HBO's "The Pacific"

It was Leckie's family that reminded me of my own. They are not the friendliest of people and sort of detached. Probably had a huge impact on me deciding not to have children. As far as Snafu is concerned, I do not think he is wired to be a emotional person. While I think it is obvious that he can be caring it takes him out of his comfort zone. I think it would have exposed a part of him he so dearly tries to hide if he were to say goodbye to Sledge. I would have liked to known more about his life in general after the war.

 

I am reading both together, and am about half way through both. Both vets write in a down-to-earth tone, and both books are an easy read. If I had the time to stay with them, both books could easily be read in a day or so each. Both men are excellent story tellers, and their descriptions paint a vivid picture of what it was like to be there. Both men possess that dry sense of humor and can be quite funny without trying to be. The books themselves are organized and put together nicely. Phillip's book is thin, only 205 pages, but has some weight to it, which tells me the paper and boards are of good quality. Burgin's title, Islands of the Damned, I think is a bit over dramatic, and might give the impression it is a history book rather than a personal memoir. They certainly aren't as literary as Leckie, and maybe not as self-analysing as Sledge, but their perspectives are valuable. So far I am happy with both books.

Greg C.

 

There was an article written about him by someone who lived close to him and was friends with his sons. Snafu turned out to be one of those quiet dads who attended ball games and such. It seems like he lived his life as normally and peacefully as possible avoiding any memories of the war. He did meet with his old friends again in the 80's. There is a veterans meet photo with Shelton, Eugene Sledge, Burgin, Sidney Phillips, and a few other guys together.

I don't have a link but just look up his full name on google.

 

Now that they have done Band of Brothers and Pacific covering both fronts, will someone do a series on the Korean war?

 

You mean besides M*A*S*H ?..........

 

Thank you for the review. I value your opinion. I think I'll get the books.

 

Here's a picture of Sledge, Snafu and another Marine at a 1st MarDiv reunion in 1983.



Here's a link to a story about Shelton, I assume it's the one you're speaking of:

The real Snafu from "The Pacific" - Rod Dreher

 

I liked Burgin's book. If you want to read my detailed thoughts click here -

Amazon.com: Profile For John E. Larsen: Reviews

With 'The Pacific' whetting my apetite, I threw myself into US Pacific theatre memoirs and currently have read about 20. For anyone interested in other memoirs by Pacific vets (including army) you can see my summaries of them here:

Amazon.com: US Marine & Army Combat Memoirs of the Pacific War

I'm quite keen to get Phillips book too. I just have to think of a way to sneak it past my wife......

 

I've read Sledge's book several times and really enjoyed it. However, I didn't care for "The Pacific" mini-series that much.

First, the battle scenes just seemed claustrophobic to me, especially as compared to battle scenes from BoB and Private Ryan. They had a movie backlot feel to them rather than a more realistic feel in the other movies done by the same basic team.

I strongly disliked the "soap opera" antics that dominated 2-3 of the episodes. Thanks goodness for a DVR where I could fast forward through them.

The stories that were told seemed too condensed and narrow. All 3 of the main characters' stories deserved a full treatment but we got something less than that.

I liked the battle scenes on Peleliu the best although I think they left out some of the best parts of Sledge's story and that 'movie backlot' feel was back toward the end.

 

Interesting tidbit:

"Joe Mazzello's emotionally haunting performance as Marine Eugene Sledge on "The Pacific" clearly had an impact on Sledge's real-life family.
Sledge's wife Jeanne was so touched by Mazzello's characterization in the just-concluded HBO series that she sent a special gift to the actor -- her late husband's pipe.
"She was so moved she actually sent Eugene's actual pipe he had his whole life," Mazzello tells PopcornBiz. This is the same pipe that is represented throughout the series by the soldier seeking calm amidst the horrors of war."​

Soldier's Family Has Touching Thank You for "Pacific" star Joe Mazzello | NBC San Diego​

 

"Following his starring role in “Saving Private Ryan” and his work on the HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific” (on which he is an executive producer with Gary Goetzman and Steven Spielberg), Tom Hanks was not quite finished chronicling the American experience in World War II. On Nov. 2, HBO Home Entertainment will release the 10-part “Pacific” series, which dramatized the stories of three Marines who fought against Japan, as a DVD box set. A special Blu-Ray box set, also to be released on Nov. 2, will include even more enhanced features than the standard DVD release.

"With 'The Pacific' – one of HBO’s most expensive productions ever – now at an end, ArtsBeat spoke with Mr. Hanks about his reflections on the project and the increasingly challenging environment in which it was made."

Tom Hanks Returns to ‘The Pacific’ - ArtsBeat Blog - NYTimes.com

 

I hate this 'slow' guy, I dont know his name.

 

I really enjoyed the series. I am just now watching Band of Brothers and I have to say I'm liking the Pacific better so far, but I think thats because its new and fresh. I am enjoying BoB though and am interested to see what happens on the European front.

I have to say it took me a few episodes to get the characters straight, to be able to follow when they switched point of views. It was hard for me to recognize who was who when the marines had their helmets on. But I got it eventually.

I really enjoyed Leckie's storyline, but when he faded out of the picture I loved Sledge's. Especially the peaks and valleys he went through. Sledge started off as an innocent young man, lost that and then seemed to gain a small part of it back with the help of Snafu.

I'm def, buying the DVD set when it comes out.

'slow' guy?

 

Why were the Marines returned to that same island for R & R after the battles at Cape Gloucester and Peleliu? After Guadalcanal they were sent to Australia. Just wondering.

 

Duplicate post. Nothing to see here. Move along. Two blocks down and take a left.

 

The underlying idea was that the U.S. Marines were sent to Australia to bolster the defense of the country, since the majority of the Australian forces were off fighting in the Mediterranean. Sending them there was a precaution. Pavuvu was a base/rest camp. Primitive after Cape Gloucester, but somewhat improved after Peliliu.

Greg C.

 

Yeah pretty much anyplace where you are not getting shot at doesn't really suck. Three meals a day and 8 hours sleep does a body good.

 

I hope they flew in some beer and island girls for them. It sure seemed like a desolate place. After a week or so after returning from combat, that would be great, but after that, it had to get old.

 

They did get a beer ration. Described as watered down beer. As the HBO series depicted, Red Cross girls were there, kept behind an armed compound at night. R.V. Burgin took insult to this, stating that the combat weary Marines had no ill intent for the Red Cross girls to be guarded by MPs. There was a PX, movies shown on a sheet spread between two coconut trees, and their tents had plywood flooring. The improved roads were paved with crushed coral. The rats and land crabs were still there, however.

Greg C.

 

IT WAS AWESOME!!! a local military dealer helped to supply them!
Military Collectibles and Antiques from IMA