Originally Posted by
MooseMuss
If you want an unvarnished peek(s) into the life of a Marine rifleman in the Pacific, start with Leckie's "Helmet For My Pillow" and follow with EB Sledge's "With The Old Breed". Both profound books that I read as a young Marine and left me awed.
Sledge’s description of his battles was absolutely brutal. For a third person view of brutality of the Pacific, I’d recommend Dower’s War Without Mercy. Tens of thousands of combatants and less than 100 POWs in many cases. It’s was a war of no quarter.