With the Old Breed: Part 1, Chapter 4 Summary & Analysis

At 8 a.m. on D Day, Sledge and his companions watch as American ships shell the island of Peleliu, filling the air with strong smells and deafening sounds that force the Marines to scream to each other. Sledge finds waiting in the amtrac intolerable. He is unable to swallow or to stand on his legs, and holds onto the sides of the tractor for balance.

When the amtrac is given the signal to move forward, Sledge feels as though they are moving toward the surreal scene of an exploding volcano, as shells constantly explode near the tractor. Finally, the men are ordered to exit the amtrac and Sledge follows Snafu. When machine-gun fire barely misses his face, he loses his balance and falls on the beach. He begins to panic, telling himself that he needs to get off the beach as soon as possible to avoid being hit. A Marine comes over to help him stand up and both of them run away as fast as they can, while shells are crashing around them. Sledge finds himself in the middle of a chaotic, blurred world, which his mind cannot fully comprehend.

As Sledge reaches the end of the beach, he turns around to see an amphibious truck, hit by a shell, blow up exactly where his amtrac landed. Sledge finds himself watching with strange detachment, even as he notes that no men exited the vehicle. He watches the rest of the chaotic scene and feels an overwhelming mix of rage and frustration overcome him, as he finds himself incapable of doing anything to save his companions. He asks God “Why, why, why?” and feels deeply bitter about the injustice of war. At the same time, as he exits the beach, avoiding a bomb by inches, he also feels a sense of pride that his country is capturing this enemy territory to win the war.

When Sledge reaches a group of veterans, he asks for a cigarette and Snafu teases him for doing exactly what he had said he would. As Company K moves inland, Sledge feels so tense, sweaty, and shaky that he wonders if he is having a convulsion. He experiences waves of complete helplessness and feels as though the shelling on the beach lasted hours, even though it only took about thirty minutes. He notices a friend of his with a wound and feels sorry for him, but the man enthusiastically replies that he has received “the million-dollar wound” and can now leave the war.

Moving through the scrub, Sledge and his companions try to avoid snipers. There, Sledge sees his first enemy corpse, a Japanese medic who was hit by a shell. Sledge stares at him in horror, unable to believe that this is a human being. Rather, the dead body reminds him of the animals he has killed while hunting. To Sledge’s surprise, a Company K veteran sees the dead body and removes the man’s glasses from his face. As Sledge watches him remove the man’s pistol and a Japanese flag that the medic had in his helmet, the veteran encourages Sledge to take “souvenirs.” Sledge is frozen on the spot, wondering if he too will one day become so “dehumanize[d],” inured to the sight of death. He explains that this later did indeed happen, over the course of his time on Peleliu.

As the company moves through the scrub, Sledge sees friends from different units and is shocked to notice that everyone has vacant, strange looks, making their faces almost unrecognizable. He then realizes that he must have the same expression, as his face muscles are tight and unmovable, keeping him from smiling.

When the company reaches a clearing, the Marines begin to fire at Japanese soldiers. They are then instructed to move back, in order to join the 7th Marines. The company spends the afternoon walking in intense heat through heavy fire and trying to avoid being ambushed by the Japanese, which will happen if they fail to reach the 7th Marines before nightfall. Finally, the two companies are able to reunite during the night. That night, Sledge learns that the division suffered many casualties. Some of the veterans even tell him this is their worst day of fighting so far.

At the end of the day, Sledge finds that he is completely dehydrated, and that no one knows when they will receive more water. Snafu and Sledge then settle for the night in their gun pit. When he sees Sledge take off his shoes, Snafu yells at him, and Sledge is ashamed to realize that this is indeed a stupid decision, since he could never run away from a Japanese counter-attack barefoot on the coral. Sledge also feels uneasy when he sees Snafu place his kabar knife right by his right hand, in case of a Japanese infiltration.

Sledge then watches the green light of shells exploding during the night, noting that they make the earth tremble and explode. To find a measure of comfort, he begins to pray out loud. He explains that being under prolonged shelling is utterly terrifying, affecting one’s mind and body to profound extents, capable of causing insanity. Shells, to him, are an example of “man’s inhumanity.” Helpless and unable to sleep, he fears losing his mind and merely hopes that they will soon receive more water, as most of the men have already exhausted their supply. He grasps the desperation that dehydration can lead to.

Although Japanese machine-gun fire has erupted near them since the early hours before dawn, it suddenly ceases before the men have to leave their gun pits. As dawn arrives, bringing increasing heat with it, the men despair about having no water. Finally, someone arrives with a water supply and Sledge fills his canteen, even though he is disgusted by the brown color of the water. After his first gulp, his stomach immediately cramps, and Sledge realizes that this water, covered in blue oil, comes from oil drums that the men had cleaned on Pavuvu, using a technique that did not succeed in actually cleaning them.

