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ORIGINAL: JWE
That's what these mini-series are all about, really - people - and what they do in the face of 'duty'.

ORIGINAL: jomni

I have also realized and appreciated the human aspect of the series.
It's not your typical war movie focused on the action and the fighting itself.

ORIGINAL: m10bob

...and yet, it did not turn into "The film which shall not be named", (which was altogether fiction, fluff, annoying AND irritating.)

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: JWE
That's what these mini-series are all about, really - people - and what they do in the face of 'duty'.

That's the only reason I watch them. I couldn't care less about the strategic viewpoint, I want to see men and how they cope with the horrors of war.

I marvel at the capacity of man and mankind to do unspeakable things to one another, sometimes flourishing in the act as men. I marvel at how men can EVER go back to 'normal' life after being so debased, so fouled and so violently treated. I don't know what combat is like and probably never will, but these graphic depictions of man, stripped of all pretense would come pretty close, I bet.

I appreciate when a show can take me on that tour as few films have ever done so. "The Pacific" did this, so did "BoB".

Different war, different people, different focuses for the series, different topography, different series. Both were well done.

ORIGINAL: m10bob

ORIGINAL: jomni

I have also realized and appreciated the human aspect of the series.
It's not your typical war movie focused on the action and the fighting itself.

...and yet, it did not turn into "The film which shall not be named", (which was altogether fiction, fluff, annoying AND irritating.)

I am positive if people had not seen BoB (as a measuring stick), and had been limited to that other nasty piece of Ed Woodian nonsense, more people would rate The Pacific higher..Much Higher.[8D]

ORIGINAL: m10bob

...and yet, it did not turn into "The film which shall not be named", (which was altogether fiction, fluff, annoying AND irritating.)

I am positive if people had not seen BoB (as a measuring stick), and had been limited to that other nasty piece of Ed Woodian nonsense, more people would rate The Pacific higher..Much Higher.[8D]

ORIGINAL: Ketza

Heres a scene from that series:

ORIGINAL: John Lansford

I watched Episode 10 last night; we got to see where Robert Leckie had been spending his time since Pelieliu, but focused primarily on Sledge and his friends, Snafu and Burgin, as they mustered out of the Marines and returned to civilian life.  Basilone's wife was shown briefly as well, meeting his family.

The sad part of this episode is that at that time, no one understood what PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) was and how it affected long term combat veterans like Sledge.  While Leckie appeared to reintegrate himself right back into his old pre-war career, Sledge had some serious survivor's guilt and couldn't see how he fit into civilian life now.  Perhaps it was because he didn't have an established career prior to the war, and as he told the woman trying to find out if he had any useful training in the military, all the Marines had done was taught him how to kill Japs, and they did a good job of that.

I liked at the end where they showed the actor as the real life person, and then showed his wartime photograph.  Nearly all of them had remarkably striking similarities, and they also briefly mentioned what they did after the war.  Snafu, for example, never spoke to any other Marine for 35 years until reading Sledge's book "With the Old Breed on Pelieliu and Okinawa"; Sledge was one of his pallbearers at his funeral.  Leckie and Sledge both died in 2001, but Burgin and a couple others of the secondary characters are still alive.

Good wrapup of the series, IMO.

ORIGINAL: Kwik E Mart

Overall, great series. I don't really see the point of comparing with BoB, but where comparisons are possible, I guess they will always be made...human nature and all.

There have been some comments on this thread re: lack of continuity and not knowing exactly what was going on or when. I'm tempted to speculate that this was intentional. I'm sure the average jarhead back then was thoroughly confused about where they were going or what exactly was going on. Most places they couldn't even pronounce. I felt it added to the theme of the series.

2 cents worth

ORIGINAL: Kwik E Mart

Overall, great series. I don't really see the point of comparing with BoB, but where comparisons are possible, I guess they will always be made...human nature and all.

There have been some comments on this thread re: lack of continuity and not knowing exactly what was going on or when. I'm tempted to speculate that this was intentional. I'm sure the average jarhead back then was thoroughly confused about where they were going or what exactly was going on. Most places they couldn't even pronounce. I felt it added to the theme of the series.

2 cents worth

ORIGINAL: AcePylut

In Hugh Ambrose's companion book "The Pacific", he states that Basilone died from being shot three times, and cites his source as Graves Registration.  I'll take that over Wiki.

I watched Winds of War and War and Rememberance.  Loved Winds of War, thought it was extremely well done... but War and Remembrance sucked horribly.  I thought it was extrememly disgusting how they changed the focus of the story from the Henry's to the Jastrows, and seemed more interesting in making sure that every viewer sees every aspect of Jewish Culture and Life.  Winds of War:  Awesome.  War and Remembrance: Waste of time and space.

...Under heavy artillery fire on February 19, 1945, he singlehandedly took out an enemy blockhouse. Minutes later, he and four others in his platoon died in an artillery blast. Sergeant Basilone was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross and Purple Heart, making him the only enlisted Marine in World War II to receive all three medals.