With the Old Breed_ At Peleliu and Okinawa - E. B. Sledge [173]
On 8 August we heard that the first atomic bomb had been dropped on Japan. Reports abounded for a week about a possible surrender. Then on 15 August 1945 the war ended.
We received the news with quiet disbelief coupled with an indescribable sense of relief. We thought the Japanese would never surrender. Many refused to believe it. Sitting in stunned silence, we remembered our dead. So many dead. So many maimed. So many bright futures consigned to the ashes of the past. So many dreams lost in the madness that had engulfed us. Except for a few widely scattered shouts of joy, the survivors of the abyss sat hollow-eyed and silent, trying to comprehend a world without war.
In September, the 1st Marine Division went to North China on occupation duty, the 5th Marines to the fascinating ancient city of Peking. After about four and a half months there, I rotated Stateside.
My happiness knew no bounds when I learned I was slated to ship home. It was time to say goodbye to old buddies in K/⅗. Severing the ties formed in two campaigns was painful. One of America's finest and most famous elite fighting divisions had been my home during a period of the most extreme adversity. Up there on the line, with nothing between us and the enemy but space (and precious little of that), we'd forged a bond that time would never erase. We were brothers. I left with a sense of loss and sadness, but K/⅗ will always be a part of me.
It's ironic that the record of our company was so outstanding but that so few individuals were decorated for bravery. Uncommon valor was displayed so often it went largely unnoticed. It was expected. But nearly every man in the company was awarded the Purple Heart. My good fortune in being one of the few exceptions continues to amaze me.
War is brutish, inglorious, and a terrible waste. Combat leaves an indelible mark on those who are forced to endure it. The only redeeming factors were my comrades’ incredible bravery and their devotion to each other. Marine Corps training taught us to kill efficiently and to try to survive. But it also taught us loyalty to each other—and love. That esprit de corps sustained us.
Until the millenium arrives and countries cease trying to enslave others, it will be necessary to accept one's responsibilities and to be willing to make sacrifices for one's country—as my comrades did. As the troops used to say, “If the country is good enough to live in, it's good enough to fight for.” With privilege goes responsibility.
* The 8th Marines came up from Saipan to reinforce the 1st Marine Division in the final drive on Okinawa. Among the many streamers on its regimental battle color flew one for Tarawa.
* The total number of Japanese killed by the five American divisions during the mop-up was 8,975, a large enough number of enemy to have waged intense guerrilla warfare if they hadn't been annihilated.
* The 1st Marine Division received the Presidential Units Citation for its part in the Okinawa campaign.
APPENDIX
A Roll of Honor
Peleliu Veterans with K/3/5 at the End of Okinawa
James Allen
Charles Anderson
James C. F. Anderson
Franklin Batchelor
Henry (Hank) Boyes W/NE
R. V Burgin W/R
J. T. Burke
Guy E. Farrar
Peter Fouts
G. C. Gear
Anton Haas
Julius (Frenchy) Labeeuw
Les Land
Thorkil (Toby) Paulsen
Les Porter
Bobby Ragan
John Redifer
D. B. A. Salsby W/R
Vincent Santos
George Sarrett
Henry K. Schaeffer
Merriel (Snafu) Shelton S/R
E. B. Sledge
Myron Tesreau
Orly C. Uhls
W F. Vincent
NOTE: W/R—wounded returned to duty; W/NE—wounded not evacuated; S/R—sick returned to duty.
Of the approximately 65 Peleliu veterans who landed with the company on Okinawa, only the above survived death, injury, or illness, and were present at the end of the battle. Many of the above had been wounded on Cape Gloucester or Peleliu.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The books and documents listed here are not the only accounts and references to the battles of Peleliu and Okinawa, nor should the reader construe them to be suggestions