Leon Uris Leon Marcus Uris (August 3, 1924 – June 21, 2003) was an American author of historical fiction who wrote many bestselling books, including '' Exodus'' (published in 1958) and ''Trinity'' (published in 1976). Uris was a co-founder of the Write ...
. Many of the events in the book are based on Uris's own
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
experience with the
6th Marine Regiment The 6th Marine Regiment (also referred to as "6th Marines") is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The regiment falls under the command of the 2nd Marine Division of th ...
. The story is largely told in first person from the viewpoint of the Battalion Communications Chief, "Mac," although it frequently shifts to third person in scenes where Mac is not personally present. The book was a commercial success. The New York Times gave it a mixed review. A film version followed in 1955.


Publication

The novel was rejected by a dozen publishers before being published by
G.P. Putnam's Sons G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, New York (state), New York. Since 1996, it has been an Imprint (trade name), imprint of the Penguin Group. History The company began as Wiley & Putnam with the 1838 part ...
. It went on to be a commercial success, due in part to its patriotic spirit. It was one of the best-selling books of 1953, as determined by Publishers Weekly. Warner Brothers purchased the film rights.


Characters

The characters in the book come from a variety of backgrounds, and cover a broad range of American archetypes. The interaction of the characters as they learn to put aside their
prejudice Prejudice can be an affect (psychology), affective feeling towards a person based on their perceived In-group and out-group, social group membership. The word is often used to refer to a preconceived (usually unfavourable) evaluation or classifi ...
s and biases to bond, developing ''
esprit de corps Morale ( , ) is the capacity of a group's members to maintain belief in an institution or goal, particularly in the face of opposition or hardship. Morale is often referenced by authority figures as a generic value judgment of the willpower ...
'', is a primary theme of the novel. * "Mac": A Master Tech Sergeant, a career Marine with 30 years of service in the Corps, and the Battalion Communications Chief. He gives his name only as "Mac." He is the book's primary narrator and provides much of the old hand viewpoint of the story, also providing perspective on changes in the Marine Corps during the war. * Daniel "Danny" Forester: An
All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
boy from
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
. While the book does not have one central character, the story tends to focus on Danny more than anyone else. He leaves high school before graduation and gives up a scholarship to
Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...
to join the
Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...
when the
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
breaks out; goes through Boot Camp and becomes a member of 2nd Battalion's radio squad. * Lamont Quincy "L.Q." Jones: The unit's clown, from
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. He goes through Boot Camp with Danny and is assigned to the radio squad. * Constantine "Ski" Zvonski: A street youth from
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, from a
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
immigrant family. He also goes through Boot Camp with Danny and LQ, and is assigned to the radio squad. * Marion "Sister Mary" Hodgekiss: A small town boy and the unit's intellectual, with a fondness for classical music and poetry, particularly
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
. Aspires to be a writer. A member of the radio squad. * Cyril "Seabags" Brown: A farm boy from
Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
who refers to everybody as "Cousin." A member of the radio squad. * Mortimer "Speedy" Gray: A
cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...
type from
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. A member of the radio squad. The most openly
racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
character in the unit. His attitude toward certain other men, particularly Pedro Rojas and Jake Levin, is the source of significant interpersonal conflict. * Andrew "Andy" Hookans: A
lumberjack Lumberjack is a mostly North American term for workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees. The term usually refers to loggers in the era before 1945 in the United States, when trees were felled us ...
from
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
, the "big dumb Swede." A member of the radio squad. * Shining Lighttower: A
Navajo The Navajo or Diné are an Indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. Their traditional language is Diné bizaad, a Southern Athabascan language. The states with the largest Diné populations are Arizona (140,263) and New Mexico (1 ...
Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...
. Lighttower occasionally plays on the Indian stereotype, talking in native
pidgin A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified form of contact language that develops between two or more groups of people that do not have a language in common: typically, its vocabulary and grammar are limited and often drawn f ...
and asking if he could go home to "the
reservation __NOTOC__ Reservation may refer to: Places Types of places: * Indian reservation, in the United States * Military base, often called reservations * Nature reserve Government and law * Reservation (law), a caveat to a treaty * Reservation in India, ...
." A member of the radio squad. * Joseph "Spanish Joe" Gomez: A
Hispanic American Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spanish or Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino, regardless of race. According to the ...
, the radio squad's troublemaker and slacker. * Jacob "Jake" Levin: A replacement from
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
who joins the radio squad after
Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...
. * Pedro Rojas: A Navy hospital corpsman assigned to Headquarter's Company. From Texas, the son of
Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
migrant laborers. He is a Pharmacist's Mate who dreams of becoming a doctor. * Major Samuel "Highpockets" Huxley: The Battalion Commander. * Ziltch: The Battalion Commander's orderly. * Marine Gunner Jack Keats: Another old hand and the Battalion Communications Officer. * Captain Max Shapiro: Company Commander of Fox Company. * First Lieutenant Bryce: Headquarter's Company commander. * Staff Sergeant Burnside: Another old hand, squad leader of the radio squad. * Gunnery Sergeant McQuade: Another old hand in the Corps, Company Gunnery Sergeant for Fox Company and friend of Mac and Burnside. * First Sergeant Pucchi: Another old hand and the Headquarters Company First Sergeant. * Milton "Professor" Norton: A fellow recruit at Boot Camp, Norton was an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania prior to joining the Marines. He later volunteers as a
Pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a person who is among the first at something that is new to a community. A pioneer as a settler is among the first settling at a place that is new to the settler community. A historic example are American pioneers, perso ...
. * Corporal "Tex" Whitlock: The
drill instructor A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces, fire department, or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors. Australia Aust ...
at Boot Camp. * Platoon Sergeant Beller: The
platoon leader A platoon leader (NATO) or platoon commander (more common in Commonwealth militaries and the US Marine Corps) is the officer in charge of a platoon. This person is usually a junior officer – a second or first lieutenant or an equivalent rank ...
at Boot Camp. * Theodore "Ted" Dwyer: Another recruit at Boot Camp. * Shannon O'Hearne: Another recruit at Boot Camp, a troublemaker. Later becomes a
rifle range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, sports venue, venue, or playing field, field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice, or shooting sport, competitions. ...
instructor. * Kathleen "Kathy" Walker: Danny's high school sweetheart. * Elaine Yarbourough: An older woman Danny has an affair with, the wife of a Navy officer. * Susan: Ski's girlfriend. * Rae: A woman that Hodgekiss falls in love with. * Pat Rogers: A
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
woman that Andy falls in love with.


Plot

The book tells the story of how this diverse group came together to form an effective team, as well as describing the battles they fought in, including the
Battle of Guadalcanal The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during the Pacific Theater of W ...
,
Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''
Battle of Saipan The Battle of Saipan was an amphibious assault launched by the United States against the Empire of Japan during the Pacific War, Pacific campaign of World War II between 15 June and 9 July 1944. The initial invasion triggered the Battle of the ...
. Also described are their boot camp experiences in San Diego and their two assignments to US Marine camps in New Zealand, the first time for preparatory training for the
Battle of Guadalcanal The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during the Pacific Theater of W ...
and then back again for rest and recovery before the
Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''