With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by E. B. Sledge

With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa
by E. B. Sledge

With the Old Breed is a vivid and vital testament of the Pacific Theater during the Second World War of the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, Company K, from R & R at Pavuvu to the blistering savagery of Peleliu Island & eventually to the blood-lust & seemingly never-ending violence of Okinawa. Famously, practically mythically, drawn from notes Eugene Sledge kept in his Bible during the war, it exposes the day-to-day horrors of U.S. Marines against an enemy who would not surrender in most cases and preferred death to dishonor. There are no heroics as one is used to from Hollywood, just the raw, constant struggle to survive not only against the Imperial Japanese forces, but from the weather & terrain, which inflicted many casualties without firing a shot. Life under perpetual fire in a state where one’s clothes are always wet & are rotting off, where chow was infrequent & limited to C-Rations often eaten without a fire because fires attracted the enemy, extended for months without real rest & wrecked havoc with even the experienced Veterans of other Campaigns let alone with the green replacements, who often died before they were copied down on the company rolls. It is exhausting to read this work. I felt I was with “Sledgehammer”, “Snafu,” “Ack Ack” & the other Marines, staggering about a most Martian landscape of war. This eyewitness struggled for years with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD) from his experiences; & from that living-hell came this memoir - one part horror, one part redemption & partial healing. Another name for this account could be, From Hell and Back, if Hollywood hadn’t already misused that title.

Finished: 5 AM, 5/26/10

The Day of the Triffids (1981, BBC Mini-Series)

The Day of the Triffids (1981)

3.5 stars. At times, 4 (out of 5). This is a very good study of when a society collapses. In this case, it happens in London, but we are assured it is the same all over the planet. One wonders, how does one keep their humanity while NOT letting their guard down when people seem defenseless all about them? Compassion dictates... - then you're their seeing eye dog, their slave. Survival becomes the key focus here. The brutality of humankind upon each other takes on an ugly routine like inhaling oxygen. What would you do if you were suddenly made blind? What would you do to those about you who had sight & seemed to be abandoning you to your cruel fate? Such questions are fleshed out with sincerity & depth. I very much enjoyed this mini series, done in 6 short parts. At times, the Triffids - those giant, carnivorous plants, who are mobile - are secondary to the massive inhumanity being set upon the main characters. I did feel I wanted more in the end, which is probably a good thing.

The Lazarus Project by Aleksandar Hemon

The Lazarus Project
by Aleksandar Hemon
4 stars out of 5
finished: 05/20/10

A quest for identity & clarity starting out in Chicago, spreading across Eastern Europe, & ending in Sarajevo, where the main character, Vladimir Brik, came from before the brutal Bosian war. This is blended with the story of Lazarus - a Jewish immigrant, so-called anarchist, who is slain by the chief of police in 1908 Chicago. Paralleling Brik's is the horrific journey of Lazarus' sister, Olga, to find out why her brother had attempted to kill the chief of police. It is beautifully written, often poetic without losing its vividness, but doesn't conceal the grotesque & melancholic arising in both Olga's & Brik's searches. Aleksandar Hemon, by far, is my favorite living author & his latest novel is anything except disappointing.

Memorial Daze

A sketch I did in my journal illustrating the physical & psychological feelings I was suffering at the time.

(Art © 2008 by j. m. Scoville)

Seeking Advice from a Comic to Save My Marriage

I am the Psycho-Motorist, so hear me... moan!

I sent a little note to Ken Cursoe of Tiny Sepuku, explaining my situation of migraines & whirlwinds & seizures & heartache, playfully asking for his advice done up right in illustrations & comic dialogues.

And LO & BEHOLD, Mr. Ken drew up a comic & played along, taking out his skeleton man to narrate me home.