With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa Mass Market Paperback – September 25, 2007

With the Old Breed does for World War II's Pacific Theater what Stephen Ambrose's Band of Brothers does for the war's European Theater. The difference is that Eugene B. Sledge lived through the battles he describes in this outstanding memoir of modern war. Sledge's detailed, emotionally wrought descriptions of the horrors of the World War II battlefield are reminiscent of Norman Mailer's novel, The Naked and the Dead. His firsthand accounts of ferocious combat on Peleliu in the Caroline Islands and then on Okinawa leave the reader breathless.Sledge's Marines of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (K/3/5) of the storied 1st Marine Division are as tough as they come. Their exploits are the stuff of legends, and through their incredible courage on Peleliu and Okinawa they honor the precious legacy of the many combat Marines to come before them.The kill-or-be-killed actions of human beings essentially reduced to animals struggling for survival on a tiny coral atoll against a ruthless, fanatical and, yes, even suicidal enemy is difficult for most readers to stomach, much less comprehend. Yet, we find ourselves reading on if for no other reason than to root for the young enlisted Marines who shoulder the heaviest load in this fight. These remarkable Americans demonstrate yet again why they are collectively known as our country's Greatest Generation.Sledge's portrayal of a vicious, man-on-man fight in the South West Pacific to wrest control of a chain of seemingly insignificant islands from the desperate yet determined Japanese is at once both haunting and captivating. One alternately feels revulsion at the atrocities committed on both sides and empathy for the young Marines struggling to survive. Many barely out of high school, these 18 and 19-year-olds are thrown relentlessly into the meat grinder that was part of Admiral Chester Nimitz's Island Hopping counteroffensive. They journey from the innocence of youth into an early manhood spent 'across the sights of a rifle' or kneeling behind a mortar tube.We witness these young men participating in frontal assaults on Peleliu against an entrenched and well-equipped enemy whose capable use of machine guns and indirect fires (artillery and mortars) steadily reduces K/3/5's ranks. We see Marines desperate to dig fighting positions in virtually impenetrable coral rock... hugging the 'deck' as enemy artillery and mortar rounds bracket their positions.The Marines' steady attacks are contrasted with their brief defensive stands at night. As darkness descends on the dug-in troops so do the Japanese. The Marines find themselves in frenetic, bare-fisted fights in foxholes against a crazed, marauding enemy with fire in his belly and a rifle with razor sharp 18-inch bayonet in his hands. As we attempt to grasp these men's hellish existence on Peleliu and their struggle to defy the odds and leave the island in one piece, we are left to contemplate the utter senselessness of war... and those shocking conditions that would reduce man to his basest instincts.In addition to his account of the fight for Peleliu (referred to as the 'Peleliu Campaign'), Sledge relates his experiences during the fight for Okinawa ('the Okinawa Campaign').The Okinawa Campaign oddly begins quietly as the invasion is largely uncontested. Remarkably, given the island's proximity to the Japanese mainland, the Marines initially do not encounter the same 'chaotic maelstrom' that they experienced on Peleliu. Instead, we readers are treated to descriptions of an idyllic, almost serene, Okinawan countryside and occasional encounters with a few friendly Okinawans.But the calm the Marines experience belies what awaits them in the deep and dangerous recesses of Okinawa's system of interconnected ridges and draws. Much to K/3/5's horror, on Okinawa the Japanese have perfected the defense in depth and interlocking fires that characterized their defensive tactics toward the end of the war. And they bring to bear all the might of an increasingly desperate empire intent on sealing off their homeland from the Allied onslaught.The Japanese suck the Marines into kill zones and proceed to pick them apart through carefully targeted machine gun and rifle fire. As the casualties mount, the men of K/3/5 realize they will not have an easy time of it on Okinawa after all. The ensuing weeks find these men in a no man's land feeling Hell's fury as they face off against the bulk of the Japanese Thirty-Second Army.We readers wonder how the men of K/3/5 keep their sanity and how they are willing to continue slogging through the mud and filth to engage their merciless Japanese adversary. What is even more jaw-dropping about Sledge's experiences and what leaves the reader absolutely awestruck is how these fine, young Americans manage to continue their frontal assaults against an enemy occupying all but impregnable defenses. Amazingly, many a young Marine rifleman leaves the relative security of his foxhole on Okinawa and runs full tilt into a hailstorm of bullets and shrapnel. And falling in behind that Marine is yet another Marine! Unbelievable!While many are casualties on both Peleliu and Okinawa, it becomes obvious as one reads Sledge's story exactly how others somehow survive. Quite simply, they stay close to the 'Old Breed' - those combat-hardened, veteran Marines who have dedicated their lives to the Corps... some of whom cut their teeth at Belleau Wood in World War I... and many of whom fought on Guadalcanal, in Cape Gloucester (New Guinea) and in those many other battles in the Pacific that have inspired the legend that is the United States Marine Corps. Many of the 'Old Breed' form the vanguard of attacking Marines and set the example for the raw and inexperienced recruits.We realize then that many of the new troops fight on because they yearn to join the select few - the genuine article, authentic U.S. Marines... and the very pride of the Corps. Men such as Captain Andrew A. ('Ack Ack') Haldane and Gunnery Sergeant Elmo M. Haney, veritable demigods among American fighting men, assume almost mythic proportions to the younger members of K/3/5. Sledge and those like him internalize USMC lore and aspire to be combat Marines who serve selflessly and valorously... and who reflect the finest traditions of the Corps.As Sledge points out without a hint of humor, men like Haldane and Haney are not 'born of woman, but are issued to the Marine Corps.' To receive the approval of men like these is to finally join the ranks of the few, the proud...Sledge nearly bursts with pride when he hears 'the simple, sincere personal remarks' of a veteran Marine after his (Sledge's) actions on Peleliu. The veteran Marine offers the following comments to his young comrade:"But I kept my eye on you on Peleliu and by God you did OK; you did OK."While the veteran's comments seem modest, Sledge goes on to say that he "carried those words in [his] heart with great pride and satisfaction ever since they were uttered."With the Old Breed is an extraordinary tale of man at war and will forever remain one of the most authentic, vivid stories of an enlisted man's experiences on the front lines ever told. Sledge's writing is characterized by great depth of feeling, honesty, and clarity. The realism with which he depicts the battlefield enables the reader to practically experience for himself the sights, sounds, and even smells of battle.With the Old Breed, however, is about much more than war and the depths of man's inhumanity. Throughout his memoir, Sledge liberally sprinkles humorous anecdotes and subtle musings on the bonds that form between men fighting for survival while exposed to the nightmarish conditions of modern combat. So, With the Old Breed offers a deeply meaningful and enduring commentary about devotion to duty, loyalty, and brotherhood.Ultimately, though, Sledge's message is really much deeper even than that. As horrifying as his experiences were on Peleliu and Okinawa and despite his decrying war as "brutish, inglorious, and a terrible waste", Sledge acknowledges that we as Americans are sometimes called to sacrifice for our country and for those many freedoms we hold dear.Freedom is not free!As The Old Breed is fond of saying, "If the country is good enough to live in, it's good enough to fight for."A Classic!

