Eugene Bondurant Sledge’s personal memoir With the Old Breed follows his combat experiences on the islands of Peleliu and Okinawa. On those islands unspeakable horrors would unfold, changing this young man's life forever. It would take several decades for Sledge, to finally decided on writing With the Old Breed about his experiences. The book was originally intended to be a private novel for his family, however despite its initial intentions this memoir has since been heralded as one of the finer works about the pacific theatre of war. In recent history E. B. Sledge’s work has gained such recognition that With the Old Breed along with other works been used as source material for the HBO mini series entitled The Pacific. Even though there are …show more content…
many graphic accounts about the events surrounding the world war, Sledge’s conveyance of his personal experiences during these events remains the clearest, with his ability to stick with the melancholy tone that military memoirs are known for, the clarity and brutal honesty about his personal experiences gives audiences a look at what war was really like. In With the Old Breed Sledge frequently references the atrocities of war thus proving that traumatic events associated with combat can alter ones mindset in turn changing their demeanor. After hours of constant shelling and exchanging ammunition with the enemy Sledge needed to calm his nerves. Before the invasion of Peleliu Sledge never felt the urge to smoke but partaking in that singular event, seemingly rattled his nerves, therefore affecting him in a way that ultimately leading him to having his first cigarette. By analyzing this small change in Sledge’s subconscious behavior the audience starts to understand that traumatic experience can alter an individual. With exposure to the devastation of combat everything that he understood about war was thrown out the window, changing the his perception of heroism involved with combat. Growing up Sledge loved to listen to the elders tell stories about their experiences in combat, he would dream about heroism and fighting for all the right reasons. That doesn't mean that what he fought for in World War II wasn't just, but his perception of heroes and their legacies changed once he set foot on enemy ground. On the morning of the invasion as he loaded himself into the transport vessel, he recalls feeling uneasy, with the only thought on his mind being “would I live to see tomorrow?” (Sledge 62 par.1). With the feeling of uncertainty weighing heavily upon him, we can argue that if his mental state was fragile as opposed to how strong it actually was, just the mere thought of being on that transport vessel could have sent him off the deep end. The anxiety that he experienced is normal when dealing with immediate or an impending shock, if he didn't have the mental toughness that marines are known for this memoir might have come into existence. Eugene Sledge uses his expertise gained from years of teaching to create a narrative that is filled with eye opening observations about his new surroundings.
In doing so, the description is a vivid yet eerie, and almost dreamlike picture. With the Old Breed is full of descriptive passages that draw the audience in, even the simplest of things like the author describing what he was thinking about at the time. Such descriptions make it seem like the reader can see this man from a third person point of view lost in thought moments before his encounter with the enemy. Other events that the author experienced can only be described as horrific, seeing men, women, children, soldiers, and event the enemy maimed or killed due to negligence stuck with him for a very long time. Seeing the dead body of the enemy for the first time made Sledge remember a time when he would go hunting back home. Sledge writes, “The corpsman was on his back, his abdominal cavity laid bare. I stared in horror, shocked at the glistening viscera be-speckled with fine coral dust. This can’t have been a human being, I agonized. It looked more like the guts of one of the many rabbits or squirrels I had cleaned on hunting trips as a boy. I felt sick as I stared at the corpses.” (Sledge p. 70). With the amount of detail that is given, readers can see that Sledge's viewpoint on the war is a disheartened one, yet out of pride he continued to serve his country. Comparing the dead body of Japanese soldier to that of …show more content…
a small animal that lives in a tree could possibly the only way for Sledge to describe the scene for readers to understand. Seeing the trauma that a Japanese soldier had endured before dying can make even the strongest of men question their own mortality. When an individual is confronted with their own mortality, they start to lose focus, and think irrationally leading to mistakes that could ultimately lead to severe trauma or even death. The official name for this is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD for short, many individuals have been affected by this and at times chalk it up to “combat fatigue”. In the 1940’s not much was known about this mental disorder, more than often soldiers would “shrug off” its affects and carry on with their daily duties. Psychologists have studied Post Traumatic Stress Disorder state that soldiers showing signs of PTSD must meet certain criteria first, psychologist Ron Langer suggests that “(t)he person has