This is the history of the United States Army's 34th Infantry Regiment, from March 1st, 1940, through September 2nd, 1945. The regiment's history is described in a journalistic format, with an emphasis on the 1st Battalion and 'B' Company. Within the 758 pages in Volume I and 710 pages in Volume II (both measuring 8.5 by 11 inches per page), is a compilation of thousands of pages of company clerks' "record of events" narratives for the twenty companies of the regiment. Over five thousand hours were required to research the thousands of pages of company, battalion, and regimental records held in the National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri, and College Park, Maryland. These narratives are the day-by-day, and at times the minute-by-minute actions of the regiment, from initial training starting in July 1940 through Japan's surrender on September 2nd, 1945. In addition to these narratives, personal memoirs of those that served with the regiment are also used.
The regiment was reactivated in Camp Jackson, South Carolina, transferred to the Territory of Hawaii, and transferred again to Queensland, Australia; then it engaged in battles in Dutch New Guinea and the Philippine islands. During the five-year period, narratives describe how men were drafted, their basic training, their unit training, new stations, fighting, killing, being killed/wounded, and finally returning home. All of the narratives of the valor citations (Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star with Valor) are woven into the narratives. Sprinkled throughout the pages are other event narratives that directly or indirectly affected the regiment. In addition to all of the regimental narratives, the regiment's history before and after World War II can be found in the Prologue and Epilogue sections.
Volume II of the two-volume set contains the eight appendices of Volume I. The first appendix contains over 580 pages of documentation: photographs, newspaper articles, maps, 34th Infantry Regiment documents, book excerpts, War Department documents, Naval deck logs, and 24th Infantry Division documents. Appendices two through eight contain the following: (2) United States Army Organization Units, (3) Army Table of Organization and Equipment, (4) 34th Infantry Regiment Commanders, (5) 34th Infantry Regiment Personal Citations, (6) 34th Infantry Regiment Casualties and Enemy Killed, (7) 34th Infantry Regiment Honor Roll of Wounded and Injured, (8) 34th Infantry Regiment Honor Roll of Dead and Missing.