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In celebration of the 75th anniversary, a riveting first-hand account of the Battle of Okinawa--the Pacific War's "bloodiest battle of all" (New York Times) --from the first officer ashore, who served at the front for the battle's entire 82-day duration, heroism that earned him a Bronze Star.On Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, 1,500 Allied ships and 1.5 million men gathered off the coast of the Japanese island of Okinawa and launched the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific War. They expected an 80% casualty rate. The first American officer ashore was Major Art Shaw, a unit commander in the U.S. Army's 361st Artillery Battalion of the 96th Division, often called the Deadeyes. For the next three months, Major Shaw and his men served at the front lines of the Pacific's bloodiest battle, their artillery proving decisive against a "phantom enemy" who had entrenched themselves into rugged, craggy island.