experienced, witnessed, or been confronted with an event or events that involve actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others, and his/her response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror.” (Langer par. 13). Many of the theses suggestions, can affect a soldier in different ways, some can show immediate signs and completely withdraw, putting themselves or others at risk, others compartmentalize the event or events, surpassing them until a trigger action brings the traumatic memories to the forefront, causing said individual to have a mental breakdown. For E.B. Sledge seeing the dead Japanese corpsman helped solidified his views on war as wasteful and unjust. Eugene Sledge was known by his compatriots fondly by the nickname “Sledgehammer”, his physical attributes can be defined as scrawny and lanky, but his heart made up for his physical shortcomings. Being from the southern United States, he was brought up to be a gentleman, consequently marine corps drill instructors couldn’t break that aspect that defined his personality. Being a kind individual audiences can only speculate how this man had endured such atrocities and emerging basically unchanged, at heart. Eugene Sledge not only cared for his country, but his fellow man, especially his fellow marines. The night before the invasion of Peleliu, he recalls having a conversation with a fellow marine about their plans for after the war, sadly the marine met an untimely end during the invasion. Although Sledge doesn't remember the name of the fallen marine, the impact that he left on Sledge with him long after the war had ended. With Sledge shares his memories about those that have fallen, the audience can see that despite being a part of what some people would describe as "hell on earth”, he didn’t lose compassion towards his fellow man. However the same cannot be said about others involved in the fighting, despite their best efforts to suppress what was going around them such task proved to be an impossible, so many kept lying to themselves hoping that it was all a dream. But this wasn't a dream, this was a reality, and many people paid the ultimate price. Witnessing so much savagery can make some forget their sense of duty and the reasons for why they join the military, once the higher-ups noticed this they took advantage of the men. Sledge at one point shares his concerns about the he and some of the men were utilized. “to find one's self in a situation where your life seems little value is the ultimate loneliness. It is a humbling experience” (Sledge pg. 100). Looking at the larger picture of things Sledge realized that he was one of many in a sea of advancing infantrymen. His life was minute in the grand scheme of things, that if he were to be killed no one would notice until roll call the next day. Being a part of such a massive invasion force the basic needs of so many fell through the cracks. For example, other division of men passing through the now quiet battlefield refused to help take the wounded men back to triage for treatment, there were explosive technicians using rifles despite they’re poor training with them, and company CO’s we’re giving orders to men that were even under their command, resulting in confusion among the ranks and morale to plummet. Nevertheless Sledge put things into perspective and made the best of his situation, he performed his duties and stuck with the training that was given to him. In doing so the amount of trauma that he experienced only affected him in the smallest of ways. Americans as a whole believe that World War II was the war to solidify the United States’ spot at the top of the mountain, both in the international relations and as a dominate military power. Yes, the United States is by far an amazing place to live and a powerful ally to have, but without the sacrifice of peoples lives this wouldn’t be possible. What isn't told to americans is the manner in which soldiers carried themselves on foreign soil. Many insisted members of the armed services were up standing individual with a strong moral code they adhered to, but there were also those that took advantage of the savagery around them and contributed in a way that would still be considered shameful today. Not only did they take advantage of the situation they also pillaged villages and treated enemy corpses with ill regard. Many Japanese carried with them little trinkets to remind them of their homeland and families, ill mannered marines took advantage of this by helping themselves to the deceased individuals items. Flags, side-arms, sabers, patches from uniforms, even the gold fillings that many Japanese soldiers had in their mouths were taken. Sledge recalls seeing a marine using the standard issued combat knife to dig out a gold crown. Seeing such behavior being carried out by a fellow marine disgusted Sledge therefore justifying his opinion on war. Other accounts of such savagery have been noted in other works about World War II, Edward Wood a survivor of the European campaign witnessed similar behavior by his comrades in the Army. In his article “ Memory and Myth: What Was World War II Really Like?” Wood acknowledges the usage of the term “The Greatest Generation” and along with it the identity that accompanies, as well as sharing his thoughts and why he questioned it. “My friends and I, who were in combat, found the phrase, “The Greatest Generation,” an