Essay Questions

How did the Japanese and Marines act harshly and inhumanely during WWII in the Pacific?

Sledge says that war significantly changed those who fought in it. Men who were good people, Sledge said, devolved and committed heinous acts because they were changed by war -- they slowly were stripped of their humanity and compassion.

For example, Sledge witnessed Marines who savagely ripped gold teeth from the mouths of dead (or dying) Japanese soldiers (among other disturbing trophies). Of course, not every soldier engaged in this kind of activity, but more than one did.

Sledge also saw how horribly the Japanese soldiers acted. For example, he saw more than one dead U.S. soldiers who were mutilated and had their genitals shoved in their mouths (among a number of other disturbing sightings).

Describe the Allied strategy of "Island Hopping."

"Island Hopping" (also called Leapfrogging) was the strategy deployed by the Allies in the Pacific Theater of World War II to reduce the expense (both financial and in terms of lives) and length of time it would take for the United States to defeat the Japanese Empire in the war. Initially developed by the Navy, but later spearheaded by General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz, the strategy dictated that the U.S. invade islands in the Pacific only critical to the war effort. In other words, the United States would invade one island (Okinawa, for example) because it had an airstrip close to Japan that would allow bombing missions to be run against the Japanese mainland, but would chose to skip another island because it had nothing of value on it -- i.e. an airstrip, natural resources, or anything like that.