Thomas F. (hardtack) - , reviewed on 5/27/2013 + 2758 more book reviews

A wonderful first hand view of what the Marines faced on Peleliu and Okinawa. It is easy to understand why the producers of the HBO series "The Pacific" selected this book and its author to help depict the drama of the U.S. Marines against Japan during World War II.

Eugene Sledge's narration of the filth the Marines and the Japanese lived and fought in on Okinawa takes some understanding. When I was a teenager, I lived down the street from a former Marine who also fought on Okinawa. We thought it funny that he would take three and four showers a day, as he wife once told us. But my reading since then of the conditions the Marines endured on Okinawa have helped me understand why he did so.

If this book ignites your interest, then I strongly recommend that you also read "Tennozan." This book covers the battle of Okinawa in much more depth, and mostly deals with the conditions the Americans, Japanese and Okinawans had to deal with during the battle. It offers a tremendous perspective of war from all three viewpoints.

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