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Sledge notes that Oswalt was later killed on Peleliu, and concludes gloomily that war has the capacity to destroy the most promising members of society. During his conversation with Oswalt, Sledge becomes conscious that he might not survive the next day, a thought that fills him with absolute fear.
Sledge determines that the machine-gun is far away and must be shooting at army lines, but he knows that he can be killed by a stray bullet in the same way that he can die from a bullet meant for him, so he crawls out of his hammock and sleeps on the ground.
Sledge’s insistence that he only saw two infiltrators serves as an indication of the situation’s tragic outcome: the man who exited the foxhole was not a Japanese infiltrator but an American Marine, unable to declare his identity after being hit by one of his own, who mistook him for the enemy.
Eugene Bondurant Sledge (November 4, 1923 – March 3, 2001) was a United States Marine, university professor, and author. His 1981 memoir With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa chronicled his combat experiences during World War II and was used as source material for the Ken Burns PBS documentary The War (2007), as well as the HBO ...
Nov 11, 2018 · Sledge recounts an event where a fellow Marine on Peleliu began pleading with the company dog for help. According to Sledge, “The poor Marine had cracked up completely. The stress of combat had finally shattered his mind.” Because the man was making loud noises and was uncontrollable, he was killed by his comrades for the safety of the group.
Alerted to the downstairs gunshot noise, Sledge descends in the saloon, pretending he's drunk, catches the two gamblers unprepared and shoots them dead. An old man who witnessed the shooting offers to serve as Sledge's witness and swear it was self-defense in case of an inquiry.
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Could I kill?' 'The attitudes held toward the Japanese by noncombatants or even sailors or airmen often did not reflect the deep personal resentment felt by Marine infantrymen. Official histories and memoirs of Marine infantrymen written after the war rarely reflect that hatred.
