The Pacific memoirs

I finished two books recently: Helmet For My Pillow by Robert E. Leckie and With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge.

Both are memoirs of Marines who fought the Japanese in World War II.
I read the memoirs knowing that an upcoming HBO mini-series, The Pacific, will be based upon them. It's being produced by same team that did Band of Brothers, a series I own and have watched at least 20 times.

I've read quite a bit on WWII, but mostly on the war against the Germans; so I saw this as an opportunity to learn about the fight against the Japanese.

Helmet For My Pillow

Robert E. Leckie starts his narrative on Jan. 5, 1942, the day he departed for the Marines. He chronicles his boot camp experience on Parris Island and brief station in South Carolina before departing for the Pacific.
As part of the now-famous 1st Marine Division, 'Lucky' was among the first to land on Guadalcanal and fought five-months in the campaign before the division was relieved. After a brief stay in northern Australia, Leckie was deployed to Cape Gloucester and New Guinea before his odyssey ended on Sept. 7, 1944 on Pelelieu.

The writing in this memoir is fantastic. Leckie has a great literary style. Having been a reporter since he was 16, he's an astute observer of human nature and war. As a writer, it was just a pleasure to read. I found myself smiling as I read some of the passages.

Although Leckie does depict and reflect on the horrors of war, he includes a lot of humourous and light-hearted anecdotes. Most of these can be found in the chapter Brig-Rats, where he recounts the antics he pulled that landed him in the brig; or the 'booze and brawling' while in northern Australia. It's also funny how he and his fellow soldiers are able to joke or laugh amid the battle.

With the Old Breed

Eugene B. Sledge also begins his account with boot camp and training, but his war begins where Leckie's ends: Pelelieu.
A mortarman in the 1st Marine Division, 'Sledgehammer' fought on Pelelieu for 45 days in what was supposed to be a three-day battle.
After a brief rest peroid, Sledge and the division were deployed to Okinawa and fought in one of the bloodiest campaigns in the war. After securing the island, Sledge remained there until the Japanese surrender on Aug. 15, 1945.

Sledge is brutally honest in telling his story. He doesn't shy away from telling the brutality of the battles and any atrocities committed by the enemy -- or fellow soldiers. He reflects on the hatred that he develops for the enemy. So it's more serious in tone than Leckie.
He focuses a lot on the physical and mental struggles in being in a combat zone, being constantly under small-arms and artillery fire; living in utter filth; and braving the elements of rain, insects and mud.

Sledge's writing style is not as refined as Leckie's, but he makes up for it in detail. Having kept notes in his bible, Sledge is able to recount the movements of his company to each position, as well as note any peculiar events that occur. He also breaks off from his narrative to tell the current role of his company and division, providing a clearer picture on the campaign.


It's hard to say which memoir is 'better'. But where Helmet For My Pillow is a literary pleasure, With the Old Breed is deeply moving.

Considering their scope, depth and experiences, I think Leckie and Sledge's memoirs make great choices for the mini-series.