China Marine: An Infantryman's Life after World War II

I had read the authors first book "With the Old Breed" and thought it was the best book of its kind I had ever read, so naturally I had to read China Marine. This one seemed shorter than the first, and I read the whole thing quickly, and was not disappointed. I think "Sledgehammer" had a unique perspective on his time in China as well as more time to reflect on not just what was happening around him, but also within him as a result of witnessing the horrors of war. This comes out very well in China Marine as Sledge describes his experiences in context of where he has been and where he knows he needs to go (back to a "normal" civilian life). One thing that stood out to me was the authors appreciation for everything around him. The beauty of China, his fascination with the people and the good friends he made while there.The epilogue was my favorite part as I thought it was the most personal, and provided additional insight into the mind of a great man. He talked about moving on, but also the lasting impacts of the war. His disdain for people complaining about trivial unimportant things, and what worked for him to accept (not forget) what he had been through.

I read With the Old Breed back in 2002 when I was at Camp Courtney, Okinawa. China Marine was part of the original manuscript for With the Old Breed, but was chopped by the publisher since they figured no one would be interested in what happened after the war. In China Marine, Eugene Sledge adresses the period after 1st MarDiv was redeployed from Okinawa in the Fall of 1945 to North China, and ultimately the anticlimactic redeployment home by individuals as their points came up.I found this book to be fascinating and something I could really relate to. The war didn't just end with everyone going home and living happily ever after, which is the impression given by many books and documentaries about the war era. There was a lot to be done after the war was officially over, and these men were carrying a lot of emotional baggage. I have to admit that after reading these two books, I feel like I know Sledgehammer like a personal friend. His writing style is both engaging and captivating, and this is a relatively short read.One thing that is rarely addressed in period writings is the problems many of these men had in coming home and adapting to a society that was very detached from much of what happened in the war. Sledge addresses a few chapters to that process, and how he had changed as a person.I consider this a fantastic book and highly recommend it to anyone who read With the Old Breed and wanted to know what happened next.

First, a brief note about the binding: I've worn out too many paperbacks to ever believe them to be suitable for long use. This is a book which is best bought in the hardback version. The reader will want to keep a copy forever to re-read, underline and make marginal notes so it is worth the extra price to have this sturdier edition. The few extra dollars for this hardcover edition will be worth it in just a few years of reading.---China Marine impresses me as being the more moving of Sledge's two autobiographies. With The Old Breed speaks of the power of War but this book speaks of the power of Man. I realize that with the HBO miniseries coming out With the Old Breed will continue to be more popular but China Marine has points in its favor. Certainly one should read both if they ever expect to understand the subject.As a second book "China Marine" is more readable and I'm not sure that is because he is more experienced in writing or he is not having to stop every few lines to explain to naive civilians the exact color of the mud of war, sound of heavy bombardment and grief of watching his friends being chewed apart. "With the Old Breed" ends with him half starved, abused to the point of exhaustion and with the stench of death in his nostrils but "China Marine" shows him to build on US Marine traditions and support of family and friends to create a new life after the purgatory of battle. Particularly the book shows his depth of character better, since he gives himself time to describe not just his observations but to show the mind and heart behind them. And as one of his former students I can vouch that he had a very big heart.

Eugene Sledge's _With the Old Breed_ is among the best personal narratives of the Second World War, so the bar is set almost impossibly high by comparison. _China Marine_ details Sledge's experiences after the war when he was part of the American forces occupying Beijing.The political chaos in China as Nationalist and Communists vie for control of the country is the backdrop of his memoir. The biggest takeaway was his recognition at having time to decompress and readjust to peacetime and less stressful and intense duty clearly helped Sledge before his return to the United States. For readers, the most powerful experience of this memoir is his telling of enrolling in college, demonstrating just how much the war had changed him.Sledge is a talented writer, and as in _With the Old Breed_, his conversational style puts readers with him at that time and place. While insightful and interesting - particularly Sledge's observations about Chinese culture and life and his observations about the broader geopolitical shape of things following the war - it didn't have the same gravitas as his debut memoir.