World War II Database

I have just finished reading With the Old Breed by E.B Sledge. I really had to step back for a few weeks after I had completed it in order to fully reflect on what I had just experienced.

Like all WWII memoirs, With the Old Breed had no shortage of graphic accounts of what combat was really like for the U.S. Marines fighting in the Pacific Theater. Sledge was a 60mm mortar man attached to the Third Battalion, 5th Marines. This of course was only after he had intentionally flunked out of officer training stateside in order to get to the fight quicker. This was the first obvious indicator of Sledge's true character in the book. He just wanted to get to where most would do anything to avoid, but also the most important place: the front lines. And getting to the fight is just what Sledge did. He was soon on his way across the Pacific Ocean to two of the bloodiest, hardest fought conflicts of the Pacific conflict with Japan. Peleliu and Okinawa.

Keeping a diary back then was prohibited, so getting really accurate accounts of specific battles from Marines memories alone is usually the norm. And naturally, in the utter chaos that combat is, much must be missed. Sledge however had the wits about him to take notes in the margins of his Old Testament whenever something struck him as significant. These notes clearly aided him in creating such a vivid recollection of certain battles and situations that do nothing short of leave you with your jaw on the floor. Sledge is able to get down to even the minute details of certain events, like this time on Peleliu where the gravity of his situation was hitting him.

Just for one second, try to put yourself in that hole, in that place, and at that time. Now imagine coming to grips with all of this suddenly. It amazes me that Sledge had the mental strength to even have such a complex thought. But it is even more amazing that he was able to bring these feelings back for us to read so clearly after he had survived these conflicts; that feat is truly a significant accomplishment. Sledge just does an incredible job in relaying these experiences to the reader. In my opinion, it is the next best thing to have actually having been there. Sledge holds absolutely nothing back either, like explaining the ugly side of combat that even Hollywood would be cautious to tackle.

Or this:

After his tell all accounts of these two horrific conflicts, after you are almost in shock by what this man had to endure, he ends his masterpiece:

This is the man that Sledge was. This last phrase gives me goose bumps. No wonder Tom Brokaw calls this the "greatest generation of our time". This book is an absolute must read.