The Old Breed and the Costs of War

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KG Erwin
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The Old Breed and the Costs of War

Post by KG Erwin »

The following is the audio of a lecture given by Dr Eugene Sledge in May 1994. This is defintely NOT a politically correct speech, so please refrain from making any comments that could get this thread locked. I highly respect the memory of Gene Sledge, and I value any interviews or comments made by him. For the few of you who don't know, Sledge was a mortarman with K Co/3 Bn/5th Marines at Pelieliu (1944) and Okinawa (1945), and wrote one of the best first-person accounts of combat ever (With the Old Breed). Dr Sledge died of cancer in 2001.

Listen to him now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCIJfM_CgWo
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wings7
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RE: The Old Breed and the Costs of War

Post by wings7 »

Glenn, that is a enjoyable, informative and educational account [:)]...thank you for that!

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Missouri_Rebel
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RE: The Old Breed and the Costs of War

Post by Missouri_Rebel »

Thanks KG.

My Grandfather was there with the 1st through it all. He very rarely talked about it and never to me. I don't remember ever hearing that he went to China, but I do know he stayed in Hawaii after the war for a bit. Not sure what his business was there. My uncle told me one of the only time he talked about the war to him was just before he was shipped off to Vietnam, also in the Marines. Most of my childhood and through my teens I never even really thought about his service beyond my fascination with his old, faded U.S.M.C tattoo on this forearm. Kind of pitiful how little I know of the man.

For some reason I never really studied the Pacific and knew nothing of Sledgehammer. By your link I watched that video and another series about Eugene. In a few moments I am going to purchase an electronic version of With the Old Breed. Eugene articulates the horrors of war so well I am extremely fascinated. I hope the book is as good as I think it will be.

Was that HBO special The Pacific about Sledge? Any good? I may have to see if Netflix carries it.

If anyone else doesnt know of Sledgehammer, here is another great video of the man. He sure did have a way of capturing the horrors in his accounts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMAVi4VDg1o



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Josh
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RE: The Old Breed and the Costs of War

Post by Josh »

Thx for sharing that link Glenn. Very educational but also hairraising and heartbreaking at parts, if you listen carefully you can hear his voice break at the end talking about how he loses some of his best buddies there. "capturing the horrors" indeed.
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KG Erwin
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RE: The Old Breed and the Costs of War

Post by KG Erwin »

Missouri Rebel, "The Pacific" is a 10-hour HBO miniseries about the experiences of three 1st Marine Division veterans: Robert Leckie, John Basilone and Eugene Sledge. Sledge is a primary character starting from part 5. I doubt you can find it on Netflix. I bought the DVD set and I think it's outstanding. It was produced by the same team that did "Band of Brothers".

"The Pacific" expands the time frame from Dec 1941 to the end of the war, and has a wider focus than BoB. However, it primarily concerns the 1st Mar Div and features five battles: Guadalcanal, New Britain, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The segment on Iwo Jima is included as John Basilone went back as a member of the new 5th Marine Div. He won a Medal of Honor as a member of the 7th Marines/1st Mar Div at Guadalcanal in 1942.

For me, this is a major accomplishment, as I'm a student of the 1st Mar Div's battles. So, I was predisposed to enjoy it.
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GaryChildress
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RE: The Old Breed and the Costs of War

Post by GaryChildress »

Wow! Sobering stuff KG. Wish I could say I "enjoyed" it but it wasn't a pleasant listen. But thanks for posting it. War is a horrible thing. Best we not forget. [&o]
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RE: The Old Breed and the Costs of War

Post by Aurelian »

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin

Missouri Rebel, "The Pacific" is a 10-hour HBO miniseries about the experiences of three 1st Marine Division veterans: Robert Leckie,

I read his book "Helmet for My Pillow." back in 1979 or so.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmet_for_My_Pillow

Good book.
Watched a documentary on beavers. Best dam documentary I've ever seen.
oldspec4
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RE: The Old Breed and the Costs of War

Post by oldspec4 »

Very powerful stuff..thanks for sharing this.

My Dad was US army in the Philippines during WW2 so am always interested in this area of the war.

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