The Marines are then told to launch an attack across an airfield. They are meant to run in a dispersed manner while the Japanese shell the area. The Marines thus move in various waves, bending down as low as they can, and Sledge finds this whole process scarier than the landing because, this time, they are completely exposed to the shelling, without the protection of a vehicle. Sledge repeats prayers to himself while running under terrible heat and avoiding the blasts caused by the shells all around him.

At one point, Sledge and Snafu stumble and fall down. Snafu is hit by the fragment of a shell but only harms his pistol belt, leaving a mere bruise on his skin. The two of them then continue running and, when they finally make it across the airfield, Sledge notices terror in the eyes of even the most seasoned veterans. This makes him feel relieved, as he realizes he is not the only one to be scared. In the meantime, it is so hot that water pours out of Sledge’s shoes when he takes them off.

That evening, the Marines dig their foxholes and follow a daily routine: they set up mortars where they best protect the company and repeat the password for themselves—a code that changes every night and uses the letter “L,” which the Japanese have difficulty pronouncing. Soon, the men hear some Japanese try to infiltrate the company around them, which they recognize because of the small-arms fire and grenades exploding.

Sledge explains that, in such circumstances, anyone who moves around at night without calling out the password can be shot. That night, Sledge suddenly hears movement in the dry plants near him. Tense and focused, Sledge points his automatic pistol toward the noise. Recognizing a mix of rustling and silence, he concludes that this must be a Japanese infiltrator. His heart pounding, he then notices a man wearing a helmet. He asks the man to say the password, but hears no answer. His finger on the trigger, he calls out again and the man then suddenly calls Sledge by his nickname, “Sledgehammer.” Sledge realizes that this is an American Marine and relaxes.

The man then appears—it’s Jay de l’Eau, one of Sledge’s best friends and a Gloucester veteran, who has come to ask for water. Shaking and with a strong desire to cry, realizing that he could have easily shot his friend—an action that would have been entirely justified given the circumstances—Sledge then gets mad at him, yelling at him for making such a stupid mistake.

The next day, Sledge learns that his friend Robert Oswalt has been killed, and concludes that the war is a waste of important human lives. He also reflects on the value of the Japanese lives the U.S. has taken, but then recalls an NCO’s opinion that it is “them or us,” and that one should not feel guilty about killing the enemy.

When Company K moves north in extreme heat to relieve a battalion of Marines who are under heavy attack, they soon come under attack themselves by a mountain nicknamed “Bloody Nose Ridge.” After hours of fighting, as evening approaches, the men set up their holes for the night. Sledge goes to the beach to help an NCO unload a tractor full of supplies, including an oil drum full of water, which is extremely difficult to unload. There, they are attacked by mortars and try to work as fast as they can. Suddenly, another Marine appears, offering help, and the men are fascinated to notice that the man, who presents himself as Paul Douglas, is over fifty years old. When asked why he joined the war, Douglas simply says that he wants to help. He mentions that he knows Captain Haldane, and everyone agrees that he is the best company commander.

The Company K Marines then return to the company lines, enjoying a warm meal for the first time in three days, which Sledge finds refreshing despite the heat. The next day, they receive fresh water, which makes Sledge feel relieved.

That night, Sledge has a conversation with Company K’s machine-gun platoon leader, a man nicknamed “Hillbilly.” Sledge describes it as one of the most decisive conversations in his life. Hillbilly is admired for his “gentlemanly” appearance, as he takes great care to stay clean even in the most difficult circumstances. More importantly, though, he is equal to “Ack Ack” Haldane in terms of excellent leadership, courage, and solidarity.

As Sledge and Hillbilly begin chatting about their childhoods in the South, Sledge feels comforted by Hillbilly’s optimistic, soft voice. When Sledge admits that he has sometimes felt terrified to the point of being ashamed of himself, Hillbilly proves surprisingly honest. The officer tells him that he, too, experiences deep fear, but that the most important thing is performing one’s duty anyway. By the end of the conversation, Sledge feels completely reassured and almost jovial.

In that moment, as silence settles, Sledge suddenly hears a voice say: “You will survive the war!” When Sledge asks the other men around him if they heard anything, they reply that they did not. Although skeptical of people who hear voices, Sledge becomes convinced that God spoke to him on that night. The knowledge that he will survive convinces him that he will need to have a good, productive life after the war.

That night, Sledge realizes that he has not showered in days and stinks. He explains that keeping oneself and one’s rifle clean is an essential aspect of Marine standards, and being dirty makes one feel less dignified. He expresses his surprise at noting how little this aspect of war appears in soldiers’ narratives, since this can make a Marine just as miserable as fear, or other physical sensations such as being too hot or sick.

