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Eugene SledgeA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Sledge begins his memoir by describing his decision to enlist in the Marines. As he notes, he wanted “to get overseas into combat” as soon as possible (5). To placate his parents, Sledge signed up for the Corp’s officer training program, the V-12. This meant that instead of immediately being sent to fight, he was first sent to college. However, Sledge found school tedious, as did many other young men who had enlisted in the officer program and were ready to fight. At the end of his first semester, Sledge, along with many others, failed out of school so he could enter the Marines as an enlisted man. Once he is freed from the tedium of school, Sledge feels eager and invigorated, ready to take on boot camp. Corporal Doherty, his Drill Instructor, is demanding but not cruel. Sledge recounts long days of training that start at 0400 hours and end at 2200. Discipline and basic rifle training consume most of the day. Sledge bonds with those training alongside him. On December 24, 1943, Sledge is officially pronounced a Marine at his graduation from boot camp. As he leaves for his next level of training, Sledge feels a sense of accomplishment and pride. The author notes that at the time, it was impossible for him to foresee that he and his fellow boot camp graduates were destined to soon become “cannon fodder” (14).
Sledge’s experiences at Camp Elliott are vastly different from those at boot camp. The barracks are wide and roomy, and lectures and demonstrations replace the physical workouts from weeks before. Sledge is surprised to be given a choice as to which weapon he would like to train on and opts to embark on 60mm-mortar training. While being trained to be an expert, 60mm-mortarman, Sledge also learns how to wield the “Marine’s foxhole companion, the Ka-Bar” (18), a type of combat knife. Throughout this training, Sledge feels optimistic and assured that he is becoming well prepared to fight.
After training, Sledge and the other young Marines at Camp Elliott are shipped out via troopship to the Pacific. Their transport vessel, the President Polk, is crowded and cramped. Sledge notes a sense of anticipation that keeps the Marines active and alert. As time goes on, the journey becomes dull, with little to do but daily rifle inspection and calisthenics. Sledge notes his distaste for the food and his periodic pangs of worry that he might not be able to fight and kill when the moment requires it.
After several weeks at sea, Sledge and his fellow Marines finally dock and engage in some land training, becoming more knowledgeable about Japanese weapons. Marches and drills help the men become acclimated to the climate. Sledge and company then board another ship, the General Howze, and are taken to their base on the island of Pavuvu. On the island, the men have to contend with the oppressive heat, giant land crabs, inadequate bathing facilities, and all-but-inedible food. A visit from Bob Hope is one of the few bright spots of their island sequester. Sledge also notes the impressive demeanor of two officers, Elmo M Haney and Andrew A. Haldane. Both men strike Sledge as admirable because of their fairness and intelligence, and that their presence bolsters troop morale. Haldane, known as Ack Ack, impresses Sledge in particular with his quiet sense of dignity and order.
Chapters One and Two mark Sledge’s initiation into the Marines. He begins with intense determination to fight, not wanting to squander time on study. He participates in boot camp and weaponry training uncomplainingly, assured that he is acquiring valuable skills.
Graduation Day is a point of pride for him. Mortarman training is eye-opening, both in the lessons given as well as the opportunities for him to observe veteran officers and hear about their experiences. Fighting is still a concept and not a reality for Sledge, though, and as he waits to arrive at Peleliu, he is dogged by some self-doubts. He draws confidence from being with “the old breed”: seasoned officers who have seen and experienced much. His first real taste of the suffering of war comes at Pavuvu, where mud, rotten rations and sickness afflict him and others. It is tough work, surviving on the island. Sledge records the afflictions the troops face to make it plain that they are not enjoying a tropical island vacation but instead are readying for war.