A review by gemtea2000
With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by Eugene B. Sledge

4.0

So many books about WWII European theater, this tells of Marines fighting the Japanese at Peleliu and Okinawa. This was as dirty, ugly and another example of how terrible any war can be and is. Hawks and doves alike should read this one. The things these men must experience are terrible. The fact that at any moment one's life can be snuffed out instantly is on the minds of these men as they fight through mud, all kinds of terrible conditions, watching their friends die just a few feet away or closer. Dead bodies, maggots, days without good food or ability to truly rest for long periods of time is all commonplace. Hatred for the evil Japanese who do unspeakable things to our men as we do much the same to them. There had to be a lot of hatred and some got stressed to the point of being "kill crazy" yet there are moving moments such as the time an old injured Japanese woman is begging a Marine to put her out of her misery and he refuses, calling for a medic instead. However, a minute later the Marine hears a shot, turns around and one of his group has done what he had refused. Kills her with a smile like he's done the right thing. The book allows us to see how cool, clear-headed thinking is not an easy thing. The Japanese fighting culture was one of no surrender. They were probably more willing to die than any other group in the war. Thousands of bodies dead and rotting. It's an ugly picture and told from a regular infantry man. He was just one of the many brave men who went to do a job and did it.

I believe this book is the basis for the HBO mini series The Pacific. I will almost always recommend reading the book over TV or movie versions but I would say that as good as this book is, the TV series was just as good so if you saw The Pacific you pretty much know the book. It's good to experience both but I strongly suggest to read this if you haven't seen nor plan on seeing The Pacific