The next morning, on September 18, Company K pursues its rifle attack against the eastern side of Bloody Nose Ridge. Sledge explains that the worst job during such attacks is that of the riflemen, who spearhead attacks and are thus most exposed to enemy fire. Later, when the Marines reach the Japanese’s complex network of caves and pillboxes, which hindered the Marines’ usual assault tactics, everyone takes turns being a rifleman in the front and a stretcher bearer in the rear. This allows all company members to understand the dangers involved.

While K/3/5 is attacking the eastern side of Bloody Nose, the 1st Marines (2/1), attacking the end of the ridge, suffer heavy casualties. One of Sledge’s friends in Company K tells him he has heard from a friend in 2/1 that the Marines there are being sent for frontal attacks in which they do not even see the Japanese who are shooting at them, and thus cannot defend themselves in any way. Members of Company K agree that this amounts to slaughter. One veteran says that such a strategy only benefits the officer who makes such decisions without actually bearing the brunt of the violence. While an officer’s Marines are killed in combat, the man can return to the U.S. and receive a medal for his work. Sledge and his friends in Company K feel bitter about this, especially since they know they will probably have to attack that part of the ridges at some point.

That day, the Marines walk through stifling heat, Sledge’s pack causing him to sweat profusely. His small New Testament is safely tucked away inside a plastic bag. The men then hear that they are going to be served hot chow: pork chops. The Marines find this unbelievable, and are filled with gratitude.

The next day, part of Company K joins other squads to move into the peninsula, beyond the company’s lines. The goal is to reach a swamp where the Marines will need to keep the enemy from advancing. Severed from the tight-knit group of Company K, Sledge feels a little lost, and realizes that he sees Company K as his family, the place where he truly belongs. He describes this feeling of belonging as a crucial aspect of Marine life, allowing the men to maintain a high morale and to depend on each other in matters of life and death.

As the men move through the growth, Sledge notices two man-o-war birds nesting in a tree. He takes a minute to watch them, realizing that they remind him of the birds near Mobile, Atlanta, but a friend scolds him, telling him to focus. Although Sledge knows that losing one’s concentration is dangerous, he is also grateful to enjoy a few moments of peace and joy in the midst of the horrors of war.

As night falls, the group settles by an abandoned Japanese machine-gun bunker, trying to make as little noise as possible, to ensure a surprise effect if the Japanese attempt to move forward. Sledge is amazed by how black the night is and, as he observes the dark world around him, he feels completely disoriented. In this moment, he becomes overwhelmed by the feeling that his life is completely disposable. Aware that he comes from a culture that puts a lot of emphasis on the individual value of life, he finds this thought humbling and difficult to accept.

Over the course of the next few hours, Haney makes frequent rounds asking the Marines for the night’s password. Although his goal is to keep the men alert, his coming and going only increases everyone’s anxiety. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, someone begins moaning loudly, before calling out for help in a wild tone. The men soon realize that this Marine is not having a mere nightmare, but has actually gone insane, unable to cope with the stress of combat.

The situation soon grows tense, as the man’s screams could easily reveal their position to the Japanese. Hillbilly attempts to reassure the man, and someone hits him in the jaw to keep him from screaming. A corpsman gives the man various morphine injections, which have no effect. Everyone grows increasingly nervous about the possibility for the Japanese to hear them. Finally, an officer orders someone to hit the man with a shovel. In the tense, horrible silence that ensues, everyone feels equally sorry for the man and nervous about a possible Japanese attack.

The next day, Sledge discovers that the man is dead. Noticing the agony on the faces of veteran officers such as Hillbilly and Hank Boyes, Sledge realizes that this is more horrifying moment than anything these men will face in combat, even in situations that will earn them decorations for bravery. That day, Hillbilly calls a commander to ask for the patrol to retreat, explaining that everyone is too nervous to go on. Sledge believes that Hillbilly’s strong reputation is the only factor that leads the superior, who wants to determine where the Japanese are currently positioned, to listen to him. Sledge and his companions are allowed to relax and move back to Company K’s lines, where he feels at home again.

Over the next few days, Company K is sent to relieve the 1st Marines, who have been decimated and are going back to Pavuvu—but who have achieved significant strategic gains by securing crucial territories. When he runs into men he knows, Sledge is appalled to see their defeated, resigned faces, deeply affected by the horrific fighting they have been through. Company K will ultimately endure such grueling combat for twenty days, and will return just as crushed as these men. On their way to a new position, Sledge crosses paths with army infantrymen, for whom he feels a strong affinity. Fighting at the front line, he explains, overcomes any differences among military branches and units.