In his own book, Wartime, Paul Fussell called With the Old Breed "one of the finest memoirs to emerge from any war." John Keegan referred to it in The Second World War as "one of the most arresting documents in war literature." And Studs Terkel was so fascinated with the story he
interviewed iContinue
In his own book, Wartime, Paul Fussell called With the Old Breed "one of the finest memoirs to emerge from any war." John Keegan referred to it in The Second World War as "one of the most arresting documents in war literature." And Studs Terkel was so fascinated with the story he
interviewed its author for his book, "The Good War." What has made E.B. Sledge's memoir of his experience fighting in the South Pacific during World War II so devastatingly powerful is its sheer honest simplicity and compassion.
Now including a new introduction by Paul Fussell, With the Old Breed presents a stirring, personal account of the vitality and bravery of the Marines in the battles at Peleliu and Okinawa. Born in Mobile, Alabama in 1923 and raised on riding, hunting, fishing, and a respect for history and
legendary heroes such as George Washington and Daniel Boone, Eugene Bondurant Sledge (later called "Sledgehammer" by his Marine Corps buddies) joined the Marines the year after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and from 1943 to 1946 endured the events recorded in this book. In those years, he passed,
often painfully, from innocence to experience.
Sledge enlisted out of patriotism, idealism, and youthful courage, but once he landed on the beach at Peleliu, it was purely a struggle for survival. Based on the notes he kept on slips of paper tucked secretly away in his New Testament, he simply and directly recalls those long months,
mincing no words and sparing no pain. The reality of battle meant unbearable heat, deafening gunfire, unimaginable brutality and cruelty, the stench of death, and, above all, constant fear. Sledge still has nightmares about "the bloody, muddy month of May on Okinawa." But, as he also tellingly
reveals, the bonds of friendship formed then will never be severed.
Sledge's honesty and compassion for the other marines, even complete strangers, sets him apart as a memoirist of war. Read as sobering history or as high adventure, With the Old Breed is a moving chronicle of action and courage.
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Nathan M 
Ennervating, yet riveting.
E.B. Sledge, in what some call the best description of combat soldiering ever written, gives a harrowing account of his WWII Marine service. He describes his entire journey--from training, to first invasion, to battle-hardened veteran.
Sledge is a sensitive and intelligent young narrator, one ... (continue)
E.B. Sledge, in what some call the best description of combat soldiering ever written, gives a harrowing account of his WWII Marine service. He describes his entire journey--from training, to first invasion, to battle-hardened veteran.
Sledge is a sensitive and intelligent young narrator, one who is eager to serve his country. He crafts his account carefully, never quick to judge, always appreciative of the glimpses of valor and nobility he sees amongst his fellow Marines.
Sledge does not flinch from describing atrocities committed by American as well as Japanese soldiers--nor does he apologize for them. Desperate times result in desperate actions, and his description of the Pacific war's hellish and nightmarish conditions make one begin to appreciate that desperation. Almost miraculously, Sledge survives. Even more wonderously, he survives as a human being and gentle man, despite his extended immersion in war's barbarity.
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