With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa

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Customer Reviews:

Outstanding personal account of war in the Pacific [Posted on 2008-12-03]
The late Mr Sledge 'hammer' wrote this compelling and often brutal account of his experiences during the grim and bloody battles on Peleliu and Okinawa. He was one of a scant handful of Marines that made it through both battles without a wound. His first hand account draws the reader into the daily routine of Marine life but also splashes mud and blood into your face when he lands on the two contested islands. Although a 60mm mortarman, he shared many of the same brutal conditions the infantry did: enemy snipers, artillery, personal misery, mud and incredible filth. Sledge writes in a straight forward style and a few times, he himself mentions that we was confused and puzzled about just where he was during advances and barrages, bringing this story to an even more personal level.
One of the best WWII related memoirs you will read, right up there with 'Storm of Steel' and 'Goodbye, Darkness'. Powerful, gripping, head-shaking and amazing are a few words to describe his experiences amid slashing shrapnel, Nambu bullets, artillery fire, carrying loads of ammo and hauling wounded Marines in knee-deep mud. Some scenes are horrific and brutal, just as they happened to him and his buddies. Well worth reading and you will not soon forget his book.
Sadly, Eugene Sledge passed away in 2001.

The Pacific Theater's "Forgotten Soldier" [Posted on 2008-12-13]
I had been meaning to read "With the Old Breed" for some years but, as a committed thrift-store book shopper, had been unable to find a used copy. Finally I sprung for a new copy and, after having read it, I understood exactly why I had been unable to find a secondhand copy: this book is so phenomenally awe-inspiring that I will never part with mine.
Sledge has quite probably written the single best American war memoir EVER. From the jagged coral ridges of Peleliu to the fetid quagmire of Okinawa, Sledge vividly transports the reader into the searing hell that was the average Marine's lot in World War II. That said, he also somehow manages to convey one of the most profound anti-war messages ever put to paper, equal only to Guy Sajer's "The Forgotten Soldier", Robert Graves' "Good-bye to All That" or Erich Maria Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front."
As a former Marine, I may be somewhat biased in my assessment of this book, but I feel that this book is certainly something to be revered and remembered by generations to come whenever the subject of war comes around.

Haunting. Simply the BEST. [Posted on 2008-12-14]
Haunting.
Mr. Sledge"s reminisces of WW2 Pacific combat is one of the 3 best memoirs in that genre. The other two being William Manchester's Goodbye Darkness, and Robert Leckie's Helmet for my Pillow. War is ugly, messy, misery and a terrible thing, but the courage and sacrifice of the warriors is the beauty of it all. It is utter madness that muddles the mind, yet brings clarity of thought to a razor's edge. It dulls one's sensibilities yet heightens the senses to maximum perception. With the Old Breed is gritty realism, that will assault one's reality with the true nature of combat without philosophical metaphors. It is love, hate, disgust, kindness, sympathy, revulsion, and understanding wrapped in the simple prose of one who has seen the utter madness of combat up close and personal. Mr. Sledge graphically brings the sounds, sights, stink, and corruptions of the battlefield to the written page and slaps the reader in the face with the reality of it all. At times it is revolting but yet it is ALL true. The ambivalence of combat is the true mystery of its schizophrenic nature: To be drawn to it and repulsed at the same time its mystique. To use Mr. Paul Fussell's own words, "It is about the mystique of killing to avoid being killed, torturing to avoid being tortured." The front line is both a place of passion and madness. As Mr. Sledge said, "[combat] made savages of us all. We existed in an environment totally incomprehensible to men behind the lines..." And so it was at Peleliu and Okinawa, where Mr. Sledge, "tasted the bitterest essence of war, the sight of helpless comrades being slaughtered, and it filled me with disgust. Furthermore, Mr. Sledge opines, "We were surrounded by maggots and decay . Men struggled and fought and bled in an environment so degrading I believed we had been flung into hell's own cesspool."
And yet, "War is brutish, inglorious, and a terrible waste. Combat leaves an indelible mark on those who are forced to endure it. The only redeeming factors were my comrades' incredible bravery and their devotion to each other."
Maximum recommendation for anyone interested in actual combat in general and/or WW2 Pacific combat in particular. BE WARNED this is an extremely graphic memoir. It is NOT for the squeamish or faint of heart. It is maximum realism and it is ugly at times. Nevertheless is probably the best book ever written on the realities of war in the Pacific during WW2.
Finally, to sum up, "If the country is good enough to live in, it's good enough to fight for. With privilege goes responsibility." And as Wilfred Owen's poem "Insensibility" states, "those who feel most for others suffer most in war." Mr. Sledge suffered a great deal.

Straight forward harrowing account of war against Japan [Posted on 2008-12-16]
Sledge's book is a must-read for anyone interested in WWII battles against the Japanese. No words are wasted trying to impress the reader. Instead, this is a first-hand account of an enlisted soldier's harrowing battle experiences. It does not get any more personal and straight forward than this. The maps in the book are not very good, so I turned to the internet. I Googled every mountain, island, ship name, etc. for an immersing reading experience. You can even use Microsoft's Flight Simulator to fly around the islands.

War with the shine rubbed off... [Posted on 2008-12-22]
December 29th, 1980, I arrived at the same Marine Corps boot camp which welcomed EB Sledge nearly 40 years before. With the Old Breed (WTOB) makes it perfectly clear why the stress and hardship of the Marine Corps boot camp experience is necessary. Thankfully, my generation was spared the subsequent horror that Sledge and his fellow marines witnessed on the islands of Peleliu and Okinawa.

Unlike other WWII books, WTOB truly brings home the misery and insanity of the Pacific theater slugfest. Death is imminent on nearly every page. The broken, shredded, mangled bodies of friend and foe are always close at hand. The filth, the stench, the mania of combat are unapologetically laid bare. There are passages so unforgettably gruesome that any romantic view of warfare is crushed beyond recognition.

WTOB reads as a personal journey through hell from which EB Sledge emerged against extraordinary odds. One marvels that he wasn't emotionally scarred beyond recovery. These were impressive men, iron-willed warriors, all of whom deserve our undying gratitude. We benefit from their unbelievable bravery and would be mistaken not to read this book. 5+ stars.

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