Last Thoughts on The Pacific

One more week. School's out in one more week.  I can do this.

I haven't posted much because I've been wrapping up school; finishing grading Caesar papers, and working on my reading stack at home.  I mentioned Monday that Steve and I finished watching The Pacific this weekend.  I know it got mediocre reviews most of the way through (I quit checking after a while) because everyone wanted it to be Band of Brothers redux.

It wasn't.

And the Pacific war wasn't the European war, either.

As soon as the series was over I pulled Bob Leckie's book, Helmet for My Pillow, off the shelf.  I bought it but hadn't read it, right before the series started.  I've cued up With the Old Breed for a re-reading.  I've got a couple of others in line, too.

I thought the series was so well done.  I wasn't there, of course, and don't know how accurate or authentic it all was, and I know they changed a few things from Eugene Sledge's book, but I thought it was awesome.  The awe those young men inspire is incredible.  They were just kids...all of them.  What they sacrificed to defend this country - well, it was a story that needed to be told.

Lots of movies have been made about the European theater - some cheesy and some more realistic.  Lots of stories have been told about Iwo Jima, too.  But the Pacific war as a whole, I don't think, had been told in film.; at least, not quite so well.

HBO is going to rerun the series on Memorial Day weekend.  If you missed it you absolutely should make it a point to watch.  If you did watch it, tell me what you thought.

Even the music was well done!  Listen to the theme - it's haunting.  Emmy nominations to come.