With the Old Breed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Eugene Sledge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I just started reading this the other day, and I can barely put it down. Its a very personal, and vivid, account of the Eugene Sledge's time in the Marines. Taken from notes he made in his copy of the New Testament (they werent allowed to keep journals incase they were killed are captured, they didn't want to give the Japanese any info) The simplicity of the writing, mixed with the his articulate insights and feelings, gives the war a sense of realism that they don't capture in movies, and which most people who were there and survived probably rarely spoke much about in such detail.
He also provides lots of official information and maps to provide context to his personal narrative. There are many pictures of the fighting, and of some of the specific soldiers he mentions, which adds further
realism when you can put the stories with the faces.
Sledge, and his account from the book, was a contributor to the Ken Burns documentary a few years back about WWII. And more recently in the Speilberg/Hanks produced
Pacific on HBO, Sledge was one of the 3 main characters who is portrayed. I just finished watching the
Pacific series, then went and got the book. Alot of the what is in is straight of the the book,
The Pacific is worth checking out too if you haven't already. One of the other main characters, Bob Leckie, also wrote a book or 2, and I will be seeking those out after I finish this. I believe Sledge wrote a second book about his time in China, where he was sent after the Japanese surrendered, I'll try to read that too.
I recommend it to anyone who likes books, or has interest in WWII/the Pacific war, or wanted to get a sense of what it is like to serve in the military in combat. Specifically though, I think any American (who isnt already aware) should check it out to see what our freedom and way of life cost
