Just read Islands of the Damned

Very interesting book written by Sledge's squad and section leader.

He gives us a slightly different view of the war from With the Old Breed, including several of the same battles.

Burgin does disagree with Sledge about the quality of the officers. He agrees that several showed very poor leadership but thinks Sledge went too far in going after them.

I thought on it for a while and reread parts of With the Old Breed and I think I have an answer.

Sledge got to the war late enough that he stayed a PFC. By the time Sledge joined the unit Burgin was already a corporal and no longer had to do working parties. Later he made sergeant.

Sledge had to suffer with the poor leadership same as Burgin. However, Sledge also got stuck working long hours while not in combat or training so the officers could live much better than the enlisted.

I can see how having to be a servant in a very classist system, where those officers for the most part had proven themselves to be unworthy, would **** a man off much worse than someone who was only a partial victim.