With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa

Eugene B. Sledge's legendary memoir, "With the Old Breed," transcends mere myth, offering a firsthand chronicle of the extremes of the Pacific War—its terror, camaraderie, banality, and extraordinary moments. Tom Hanks lauds Sledge as not just a legend but a chronicler, historian, and storyteller who translates the war's complexities into terms graspable by mortals. Victor Davis Hanson in The Wall Street Journal considers it among the top five books on epic twentieth-century battles, and Studs Terkel interviews Sledge in his definitive oral history, "The Good War." Now, this acclaimed account of Peleliu and Okinawa returns to captivate, enlighten, and inspire a new generation. Raised in Alabama with a passion for American history and heroes like George Washington, Sledge joined the famed 1st Marine Division—3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. From the shock of Peleliu to the inferno of Okinawa, Sledge, a combat veteran by then, shares his experience with simplicity and searing honesty. Based on notes hidden in a New Testament, "With the Old Breed" reveals what saved, threatened, and transformed his life, as well as the profound journey from hatred and killing to love for his fellow man. Ken Burns calls it the most honest, realistic, and moving memoir in all World War II literature—an unvarnished, brutal, and profound primer on the worst war ever.