embarrassment” (Wood 3 par. 4). To explain why he is embarrassed, Wood describes the acts of other soldiers that can only be defined as horrific. “A friend of mine who went across France and Germany with the 4th Division said he watched American soldiers loot and rape their way across Europe.” (par. 4). Similar occurrences like this happened in Eugene Sledge’s journey throughout the south pacific, marines would dig out the gold crowns of dead Japanese soldiers. Others would take liberty upon themselves to relieve the dead of their personal belongs, moments after being killed, this shocked Sledge into that realizing that most people completely disregarded the dead, however despite the Japanese being the enemy Sledge showed them respect. At the time propaganda was in abundance, it was used to build patriotism amongst the citizens, by stating that war is good and necessary to defeat evil and that the greatest generation of americans won each conflict on their own. Edward Wood mentions these proposed ideas that american have come to accept as truths. Wood, like Sledge didn't agree with the way personnel was utilized, again like Sledge, Wood was a very intelligent man but due to uncontrollable circumstances he was relegated to an infantry role, a role that would eventually make him resent the government, the army and his peers. In regard to the propaganda that was used to convince citizens the “War is good” (Wood 3 par. 4) he whole heartedly disagreed. Wood makes it known that the myth americans came to believe true, was in fact a lie due to the fact that the centennial United States was never in any real danger. All the fighting outside of Pearl Harbor was fought on foreign soil, none of the major cities on either coast were in any real danger. The men that fought in World War II are depicted as heroes and rightful so because they had to endure what the average american nowadays would tremble at just thinking about it. However by popular belief many believe that the United States won the war on their own, in the pacific this argument could be valid but in the Europe this couldn't furtherest from the truth. With the Old Breed doesn't mention any other countries involvement on Peleliu or Okinawa, whilst in France Edward Wood, the army, and the United States was one of many counties that banded together to fight Hitler’s Nazi regime. Despite this the media either unintentionally or deliberately leaves out the other allied forces focusing only on the american involvement thus creating the myth that americans were the only heroes. Unlike Sledge, Wood gives the audience examples of contributions the allies made during battles of Stalingrad and Kursk or the Chinese assisting marines by pinning down Japanese troops on smaller islands, in doing so he proves the myth is false therefore giving credit where credit is due. Eugene Bondurant Sledge’s memoir With the Old Breed gives readers insight to one mans personal experience with combat and the trauma that accompanies.
Readers are also given a biased view that shares the untold truths about war, this opinion is delivered in such a way that that stays true to the melancholy tone that war novels are known for, hence the message about war is easily understood by a broad audience and not only those that are interested in stories of combat. In conclusion Eugene Sledge humanizes the american soldier by taking the audience into the battle field, to experience would could only be deem as hell on earth. In doing so readers can understand the frustration with some superior officers not delegating the correct orders, the incorrect utilization of personnel, the complete disregard for human life both civilian and soldier, and the trauma that was experienced first hand by those who felt the need to
serve.
In An American Soldier in World War I, David Snead examines account of George Browne, a civil engineer who fought as part of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) during World War I. Snead shares Browne’s account of the war through the letters he wrote to his fiancé Martha Ingersoll Johnson. Through Browne’s letters and research conducted of the AEF, Snead gives a concise, informative, and harrowing narrative of life as a soldier serving in the camps and front lines of the Great War. Snead attempts to give the reader an understanding of Browne’s service by focusing on his division, the 42nd Division, their training and preparation, combat on the front lines, and the effects of war on George and Martha’s relationship. As Snead describes, “Brownie’s letters offer a view of the experiences of an American soldier. He described the difficulties of training, transit to and from France, the dangers and excitement of combat, and the war’s impact on relationships.” (Browne 2006, 2) Furthermore, he describes that despite the war’s effect on their relationship, “their
War as seen through the eyes of Ambrose Bierce in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge depicts it as truly gritty. The author successfully sends a message of how death is a part of war, and it is not as noble or glorious as one would think it is. Due to popular media, we have this attitude that the protagonist is going to go down in a blaze of glory, and while it may be true for some, it is not like that for everyone. War is rough, dark, and gritty but no one ever wants to talk about those parts of war because it would ruin the fantasy of it.
