E.B. Sledge’s book, With the Old Breed, is a personal memoir of his time fighting with the US Marines in the Pacific theater during World War II. The book starts with Sledge's introduction to the Marines, continues with his training in boot camp and infantry school, and then describes his pre-combat deployment to Pavuvu. He was given the job as an assistant gunner on a 60mm mortar after he picked it as his choice of weapon. Sledge was deployed to the Pacific theater and assigned to the 1st Marine Division, 5th Regiment, 3rd Battalion, Company K (also known as K/3/5). K/3/5 was stationed at Pavuvu Island for training in amphibious assault techniques and tactics. The 1st Marine Division then deploys for the assault on Peleliu, and Sledge talks …show more content…
Because the book is a memoir, there was less concern with overarching strategy and more with Sledge’s personal experience during the part of the war he fought in. The argument in Sledge’s book is how war wears on a soldier’s spirit, mind, and body. Because of the way that he describes the war, it allows the reader to personalize the war experience and imagine the feelings as if they were truly there. The description of war through a memoir can be used as an accurate telling of what war is on a personal level and this helps historians understand better when they are studying about war, but aren’t really there. Sledge discusses the traumatic experience of watching a marine use a flamethrower on a pillbox, a concrete dug-in guard post, occupied by Japanese soldiers. Sledge listened as the Japanese soldiers screamed with agony until there was silence because they were all dead. Such a horrifying experience undoubtedly shaped the rest of Sledge’s life and changed the person Sledge was before he entered the war. Sledge wrote his book about the brutality displayed by American and Japanese soldiers during the battles, and of the hatred that both sides harbored for each other. He did not just write about how the Japanese were brutal and how the Americans were justified, as one might assume an American soldier would write his …show more content…
Regular history textbooks just discuss a war’s causes, courses, and consequences. This is okay for learning the politics and maneuvers of war, but doesn’t help people gain an idea of what the battlefield is like for a soldier in combat. So the ideal situation would be to learn of how war works politically, but then also read a book that shows what war is really like such as With the Old Breed. I enjoyed the book even though it was pretty gruesome at times. It was easy to immerse myself in the aspect of the book because of the detail of the first person narrative that Sledge wrote in. I recommend that you keep this book on the list for students to write papers on. I would recommend this book to people interested in history because they would enjoy the historical aspect of it and also learning more in depth about what WWII was like specifically in the Pacific theater. I would also recommend it to people who may not necessarily be fans of history. I think they would enjoy it as well because of how engaging the book is and how easy it is to get
World War II (WWII) is a very common topic discussed in high school english classes mainly due to the facts that WWII is a perfect example of good vs. evil in the real world and there is an endless amount of books written about this tragic era in history. Two examples of these type of books are Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken and Elie Wiesel’s Night; and like all of the other WWII books, these two address themes about the hardships of war and how hope is always present. One specific theme that these books support is that in war, there will always be peace; this is shown through elements of faith, happiness, and trauma. To begin, the two main characters of the books Unbroken and Night face a struggle with their individual faiths, but in very different ways. Louis (Louie) Zamperini initially was not the most religious man but when faced with the most dire of situations he turned to God repeatedly for help and counsel.
Courageous Characters Communities have a very big impact on people’s lives, especially in science fiction stories. Many inspire courage for a character in times of need. Four pieces of text illustrate this perfectly: “The Last Dog,” by Katherine Patterson; “Harrison Bergeron,” by Kurt Vonnegut; The Monsters are Due on Maple Street by Rod Serling; and The Giver by Lois Lowry. Each community in these stories influenced the main character’s courage in a difficult situation.
Sniper on the East and Front is an informational non fiction narrative written by Albrecht Wacker. The novel was first published in 2005 by PEN & SWORD. The book is one-178 pages long with a two-page epilogue following Sepp’s life for a short period after his service. The price to purchase the book can range from $13.00 to $24.00 in Canadian currency, depending on the edition you choose and where you want to purchase the book from.
In the weeks after the 1st Marines’ campaign on Guadalcanal—when naval lines were secure enough to fill supply needs to the rear, but not sufficient as yet to meet the needs of the Marines on the front—Leckie details one instance where he and a fellow soldier snuck to the rear and crawled into the food dump in search of anything edible to take back to their comrades. While Leckie weaves a likeable story of cat-and-mouse with those set as guard to the food dump, the story does not overlook the dire situation of the Marines on the frontline, who had subsisted for weeks on worm-ridden rice taken from Japanese soldiers killed in
The book Dear Miss Breed was about the young lives of Japanese Americans that were taken to internment camps during WWII and about a libiran who gave them hope. The librarians name was Miss Clara Breed. Miss Bread knew all the children before they were forced into the internment camps. They would write her letters, telling her how much they were depressed and hated the camps. Knowing their condition, on a daily basis, she would give books to the children that were in the camp.
