The Cost of Combat and Warfare

One of the prevalent themes of the text is the terrible cost of combat and warfare. Sledge is undoubtedly a patriotic and dedicated marine and he considers his military service as a privilege and a duty. His resolute dedication to further and foster the American cause is beyond dispute. Yet, he often contemplates the negative aspects of war and combat. Nearly every discussion of combat is followed by a contemplative reflection from the distance of decades about the horrible cost. This is offered not only in terms of absolute counts of killed soldiers, wounded soldiers, and mentally-damaged soldiers, but also in terms of the degradation of morality, the brutalization of participants, and the psychological price paid by nations entering into warfare. This holds particularly true for the first half of the text, which considers the amphibious assault and eventual capture of Peleliu, which...