As he immerses his audience into combat with the soldiers, Shaara demonstrates the more emotional aspects of war by highlighting the personal lives of the men fighting. For example, when Shaara reveals the pasts of James Longstreet and Lewis Armistead’s, I started to picture them as the men that they were and not as soldiers out for blood. After suffering a devastating loss of three of his children to fever, Longstreet is tossed into battle. In Armistead’s case, he not only suffered the loss of his wife, but also of a friend fighting on the Union side, General Winfield Scott Hancock. Shaara saves his readers a front row seat to the inner turmoil of General Chamberlain regarding his hindering duty as a soldier clashes with his duty to family as he strived to serve the Union as well as protec...
For instance, “smell of gunpowder” (Magnus, 6), which is repeated multiple times, is a demonstration of how much the soldier values his war memories, for the solder describes the smell as “stimulating” (Magnus, 8) and “life-giving” (Magnus, 7). At the same time, as the soldier describes war in an enumeration towards the end of the poem, the audience learns his sadness and regret in face to the fact that “No one comprehends a soldier’s work anymore” (Magnus, 28). This enumeration, however, is used to recreate the images that the soldier experienced during his service so that the audience would feel the intensity of war. In addition, the assonance in “knobby bones” (Magnus, 4), on top of emphasizing the bold character of the soldier despite his age, evokes an image of an old, forceless man, which fits well with the beginning of the poem, in which the soldier is portrayed as weak and unenthusiastic.
...it may help us arrive at an understanding of the war situation through the eyes of what were those of an innocent child. It is almost unique in the sense that this was perhaps the first time that a child soldier has been able to directly give literary voice to one of the most distressing phenomena of the late 20th century: the rise of the child-killer. While the book does give a glimpse of the war situation, the story should be taken with a grain of salt.
Eugene Sledge’s With the Old Breed is a memoir of a junior soldier during the island hopping campaign in the Pacific theater during the Second World War. Written over thirty-five years after VJ-Day, his narrative carries the weight of emotion while brilliantly depicting the struggle of the individual soldier at the tactical level. As Sledge recounts his experience, he writes like a patriarch attempting to preserve his legacy through the account of his physically arduous and morally dubious ordeal. Already an established classic, Sledge’s memoir has resurged since becoming one of the narrative mainstays for the television mini-series The Pacific.
Many times readers lose interest in stories that they feel are not authentic. In addition, readers feel that fictitious novels and stories are for children and lack depth. Tim O’ Brien maintains that keeping readers of fiction entertained is a most daunting task, “The problem with unsuccessful stories is usually simple: they are boring, a consequence of the failure of imagination- to vividly imagine and to vividly render extraordinary human events, or sequences of events, is the hard-lifting, heavy-duty, day-by-day, unending labor of a fiction writer” (Tim O’ Brien 623). Tim O’ Brien’s “How to Tell a True War Story” examines the correlation between the real experiences of war and the art of storytelling. In O’Brien’s attempt to bridge the gap between fiction and non-fiction, the narrator of the story uses language and acts of violence that may be offensive to some.
O’Brien, Tim. “How To Tell a True War Story.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2003. p. 420-429.
Another unique aspect to this book is the constant change in point of view. This change in point of view emphasizes the disorder associated with war. At some points during the book, it is a first person point of view, and at other times it changes to an outside third person point of view. In the first chapter of the book, “The Things They Carried,” O’Brien writes, “The things they carried were largely determined by necessity (2).
The violent nature that the soldiers acquired during their tour in Vietnam is one of O'Brien's predominant themes in his novel. By consciously selecting very descriptive details that reveal the drastic change in manner within the men, O'Brien creates within the reader an understanding of the effects of war on its participants. One of the soldiers, "Norman Bowler, otherwise a very gentle person, carried a Thumb. . .The Thumb was dark brown, rubbery to touch. . . It had been cut from a VC corpse, a boy of fifteen or sixteen"(O'Brien 13). Bowler had been a very good-natured person in civilian life, yet war makes him into a very hard-mannered, emotionally devoid soldier, carrying about a severed finger as a trophy, proud of his kill. The transformation shown through Bowler is an excellent indicator of the psychological and emotional change that most of the soldiers undergo. To bring an innocent young man from sensitive to apathetic, from caring to hateful, requires a great force; the war provides this force. However, frequently are the changes more drastic. A soldier named "Ted Lavender adopted an orphaned puppy. . .Azar strapped it to a Claymore antipersonnel mine and squeezed the firing device"(O'Brien 39). Azar has become demented; to kill a puppy that someone else has adopted is horrible. However, the infliction of violence has become the norm of behavior for these men; the fleeting moment of compassion shown by one man is instantly erased by another, setting order back within the group. O'Brien here shows a hint of sensitivity among the men to set up a startling contrast between the past and the present for these men. The effect produced on the reader by this contrast is one of horror; therefore fulfilling O'Brien's purpose, to convince the reader of war's severely negative effects.
