3 books about marines who served in WWII.

This is a synopsis of three books by three brave young men who volunteered for the marines and fought in WW11. These books were the basis for the HBO series 'The Pacific'.

E.B.Sledge wrote “With the Old Breed”
Robert Leckie wrote “Helmut for my Pillow”
John Basilone’s biography written by Jim Proser “Staying with my Boys”

Sledge was a mortorman with the 3rd battalion, 5th regiment, 1st marine division. His book is based on notes he took and stashed them away in his bible. Marines were ordered not to take notes as they might fall into the hands of the enemy. He tells his story without much flair, no flowery prose and a noticeable lack of curses and four letter words. It is an utterly frank account of the cruel, brutal, and sometimes gory life of a marine in combat in the Pacific theater. It is the story of how a sensitive man learned to hate, kill and in the end love his fellow man. Sledge does have a religious bent that comes out in his book. Sledge serves on Pelelieu and Okinawa.

Robert Leckie tends to be cocky and one who, though he is proud to be a marine and is conscientious and loyal to his comrades and his duty, is nevertheless one who will break the rules outside of combat if it makes his life easier or more fun. And he was disciplined more than once. Leckie serves on Gaudalcanal, New Britain and Pelelieu. Since Leckie was a journalist before the war his book is more of a work of literature than Sledge’s. Leckie has a novel way of rather than calling a man by his given he gives them a descriptive handle – like captain coward or private goldbrick.
 
Basilone is a completely different person. While Leckie and Sledge were educated at least through high school before they entered the marines Basilone had quit school during his first year in high school. He enlisted and served 3 years in the army before the war. He was an Italian son of immigrants always looking for his way in life and thought God had a place for him if he could only find it. He found it in the Marine Corps. He was a gambling, hard drinking hell raiser. Basilone served on Gaudalcanal and was killed on Iwo Jima. He earned a Congressional Medal of Honor on Gaudalcanal.  

All three books in citing the conditions and  the conflict describe many of the same scenes. The conditions were terrible – heat, humidity, rain, meager water and rations at times, foxholes filled with water or sometimes no place to dig one. The enemy was courageous yet suicidal and would not quit until he or you were dead. Consequently there were heavy casualties on both sides but especially on the Japanese side. It was not uncommon to see Japanese bodies stacked like wood. Dead bodies on both sides were desecrated.

John Basilone is older then Leckie and Sledge during the war. He is a good leader and becomes a gunnery sergeant and platoon leader while Sledge becomes a corporal and stays on the 60 mm mortor and Leckie is a machine gunner and scout and stays a private due to his disciplines.  

Leckie goes on to write 40 books mostly about war and Sledge becomes a professor of biology.
John Basilone is killed on the first day of fighting on Iwo Jima.