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Changed by War:
With the Old Breed
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War can change a person in many ways. It can change a person mentally or physically
and the change can stick with them for many years or even the rest of their life. In the book With
the Old Breed, written by E.B. Sledge, E.B. Sledge is changed in multiple ways. Throughout the
book his views on the marines, the Japanese, war, and violence all change.
At the beginning of the novel Sledge has a respect towards the marines but it’s not the
same kind of respect he gains towards the end of the novel. In the beginning of the novel sledge
says that“[they] were a bunch of high spirited boys proud of [their] unit” (Sledge 39). While he is
in boot camp he learns a new respect for the marines. When he enters boot camp he is told that
he is not yet a marine by his drill sergeant (Sledge 9). He has to gain this honor. In order to gain
this honor he must experience not only boot camp but the harsh realities of the war. His
experiences at Peleliu and Okinawa bring him to these harsh realizations. At one point in the
