Eugene Sledge’s With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa is a memoir by a World War II participant. The book describes the thoughts and experiences of a young man who joined the US Marines and fought against the Japanese forces. Thus, the summary will demonstrate the controversial nature of war because multiple negative phenomena, including fear, filth, and brutality, go hand in hand with friendship and solidarity.
The book begins with an image of 19-year Sledge, who is full of naïve enthusiasm to enroll in the Marine Corps. However, all the positive thoughts disappear when he reaches a boot camp where officers subject him and other foot soldiers to harassment, depriving them of sleep, rest, and peace. The author soon understands that these conditions are justified because they prepare young people for the atrocities of war. After training is over, Sledge joins Company K in the 1st Marine Division that is also known as the “old breed.” The author is awed by soldiers who look detached, but he soon understands and experiences that it is a natural consequence of participating in military activities.
Sledge obtains his first war experience on September 15, 1944, when the battle of Peleliu begins. He immediately notices that military activities are associated with shock and fear, which makes it almost impossible to control own feelings, emotions, and actions. Furthermore, Sledge admits that injustice and absurdity exist because the war destroys many young individuals who are typically considered the future of any nation. The battle also makes the author familiar with the barbarism and brutality of war. On the one hand, it refers to the fact when Sledge sees a dead Marine with a penis in his mouth. On the other hand, some American soldiers removed Japanese’s gold teeth with their knives. This information demonstrates that both sides express cruelty, but Sledge manages to refrain from participating in this practice.
Even though the information above makes it clear that a war is a terrible disaster, the author admits that some positive phenomena can be found. It refers to the fact that the atmosphere of friendship and solidarity are found in Company K. Sledge admits that the two are of significance because they can make war tolerable. Furthermore, the author demonstrates that a kind of mentorship is present in the Marines. For example, Sledge uses his experience to comfort a companion soldier during the Battle of Okinawa in the same way as senior officers helped Sledge during the battle of Peleliu.
Finally, the author comments on the consequences that war brings to him. He expects difficulties integrating into civilian life because the war experience has significantly impacted him. Simultaneously, he feels grief because he is forced to leave Company K and all his friends. Thus, Sledge concludes his book with the idea that it is the man’s sacred responsibility to defend his country in a world where countries will always try to compete.
Eugene Sledge’s book is an excellent literary work that describes the atrocities of war. The memoir reveals that fear, brutality, and injustice accompany military activities, adversely affecting humans. However, the author admits that friendship and solidarity are also present on the battlefield, and the two are the only phenomena that make war tolerable. Thus, the book is recommended for the military people to prepare mentally for war.