From Poplar to Papua
Montana's 163rd Infantry Regiment in World War II
by Martin J. Kidston
- Author Martin J. Kidston has written the compelling, and until now untold, story of courageous young Montanans in the Pacific during World War II.
Kidston shares the soldiers' sometimes humorous, often chilling, and always fascinating accounts of the years they spent fighting the Japanese after the historic bombing of Pearl Harbor. The stories are collected from personal journals, news stories, and survivor interviews. Kidston also recounts how the 1,500 young men left their hometowns in Montana and adapted to combat in the jungles of the South Pacific, the coast of Australia, and the islands of the Philippines.
More than a tale of war, From Poplar to Papua is a tribute to an entire generation of men and women who saw the nation through one of its most important eras.
200 pages, 6'' x 9'', 43 b/w photos, 1 map(s), index, appendix, 42 softcovers per case, perfect-bound
softcover
ISBN 10: 1-56037-314-8
ISBN 13: 978-1-56037-314-8
$9.95
- Includes a list nearly 2,000 names of officers and enlisted men of the Montana National Guard, 163rd Infantry Regiment, inducted into the U.S. Army in September and October 1940.
- features 43 never-before-published historical images
- features personal journal entries and survivor interviews
- author signings and readings
- by the author of Cromwell Dixon: A Boy and His Plane
Cromwell Dixon: A Boy and His Plane
| From Poplar to Papua
Montana's 163rd Infantry Regiment in World War II |
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Martin J. Kidston served in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1988 and served in operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990-91. He is a graduate of the University of Montana. Kidston is the author of Cromwell Dixon: A Boy and His Plane. His articles have appeared in Montana Magazine and the Washington Post. |
Praise for From Poplar to Papua: Montana's 163rd Infantry Regiment in World War II
"Martin Kidston is in the 'X' ring with this carefully documented account of the 163rd Infantry Regiment in the steamy, infested jungles of the Pacific. Meeting and vanquishing the seasoned troops of the Japanese Imperial Army provided the very first major victory in that theatre of operations. This documentary of gallantry, service and sacrifice gives the reader a good look at his friends and neighbors who went to war, and those who didn't come back."
-R. F. (Bob) Morgan, Curator Emeritus, Board of Trustees, Montana Historical Society
"This history of the 163rd Infantry Regiment, Montana National Guard, 41st Infantry Division, excellently showcases the contributions of Montanans in patriotic service to our nation from 1940 to 1946. Those young men who came from the cities, towns, Indian reservations, and rural areas of the Treasure State did us proud. This work helps to finally tell the story of their successes and sacrifices in the Pacific theater in World War II."
-Raymond K. Read, Director, Montana Military Museum
"For more than a century, Montanans have been among the first to come to their nation's defense. Unfortunately, much of the record of their valor has been lost to us due to the passage of time and the dimming of memories. Drawn largely from personal interviews, Martin Kidston's moving account of the 163rd Infantry Regiment's actions in the Pacific theater during World War II allows us to remember and honor the remarkable men of this Montana Regiment."
-Robert R. Swartout, Jr., Professor and Chair, Department of History, Carroll College
"Martin Kidston is in the 'X' ring with this carefully documented account of the 163rd Infantry Regiment in the steamy, infested jungles of the Pacific. Meeting and vanquishing the seasoned troops of the Japanese Imperial Army provided the very first major victory in that theatre of operations. This documentary of gallantry, service and sacrifice gives the reader a good look at his friends and neighbors who went to war, and those who didn't come back."
-R. F. (Bob) Morgan, Curator Emeritus, Board of Trustees, Montana Historical Society
"This history of the 163rd Infantry Regiment, Montana National Guard, 41st Infantry Division, excellently showcases the contributions of Montanans in patriotic service to our nation from 1940 to 1946. Those young men who came from the cities, towns, Indian reservations, and rural areas of the Treasure State did us proud. This work helps to finally tell the story of their successes and sacrifices in the Pacific theater in World War II."
-Raymond K. Read, Director, Montana Military Museum
"For more than a century, Montanans have been among the first to come to their nation's defense. Unfortunately, much of the record of their valor has been lost to us due to the passage of time and the dimming of memories. Drawn largely from personal interviews, Martin Kidston's moving account of the 163rd Infantry Regiment's actions in the Pacific theater during World War II allows us to remember and honor the remarkable men of this Montana Regiment."
-Robert R. Swartout, Jr., Professor and Chair, Department of History, Carroll College