E.B. Sledges With the Old Breed - Essay Example

The Marines to him exemplified all that was noble about warfare, and this is the "esprit de corps".The hallmarks of a good Marine are his loyalty, devotion, patriotism and above all their bravery. The training given in the Marines corps ensures that a man learns not only to kill but also to survive. The most important thing that a Marine has is the "esprit de corps' which keeps him going in the face of the greatest odds, and the sense of duty which makes him fight in a distant land so that "a sheltered homeland can enjoy the peace.

"In the thick of battle Sledge could only think of the insanity of the war and how best to keep himself alive and battle forth. While under fire Sledge felt fear but the initial panic that gripped him was gone. All around him he could see the terrible waste which war brought. He was well aware that if he and his countrymen were to enjoy the privilege of living in security they had to do their duty to the nation even if it meant laying down their lives.Sledge describes the conditions on Okinawa as "a bloody, muddy month of May" while at Peleliu " the world was a nightmare of flashes, explosions, and snapping bullets.

' the soldiers fought on knowing that the only way they could secure freedom was if they defeated the Japanese and brought an end to the war which had claimed an infinite number of lives.His feelings towards the Japanese were the same as that of most other soldiers and he and his other marine comrades felt " a passionate hatred for the Japanese." The Japanese fought like fanatics and the weapons they used, along with their superior fleet, inflicted on the Marines great disasters. His hatred turned into rage when he saw the brutalized body of his dead partners and from then on he had no compassion for his enemy and fought with the zeal of one who has been brutally vandalized. 6) Among US troops, whom did Sledge and his companions consider outsiders and why The soldiers of the U.S. Army were the ones whom Sledge and his companions considered outsiders and this is seen in the incident when a soldier calls out to him while he rested on the side of the road, calling out to him to get into a truck.

The word dog face used to address the soldier also shows their less than respectful attitude towards them. 7) The theme of brutalization surfaces repeatedly throughout Sledge's account. What evidence did Marines give that they had been brutalized How does Sledge account for this brutalization One of the most horrifying instances of brutalization sketched by Sledge is the one when he describes a dead marine whose penis had been cut off and stuffed into his mouth. Not only this especially the Japanese with their superior weapons, "a 320-mmspigot-mortar unit' caused great American casualties and the mortars caused the body to explode unlike the bullets which killed with surgical precision.

The only reason Sledge can ascribe for this brutalization is the "brutish, primitive hatred" which was as much a part of the Japanese as the islands and the trees 8) To what extent do you think Sledge's combat experiences were universal among all soldiers in World War II In what ways were they unique Sledge's experiences in the war can be seen as a coming of age, although under the most unpleasant and horrific conditions. Like