October 12, 2024, 05:52 AM
Sig234080 years ago, today
Captain Andrew Allison Haldane, USMC, was killed in action during the Battle of Peleliu.
Eugene Sledge described Haldane as one of the finest men he ever knew.
Take a moment today to remember those that fell on that brutal battlefield.
October 12, 2024, 07:30 AM
Valpo FzThat was a great book. I remember that passage.
October 12, 2024, 08:25 AM
RogBThanks David. I just ordered Eugene Sledge's book.
October 12, 2024, 09:17 AM
SchmelbyI read "With the Old Breed" about every five years. Great read!
October 12, 2024, 12:27 PM
220-9erReading his book made many scenes in the Pacific series more understandable.
There were a number of subtle points I missed the first time watching, before I read it. The next time around I picked up on so many more. One that sticks in my memory is when he's talking to Snafu and they're eating lunch on Peleliu and Snafu's entertaining himself by casually tossing pebbles into the nearby open skull of a dead Japanese nearby, making a splashing sound. Not a big focus in the series but Sledges explanation in the book really drills down on the horror and how numb you can get when faced with it constantly.
Starts around a minute in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmKjPZeRlXEOctober 12, 2024, 01:32 PM
wishfull thinkerWhen you finish Sledge's book, check out "Devil Dogs" by Saul David.
It's the story of one company, King Co. third Battalion Fifth Marine Rifle Regiment, from Guadalcanal to Okinawa.
It's non-fiction written like a novel and in my opinion is terrific and is going to be around for a long time.