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The Pacific took some liberties personalizing real events, but putting them on a different character. Sledge's and Lecke's autobiographies differed from their actions in the series by having the characters experience some 'common' events that didn't happen IRL. Sledge's aborted extrication of Japanese gold teeth comes to mind as an example (happened in the series, not IRL).

ORIGINAL: ChezDaJez

While I never expected extreme fidelity from the series to either book, I did expect that events that are protrayed in the series actually happen where and in relatively the same manner as they did IRL. Sledge's book, "With the Old Breed" mentions nothing about a heart murmer that kept him from enlisting. He actually was enrolled in ROTC at a college when he decided to enlist. And the series also doesn't mention the several months he spent on garrison duty in China immediately following the war. He didn't return home until the Spring of 46.

I see multiple references to Sid Phillips being the source of the heart condition story. Memories that old can fade, but Phillips was a doctor after the war and should understand murmurs. Sledge might have not wanted to mention it in his own book for personal reasons. I don't know who is right, but HBO didn't make it up from what I can tell.

ORIGINAL: ChezDaJez

I see multiple references to Sid Phillips being the source of the heart condition story. Memories that old can fade, but Phillips was a doctor after the war and should understand murmurs. Sledge might have not wanted to mention it in his own book for personal reasons. I don't know who is right, but HBO didn't make it up from what I can tell.

Sledge's father was also a physician and would understand murmers as well. And we have to remember that Philips graduated high school a year before Eugene and enlisted right after Pearl Harbor.

Sledge graduated high school in May 1942. He then attended the Marion Military Institute until May 1943 and while there, signed up for the Georgia Tech V12 officer training program. He started this training on 1 July 1943. According to his book, he purposely did poorly on his first semester exams so that he could become an enlisted Marine. He stated in his book that he was afraid that he would miss the war if he stayed in college.

Philips states that Sledge had rheumatic fever as a child yet Sledge makes no mention of this anywhere. It is not found in any of Sledge's books or the many biographies that aren't based on Philips' statements. It is possible that Sledge did have rheumatic fever that resulted in a heart murmer but if that were the case, he would either have not had the mumer upon graduation from high school and would have been eligible to enlist then - or - he still had the murmer in which case he would not been eligible for the military instutute or GT officer training programs.

Most of Philip's comments regarding Sledge were made to the producers of the HBO series. I'm inclined to believe Sledge's book more so than Philip's recollection 60+ years later. That is not to say his statements are false, just possibly distorted by the passage of time. I willing to bet that Sledge did have the murmer but at an early enough age that it was gone by the time he was in high school.

Chez

ORIGINAL: Thayne

The series that I have always wanted to see would follow the USS Enterprse through the war.

My impression was Phillips and Sledge were boyhood friends (the sister might have been sweet on Sledge too from what I gathered) and close friends for decades after the war.

ORIGINAL: spence

A flick/series that concerns itself with DD sailors: "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" or some such.