Reading Response Three Many details in the tales told by the three old men in pages 1190--1197 are relevant to Shahrayar 's situation. Shahrazad is using these details to change him from an angry, misogynistic murderer into a loving husband. Through storytelling, Shahrazad is able to change Shahrayar in three ways. After Shahrayar was betrayed by his wife he became cruel and violent because of the pain he was in.
Although he learned that he had to learn to cope with every single physical, emotional and mental stress factor that came his way. He learned with every guy in his platoon, they all stuck together. This novel was a very well written book. Each story was different, and gave a different aspect on war every time. The emotions were real, and very descriptive.
Men went through so many tasks during the Vietnam War physically and mentally. The beginning chapters focus on training for war and being prepared for the worst. For example, when there is a sergeant in a room with the marines. The sergeant walks to the chalk board and writes “AMBUSHES ARE MURDER AND MURDER IS FUN” (36-37). The
The overall argument that Eugene B. Sledge is demonstrating throughout the book is the path from innocence through experiences never imagined. How those casualties back home that are standing on the outside looking into the war thinking it was boredom and nothing interesting. Those that are fighting in the actual war said that it was nothing but pure horror and how once you were in there life had no meaning, because escaping seem less and less likely to happen. This war turnt boys to men, Sledge himself enlisted out of patriotism, idealism, and youthful courage for his country after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. How once he stepped foot on the beach at Peleliu, it was a pure struggle for survival.
American history is full of events that have changed the curse of its history, some more recent than others, an often overviewed war or conflict is the Mexican war, probably because it was only 13 years before of one of the most bloodshed periods and important periods of this country 's history, the Civil War; the Mexican War might have nit had as big as an impact as that of the Civil War, but nonetheless it was a period that is certainly important, we can also think that no war is ever unimportant (Shaara,10). Since the Louisiana purchase, there was a fervor for expansion among the American people, in 1845 the then independent nation of Texas was annexed by the United states (Shaara, 12). But there were several doubts about what was the real
While the effort of America was important in winning the war, there was a lot of discrimination and prejudice against blacks, Native Americans, women, and homosexuals within the military. The men who fought in the war saw terrible conditions and many had mental breakdowns. This chapter in the book explains the deaths that many soldiers witnessed and how many men became separated from humanity. This caused many soldiers to become insane. The final two chapters in the book talk about changes in the American society throughout the war and the results from the war.
Colder Than Hell: A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin Reservoir was written and published by Joseph R. Owen in 1996. This book gives us a riveting point-of-view of the early and uncertain days of the Korean War through the eyes of Owen himself, as a platoon leader (PL) in a Marine rifle company. As a PL of a mortar section in Baker-One-Seven-Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment- Owen witnessed his hastily assembled men of a few regulars and reservists (who to mention some that have not gone to boot camp) quickly harden into the superb Baker-One-Seven known today. He makes it known quickly (in the foreword and the preface) that some of the major problems he initially encountered was due to how unprepared his unit was. Owen makes the
Use of Rhetorical Appeals in “Duty,Honor, Country” The effectiveness of rhetorical devices is no better illustrated than in the essay “Duty, Honor, Country” by General Douglas MacArthur. Throughout this piece the tone and opinion is made clear without being heavy handed making the piece infinitely more relatable. MacArthur’s use of the socratic appeals(Ethos,Pathos and Logos), not only makes the reader contemplate what he is saying but how it is being said. Establishing one's own credibility is a challenge often faced by both speakers and writers.
Over the summer I read about a person who was a really good track star and served in World War II. Written by Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken is a non-fiction World War II story about a young man named Louis Zamperini. The story takes place in the pacific islands and Japan during World War II Louis grew up as a restless and naughty boy, but then became a good and famous track star before getting drafted into the second world war. Louis faces the challenge of surviving on his own and enduring cruelty against Japanese leaders as a prisoner of war. One day in 1943, an Army Air Force Bomber crashes into the Pacific Ocean, leaving Louis and some of his crew trapped in the Pacific.
Red Platoon by Clinton Romesha gives the reader a first person view of a solider during the events leading battle of Kamdesh. The book starts off by covering Clinton’s tours in Iraq and his training back at Fort Carson in Colorado springs. As the book progresses it explains what the day to day life at COP (Combat Outpost) Keating and all the concerns of the soldiers at the outpost. Next the book explains what each soldier was doing during the battle and it explains all the people it took to liberate the base. The book concludes by explaining what each soldier's life was after the battle and explains how Clinton Romesha received his medal of honor.