Eugene B. Sledge enlisted in the Marine Corps on December 3, 1942 although he was a freshman at Marion Military Institute. He explains that he quit college because he was "prompted by a deep feeling of uneasiness that the war might end" before he could get overseas. But his parents wanted him to become a military officer, so he compromised by signing up for the V-12 new officer training program. That put him in a comfortable classroom in Georgia Tech, with boring teachers, detached from the war. At the end of the first semester, Sledge was one of ninety men (half the detachment) to intentionally flunk out of school in order to be allowed to enter the Marine Corps as enlisted men. They wanted to serve their country immediately.With the Old Breed walks us through boot camp, Sledge's training at Camp Elliot, further training at Pavuvu, and then into the battle of Peleliu. I was struck by Sledge's maturity, bravery, and almost unqualified respect for those in his chain of command. How different from so many 18-19 year old men today! Sledge paints a vivid picture of the horrors of war, providing a clear context of the larger scale troop movements and progress while also dwelling on the relationships of the soldiers, the details of daily life (from wet socks, to enjoying scavenged Japanese rations of sea scallops, to "field sanitation"), and countless anecdotes of incidents showing the bravery of the men and their devotion to each other.In no way does Sledge ever glorify the war. He describes it eloquently as "brutish, inglorious, and a terrible waste." The stress the men endure and the atrocities they witness slowly--or in some cases quickly--dehumanized many of them, to the point that some were guilty of atrocious acts, like looting the gold teeth of a still-living Japanese soldier. Sledge does not spare readers the misery of their surroundings, the terror of being constantly under barrage by machine gun bullets and enemy shells, or the despair at the senseless loss of life.I was awestruck by the fact that as miserable and fearful as he was in battle, he never once expresses regret. There is a sense that despite all the misery and futility the war was still necessary. But what seemed to motivate Sledge was not the abstract principle of protecting the American way of life. It was the comradeship and commitment he shared with his fellow marines, the knowledge that they were going through this together as friends and that each of them would die to save the others. Still, his quite, underlying patriotism comes out on the last page of the book, where he writes: "If the country is good enough to live in, it's good enough to fight for. With privilege goes responsibility."The book is a page-turner. Written in a calm, almost detached way, Sledge's memoirs are surprisingly engaging and even suspenseful. I read it very carefully, not wanting to miss a word, feeling as though I was experiencing the war along with Company K (though thankfully without the maggots, flooded foxholes, or constant threat to my life).

With the Old Breed is a must-read for anyone interested in the human side of war. It is not just a memoir—it’s a testament to the sacrifices, endurance, and hardships of those who fought in one of the most grueling campaigns in history. Eugene Sledge’s account is haunting, powerful, and unforgettable.