Always Faithful

Thousands of American Marines stationed in the Pacific will engage in some of the costliest battles of World War II. John Reynolds is one of them. Wounded on Guadalcanal, he recuperates in a navy hospital in Auckland, New Zealand, before rejoining his battalion at the sprawling Marine encampment just north of Wellington. Visiting the city on a weekend pass, he meets Grace Lucas, a local girl, and they begin a love affair that culminates in the couple's secret engagement just weeks before the Marines set sail on a mission from which many will not return. What neither of them know is that Grace is pregnant and will soon be banished to a remote farm by her disapproving parents.

"Always Faithful" is both a love story and a nail-biting narrative that details the first American offensive in the central Pacific region. It was the first landing to meet Japanese resistance and one of the bloodiest battles of the war: the amphibious assault on Tarawa. Paddling frail rubber boats under heavy fire from the island, the Marines must land on beaches protected by nearly impregnable pillboxes and thousands of Japanese soldiers who will fight to the death.

In the midst of fascinating details about American military operations in the Pacific and pulse-pounding battle scenes, "Always Faithful" delivers a heartwarming story of faithfulness and redemption.