WITH THE OLD BREED: AT PELELIU AND OKINAWA.: Amazon.ca: E. B. Sledge: Books

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I enlisted in the Marine Corps on 3 December 1942 at Marion, Alabama. Read the first page

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars kaleidoscope of the unreal, April 8 2004

By

Yalensian - See all my reviews

This review is from: WITH THE OLD BREED: AT PELELIU AND OKINAWA. (Paperback)

This is a gripping account of combat on Peleliu and Okinawa during World War II, without embellishment, without literary flourish. The narrative is simple, unadorned, raw. Sledge--a "fugitive from the law of averages" who survived some of the Pacific War's bloodiest battles--doesn't allude to Hemingway or Remarque, doesn't reference past wars (except fleetingly in discussing the martial tradition of the Corps); he's not interested in connecting his experiences to the ancient line of wars and warriors. Instead, he describes combat as it was, as he saw it and participated in it. Sledge takes readers onto those bloody islands--the relentless fighting on Peleliu, the stinking hell of Okinawa.

Sledge stresses over and over again that war is a waste, "a terrible waste." Young bodies are ripped and torn apart; young men are struck down in their prime and stripped of decades of potential life. Mentally, it is a waste, too. Exposed to brutal combat, civilized men quickly become savage themselves and, for example, pry gold teeth from dead--and, on at least one occasion that Sledge mentions, from wounded and still living--Japanese. There are many other moments throughout the book where the reader winces. And yet, while war is not glorious, there are qualities that men can show under fire, that shine brightly in comparison to the brutality: love, loyalty, bravery, esprit de corps, compassion. Sledge stresses those, too.

This is not an antiwar book, though. Sledge entered the abyss of war, endured hardships, confronted death, saw men torn down. He knows war is not pretty, not fun, not romantic. And yet he also knows that it is sometimes necessary and that, as citizens, we must sometimes sacrifice for our country. He concludes: "With privilege goes responsibility." So it does.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The most detailed and pogniont recounting of any war, Feb 18 2004

By

Keith S Paulus (Toledo, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: WITH THE OLD BREED: AT PELELIU AND OKINAWA. (Paperback)

This book takes war for all it is. War is brutal and Sledge does not hide any of it. He brings the war to you clearly and plainly. He is not an author, he is a writer simply writing about what he say, felt, and experienced. After reading this book there is no way you will not have a whole new appreciation for "The Big Red One" and all military units. This is the best book recounting WWII out there. It has a clarity and honesty that no reporter could get, this book is from a front line solider and shows what he saw. Absolutely superb.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Such an awesome book!, Dec 14 2010

By

Jen - See all my reviews

This review is from: With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa (Mass Market Paperback)

After reading a few other war memoir books I was prepared for a semi-interesting but overall dry account full of dates and names...but this book was different. E.B. Sledge writes so vividly you feel like you were his foxhole buddy. So many memories of little every day things that you never hear about in other books or movies. As soon as I finished it I wanted to read it again. This book really opened my eyes to the Pacific campaign as it doesn't seem to get as much attention as the European side. This book really makes you realize what war is like for the guys on the front line, the horror and the lasting effects its amazing...and heartbreaking. A must read.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic personal account
As usual, I'll use my standard WW2 biography rating system for this review of Private First Class E. B. Read more

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Heart-wrenching Personal Account
After watching HBO's series "The Pacific" I wanted to know more about the madness that many men endured. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Alfred H. Kaethler