Eugene Sledge was on the train back home to Mobile, Alabama. He was truly the happiest he'd ever been, well, in a while anyway. He was sitting with the men from his mortar squad, Romus Burgin and Merriell "Snafu" Shelton. Snafu had gotten up and went to flirt with a woman, which ended up with him getting slapped. Both Eugene and Burgin began laughing and rolling their eyes.