Essay Example on Memories of WWII Pacific War: Firsthand Accounts of Infantry Combat

Introduction

The Memories of the Sledge is a detailed account of what happened during the Second World War and the details given are firsthand information meaning that the collection gives a true account of events about the Pacific War of the Infantry combat. The environmental conditions during the time of war were not that good as it can be noted that there was intense heat, the environment was filth and rain was in plenty making the fighting process a tough affair to undertake. The Memories make a description of the deaths that happened during the time of war, and they were mainly caused by the attacks made by Banzai. The two groups in the conflict had a lot of hatred against each other and this only fueled by the fighting and desire to hurt the other party. The Japanese soldiers were very cruel, and they triggered a lot of damages that led to many people dying. Sledge states that the war was the clear depiction of the hatred and bad blood that existed between these two groups. The war of mentally depriving and a significant number of people were adversely affected by the time that the war came to an end.

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During the Time of War

At the fighting, Sledge explains how life was difficult, and there was a time that they encountered mutilated bodies with the private parts removed and inserted into their mouths. It was a horrific scene that created a lot of fear in these soldiers, but they had to continue with the war despite all these circumstances. The dead and wounded Japanese soldiers were brutally beaten by the Americans and their gold teeth removed and these presented some of the issues that Sledge could not easily forget. The author continues to explain the various hurdles experienced during the war that included living in fear and fatigue that made the whole process exhausting and the filth state of the war environment and life unbearable. The writer could not understand how such a massive event and the suffering of the soldiers did not catch the attention of society in general (Sledge, 2008). It seemed that the public was not interested or they did not know the status that the soldiers were undergoing in the struggle to survive the war. The author narrates these important details, and he is furious that all the writing concerning the infantry has been omitted in the information made available to the public. The inability of the Marines to dig the latrines or the catholes and the environmental difficulties that made it hard to survive with the wastes being spread everywhere. The fear and lack of time to eat made matters worse for the situation was engulfed in hunger, cold and thirst.

Sledge explains that he got the opportunity to join the military institute, but he fails to take the chance and instead decides to volunteer with the desire to join the United States Marine Corps. He undertakes the training program, and after this, he is sent to Georgia, and in all these instances, he writes details of what is happening around him in a small pocket size notebook. It is these details that are compiled together into what is referred to as memoir after the end of the war and the demobilization. The war end leads to Sledge being sent to Peking and then getting discharged from the service, and this is after attaining the level of a corporal.

After the War

The end of the war presented Sledge with an opportunity to live another life that was better than what he was used to in the war field. He joined the Alabama Polytechnic and managed to graduate with a bachelor's degree in business administration, and this was in the year 1949. Adjusting to a new life was not easy for Sledge and the other war veterans, and this made matters a bit difficult despite the many goods that they were enjoying away from the tough war environment. According to Sledge, survival was the most important things in life at the time of war, and this made wonder why people were always in a hurry to engage in activities that according to Sledge did not matter in life. He could not understand why people were complaining about life difficulties rather than enjoy the freedom that nature and fate had presented to them. He could not understand why the public could not appreciate the work he did during the way for he is one of the reasons why they are enjoying peace and freedom in the streets. The effects of war pain and sufferings were catching up with Sledge, and he could not manage to have an animal hurt (Sledge, 1991). There was a time that he wounded a dove, and he ended up crying due to guilt. His guardian found him crying and Sledge stated that the reason why he was shedding tears was that he could not manage to see a creature suffering. He was advised by his father to engage in the bird watching as a hobby, and this played a key role in helping him to heal and recover from the effects of war. His ability to handle what nature offered presented the opportunity to remain sane and recover the wounds and pain inflicted in his life by the war. The management of the pain did not work out until he decided to put the thoughts in writing and this is where he manages to pour his heart and thoughts out to trigger the healing he so much desired to realize all these years.

References

Sledge, E. B. (2008). With the Old Breed: Random House Publishing Group, 2008. Retrieved from http://api.overdrive.com/v1/collections/v1L1BlwAAAA2h/products/e078893c-a2c7-4101-927f-b715294bd67f.

Sledge, Sledge,E. B. (1991). With the Old Breed. NY: Oxford Univ. Press, 1991.