World War Two: causes, course, and consequences

Old Breed

In real war, soldiers have been ripped from their families, surviving, sometimes barely, in foreign surroundings. The author of With the Old Breed repeatedly states he "just wanted to survive," (p. 186), which underscores the fact that cinematic versions of war often overplay the elements of honor and pride and downplay the more real, mundane, everyday feelings and experiences. In fact, Sledge notes that he did not want to be "burdened with responsibility" of being a commanding officer. It was better to be a mortarman, because then just surviving would be a victory. Therefore, the "real war" was the reality on the ground, and according to E.B. Sledge, it was "terribly depressing," (p. 180). This paper will demonstrate that the "real war" is to be found in the often mundane and "depressing" experiences of its soldiers, and will also discuss the counterpoint of idealized heroism.

Real war is a multisensory experience, which is why Sledge's memoirs remain salient. Sledge captures the smells, tastes, and smells of war: and this is what truly comprises "real war." For example, in "Prelude to Invasion," he discusses one early morning when he saw the dawn's early rise set to a soundtrack of the "drone of enemy aircraft inbound to the attack," (p. 201). If it were not a war scenario, Sledge would have been enjoying sunrise, perhaps with his wife, in a remote tropical island. Instead, he is in the midst of a war.

Then, Sledge reminds readers that the elements of real war include the physical toll endured by the body. For example, he describes how his bowels were "cramped by fear and apprehension," (p. 201). He often observes the dirt and dishevelment on his fellow soldiers. Real war is full of surprises and shocks that the body and mind both have trouble enduring. One day, Sledge is relieving his bowels in a trough-like toilet when a kamikaze crashes into the deck above him. The narrow miss seems miraculous, but in the moment there was nothing romantic about escaping death. The situation was as grim and dire as any a human being can find himself in.

Films like Saving Private Ryan capture some of the "depressing" elements of a real war. Many offer realistic depictions of the violence that take place. However, too many films about World War Two are intent on depicting the war as "the good war." This is because the American mythos relies on the propagation of propaganda related to the superiority of the United States, especially since its rise to global superpower status. The United States was reluctant to enter World War Two, and after it did, it entered the war in full force. The "real war" from the "good war" perspective stresses the role of the United States as world police and moral enforcer. The United States depicted its enemies as existential threats, as it continues to do today. This is why elements of "real war" have been fused with romantic elements of heroism in many films. Yet films sometimes fail to capture the realities that Sledge discusses.

Thus, the opposing argument to Sledge's that real war is "depressing" would be that real war is honorable and heroic. Idealized heroism refers to the romantic notion that war heroes are somehow different from the ordinary soldier. Such views denigrate the ordinary soldier to a point where Americans have come to dishonor veterans and the "depressing" work they actually do. Idealized heroism is the version of real war that is depicted in some films, including Saving Private Ryan. Yet Saving Private Ryan does provide Sledge's version of the war too, with its attendant fears and traumas. People die, and people experience traumatic pain and discomfort. Films like Saving Private Ryan do a good job in balancing the "good war" mythos with the "real war" elements Sledge describes in With the Old Breed.

Real war is fought by individuals, and not by the politicians who are their puppeteers. This is one of the messages of With the Old Breed. In the book, Sledge focuses on what the soldiers like him go through. It is not a book about military leadership or even heroism, but just about the individual's desire to survive on a personal level. The people like Sledgehammer need to put themselves on autopilot, fighting only because it is the only way to stay alive. They are not necessarily thinking about the global political issues surrounding the war. There is no "good war" on the battlefield; only the "real war" and its attendant pains.