The Old Breed... The Complete Story Revealed

“In the most true and simple words, understand this: Eugene Sledge is a legend.”

“Henry Sledge has taken the greatest war memoir ever written under his skillful editorial wing and made it brand new again, revealing previously unpublished passages and adding his own fascinating recollections of his father, Eugene Sledge. Highly recommended!”

“This is a remarkable piece of work by the son of the legendary E.B. Sledge that knits together beautifully the unpublished chapters of the war classic With the Old Breed with the author’s own memory of how his father struggled to reintegrate into civilian life after returning from the Pacific in 1945. A brilliant and important book…. it’s superb.”

“Profoundly moving. The brutal realities of fighting in the Pacific in World War II and all the privations that accompanied the violence are even more starkly revealed in these previously unpublished writings by Eugene Sledge, expertly woven together by the son who grew up with the long shadow of that terrible conflict. Together, father and son reveal not only more of the young man who fought so courageously in the Pacific, but also of the husband, father, and scientist he became. It is by turns shocking, upsetting and wistful but also charts the complex process Eugene Sledge underwent of writing his iconic memoir, With The Old Breed. There is catharsis here too in this deeply thoughtful and wonderful book—one that lingers in the mind long after the last page has been turned.”

“We Marines were blessed with the writings of E.B. Sledge. He eloquently captured the battlefield environment many of us experienced throughout our Corps’ history. His son Henry has added to his father’s legacy with this superb book. From his father’s papers and his shared stories with Henry, we have been given another great Sledge work!”

“When discussing one of the best memoirs ever written by a front line combat soldier it seems almost criminal that a publisher could tell the author to excise two-thirds of the material. But that’s what happened before With the Old Breed was published. Finally, more than forty years after the original was released, we get the rest of the story...What comes through clearly, just as in the original classic, is the basic humanity of Eugene Sledge. And like the book the elder Sledge penned, his son’s version is a stark reminder of the price those we send to war continue to pay long after the conflict they endured leaves the headlines.”

“The Old Breed: The Complete Story Revealed, shares those portions of [Henry’s] father’s manuscript previously not published and more. It is masterfully and beautifully written and intertwines the stories and interactions he had growing up with his father...Henry has graciously permitted us a glimpse into Eugene Sledge, the father and husband. The Old Breed permits the reader to feel the closeness of their relationship and how Sledge’s World War II experiences shaped both of their lives.”