Sledge has had a major transformation in his thought and role of war: from being a rookie thinking war would be a walk in the park, to being a leader among his peers and knowing what to expect and how to channel his fear. War is never an easy thing, but through his experiences Sledge was able to find the good in things and come out successful. Even with the extreme terror he always faced in battle, his mindset was more realistic and was an accurate representation of reality. One thing I have learned is that war is truly brutal but the brave men and women who devote themselves to this country keep the United States a country worth living in.
The men stationed in the Pacific Theatre of World War II faced many challenges and hardships. The fighting that occurred with the Japanese far surpassed the level of brutality in the European theatre. Some American military units faced relentless fighting throughout the entire war, while other units waited for the entire war for orders to deploy into combat, and never actually saw any action. Only a few stories surrounding both ends of the spectrum of men in the Pacific Theatre exist, and even a fewer number do the men and women that served during that time justice. One of these authors who captured the nature of life during World War II in the Pacific Theatre, James Michener, did so in the novel Tales of the South Pacific. Michener not only offers an in-depth perspective of life during the time, but also brings up key themes of issues that existed during that period. He introduced a new outlook on the South Pacific during World War II, showing that a variety of people scattered around the Pacific joined for the common goal of a successful military operation. The primary purpose for this collection of tales from around the South Pacific focused on telling the tale of everyone who spent the war there. Michener used varying points of view within the plot line to strengthen this point. Within the main focus he brings up three themes: the first being of camaraderie and fellowship, the second the issues of power struggle, and finally racism in World War II. Michener utilizes diction to help characterize individuals to help literary convey these three themes. James Albert Michener brings up the issues of racism and power struggle in the South Pacific, while portraying the men that lived there during that period and the fellowship they s...
O’Brien’s unique verisimilitude writing style fills the novel with deep meaning and emotion. Analyzing the novel through a psychological lens only adds to its allure. Understanding why characters act the way they do helps bring this novel to life. The reader begins to empathize with the characters. Every day, the soldiers’ lives hang in the balance. How these soldiers react to life-threatening situations will inspire the reader. Life has an expiration date. Reading about people who are held captive by their minds and who die in the name of war, will inspire the reader to live everyday as if they are currently in the
Though the book is a novel, it gives the reader insights into the realities of war. In this genre, the author is free to develop the characters in a way that brings the reader into the life of Paul Baumer and his comrades. The novel frees the author from recounting only cold, sterile facts. This approach allows the reader to experience what might have been irrelevant facts if presented in a textbook. This book is written from a perspective foreign to most Americans.
As the soldier members of Paul Baumer’s company are slowly killed in battle, he becomes more and more disillusioned with the war, especially since he and his friends had enlisted with idealistic aims fed to them by their teacher Kantorek. Instead of patriotic glory and poetic war victories, Paul and his friends found defeat and ephemeral triumphs; instead of honor, they encountered dishonor; instead of personal growth and advancement, they found stagnation and watched their youthful dreams die. Through the war experiences of Paul Baumer as depicted in the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, the ultimate tragedy of war is revealed; it destroys the lives of its very agents – the soldiers – by crashing their dreams and claiming their lives for little discernible overall gain. Going To War Ultimately, Paul Baumer and his high school mates enthusiastically enlisted and went to war first out of a sense of youthful adventure. Barely out of their teens, Paul and his high school mates are not old enough to understand the socio-economic and political factors that characterized the outbreak of hostilities that ushered in World War 1.... ...