New Release “Semper Fidelis” by Tom Holtom Traces the Marine Raiders Who Inspired the Navy SEALs and Green Berets
Salem, OR – September 22, 2026 – “Semper Fidelis: The Homecoming of Carlson’s Raiders,” a new book by Tom Holtom that follows the Marine Raiders whose 1942 mission at Makin Island helped shape the special operations units that later became the Navy SEALs and the Army Green Berets.
Long before special operations forces carried those names, Colonel Evans Carlson built a unit trained to strike fast, move light, and rely completely on one another. The Raiders trained under a simple creed, “Gung Ho,” meaning “work together,” and carried that spirit onto submarines bound for a remote Pacific atoll. Holtom traces how that mission tested the unit’s resolve and left a mark on military history that modern special forces still carry forward.
“Semper Fidelis” moves between two timelines. Readers follow the Raiders through their 1942 mission, then join a recovery team decades later working to identify and bring home Marines who never returned. That second thread rests on a promise familiar to every service member: no man left behind. Holtom, who writes as the primary next of kin of a Raider who served on the mission, brings a personal stake to the research, turning archival records and firsthand accounts into a story readers can feel rather than read.
“This book started as a search for answers about my own family,” said Holtom. “It became something larger: a record of what these men sacrificed, and a reminder that their story still matters to the forces training today.”
That human thread runs through the entire book. Military history enthusiasts will find the tactical detail they expect. At the same time, general readers will connect with the families who waited for news, the officers who carried impossible decisions, and the investigators who refused to let a mission fade from memory. The book asks a question that still resonates: what does a country owe the people who serve it, long after the fighting ends?
About the Author
Tom Holtom brings a personal and researched perspective to military history, drawing on family records and archival research to document the legacy of the Marine Raiders.
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Media Contact
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Contact Person: Tom Holtom P.E.
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Country: United States
Website: https://www.amazon.com/SEMPER-FIDELIS-Homecoming-Carlsons-Raiders-ebook/dp/B0H63BGXLM
