Introduction
EB Sledge was a professor in biology in Alabama, but later was referred for the training in Atlanta as a soldier of rank in Marine. Finally, the man was sent to area of Pacific to fight in the second world war in Okinawa and Peleliu. The EB Sledge with the Old Breed is a memoir source of primary data.It fully describes the Sledge EB in the second world war serving in Pacific as well as a Marine in United States. It describes his personal experiences in the war. This book was first written in the year 1944 where he had an experience in Peleliu. He wrote the book while he was taking a break in camp of Island of Pavuvu. Sledge served as an infantryman in the Pacific as well as private soldier in company K.
Discussion
Sledge fought for peace in the country. The incidence of people being killed made him fight for humanity in the second world war. Sledge learnt that the war had some negative effects to both the Marines and Japanese soldiers (Sledge EB., P.27). Besides, the war destroyed the good relationship between man and the environment, and further increased immorality among the human communities thus having a negative impact to the people. However, a number of people died due to the war experienced.
In Peleliu, the Marines fought on the coral reefs during a very hot weather. The heat was so intense and unbearable to the men. This harsh weather and terrain made it impossible for a successful fight in Peleliu. Sledge witnessed his fellow Marines in company K digging some gold teeth from the Japanese soldier while the soldier was alive (Sledge EB., p.33). In Peleliu, Sledge learnt that the Marines needed to live like brothers and restore the harmonious relationship.
However, in Okinawa, the terrain was extremely muddy. Dead bodies were found in the ground, so many flies and human waste made it uncomfortable to fight in Okinawa (Sledge EB., p.109). The sanitation of the area was very poor, and Marines even suffered from the leg diseases. The fact that it was impossible to build latrines, human waste including feces was dumped in all the corners. Therefore, the Marines had to persevere all these challenges to fight against the enemies. Also, the land could slide when the Marines were running against the enemies.
The civilians had a struggle to live in the environment which was not peaceful. A lot of fear caught the civilians and they became worried of their lives. Besides, the land totally lacked harmony and people lived as enemies to one another. Further, the refugees experienced mental tortures and other physical disturbances. However, some Marines were extremely cruel to an extent of removing gold teeth from the dead bodies (Sledge EB., p.84). sledge becomes bias in the story when he does not elaborate the enmity of the Japanese soldiers. He also does elaborate how he fought for the peace but kept on complaining how the other Marines killed and plucked some gold teeth from the Japanese soldiers.
Conclusion
The memoir truly is fascinating. It describes the personal experience of how the war came to an end. The most horrifying and memorable event in the book is the foul smell that came from corpses that filled the land. Some maggots covered the entire corpse, a scene which was very horrific. Therefore, there is a need for peace in the country and the entire world.
Work Cited
Sledge, Eugene Bondurant. With the old breed: at Peleliu and Okinawa. Random House Digital, Inc., 2007.
