OT: Humbling HBO's the Pacific

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Shown a few years ago, HBO is running a marathon today. Just awesome. What these guys went through, now in the land of lawyers and excuses, we could never, ever do this.

I am awestruck by that generation, and what we were as a country then.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

Those men went through the great depression. Some were thankful for the fist new pair of pants they ever had when joining the military. They went on to serve 3-5 year terms & earned the title "greatest generation"!

 

[CougarClaws]

Personally feel - The Pacific is the best military story ever made. A very long, dark, and ultimately inspiring story.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Personally feel - The Pacific is the best military story ever made. A very long, dark, and ultimately inspiring story.

I loved Band Of Brothers, but for some reason, the dire straits and environment that these guys had to go through, along with the ferocity of the Japanese, again just humbling.

 

[wbrpanther]

Shown a few years ago, HBO is running a marathon today. Just awesome. What these guys went through, now in the land of lawyers and excuses, we could never, ever do this.

I am awestruck by that generation, and what we were as a country then.

I truly believe that if this country was ever actually threatened by powerful dictatorships like what happened in the 40s today's younger generation would step up to the plate just like those people did.

WWII was the last time we actually had to fight a war to defend our very existence. Every war since were political wars fought for other various reasons.

But God bless that generation. What they went thru and sacrificed is truly mind boggling.

 

[Jeffburgh]

BoB was the most beautiful TV series ever. It was very realistic, but not overwhelming.

The Pacific was equally as well done, but it was so brutal it overwhelmed me.

Most certainly the greatest generation.

We would differ on why things are different today vs then.

A lot of cheerleading and false patriotism today.

People are MUCH too casual about sending our troops into battle because it is all volunteer now.

A lot easier to be all puffy chested about things when the call to service isn't compulsory and you or your child aren't real likely to be sucked up by the draft and end up on the shores of Normandy.

We didn't go into WWI or WWII casually. Back then we were a speak softly and carry a big stick nation.

Now, we have 100 million people cocking off with a couple hundred thousand brave souls actually putting their necks out.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

BoB was the most beautiful TV series ever. It was very realistic, but not overwhelming.

The Pacific was equally as well done, but it was so brutal it overwhelmed me.

Most certainly the greatest generation.

We would differ on why things are different today vs then.

A lot of cheerleading and false patriotism today.

People are MUCH too casual about sending our troops into battle because it is all volunteer now.

A lot easier to be all puffy chested about things when the call to service isn't compulsory and you or your child aren't real likely to be sucked up by the draft and end up on the shores of Normandy.

We didn't go into WWI or WWII casually. Back then we were a speak softly and carry a big stick nation.

Now, we have 100 million people cocking off with a couple hundred thousand brave souls actually putting their necks out.

Don't always agree with you Jeff, but very, very well put.

Let's face it, our quick trigger is definitely partly a "professional" army, and partly the economics of a war machine is always good for business.

 

[Pitt5593]

BoB was the most beautiful TV series ever. It was very realistic, but not overwhelming.

The Pacific was equally as well done, but it was so brutal it overwhelmed me.

Most certainly the greatest generation.

We would differ on why things are different today vs then.

A lot of cheerleading and false patriotism today.

People are MUCH too casual about sending our troops into battle because it is all volunteer now.

A lot easier to be all puffy chested about things when the call to service isn't compulsory and you or your child aren't real likely to be sucked up by the draft and end up on the shores of Normandy.

We didn't go into WWI or WWII casually. Back then we were a speak softly and carry a big stick nation.

Now, we have 100 million people cocking off with a couple hundred thousand brave souls actually putting their necks out.

Very eloquently said

 

[Ski11585]

I just finally got around to watching Band of Brothers and loved it. Moved onto The Pacific. I'm four episodes in and it's an absolute struggle. I have no interest as a viewer in these characters. The episode in Australia was terrible.

 

[ricflair4LIFE]

BoB was the most beautiful TV series ever. It was very realistic, but not overwhelming.

The Pacific was equally as well done, but it was so brutal it overwhelmed me.

Most certainly the greatest generation.

We would differ on why things are different today vs then.

A lot of cheerleading and false patriotism today.

People are MUCH too casual about sending our troops into battle because it is all volunteer now.

A lot easier to be all puffy chested about things when the call to service isn't compulsory and you or your child aren't real likely to be sucked up by the draft and end up on the shores of Normandy.

We didn't go into WWI or WWII casually. Back then we were a speak softly and carry a big stick nation.

Now, we have 100 million people cocking off with a couple hundred thousand brave souls actually putting their necks out.

^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I just finally got around to watching Band of Brothers and loved it. Moved onto The Pacific. I'm four episodes in and it's an absolute struggle. I have no interest as a viewer in these characters. The episode in Australia was terrible.

Trust me, it gets better. That episode in Australia is an outlier, like a self indulgent twist.......

 

[olelion]

The Pacific War was a fight to the death in an environment ripe with disease. It was so unlike the war in Europe, that comparisons are futile.

 

[lostnite66]

We're rich!

 

[pitt-girl]

Anybody see "Hacksaw Ridge" yet? My husband said it was probably the most realistic war movie he's ever seen. Incredible story. He is a huge BoB and Pacific fan.

 

[Ski11585]

Trust me, it gets better. That episode in Australia is an outlier, like a self indulgent twist.......

I definitely will. I really want to like it because I think the Pacific theater doesn't get nearly enough attention.

 

[Ski11585]

Trust me, it gets better. That episode in Australia is an outlier, like a self indulgent twist.......

You were right. Once Sledge shows up its an entirely different show. Very good and very moving.

 

[ChazzMo]

For those of you with an interest, read "Sledgehammer"'s book about Peleliu and Okinawa, " With the Old Breed". Absolutely riveting and sobering. God bless those men.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

You were right. Once Sledge shows up its an entirely different show. Very good and very moving.

The most riveting moment was the really tough, hardscrabble older Sergeant, finally at the end is just broken and is so shaken can't even muster the fight to light a cigarette. Just the hollowed look in their eyes.... Really captured what they had to go through.

 

[PHATWOOD]

Personally, I don't understand how any of them went through it and came out normal.

My great-uncle on my father's side was a survivor of the Bataan Death March. He died when I was young, but I can still recall how broken he was. My father still talks to me about it and says after he told his story to my grandfather he never again spoke about the war after he came home. Alcohol and silence were his only friends. The war in the Pacific WAS different and horrific on an oddly different level.

I never doubt those men were truly the greatest generation. My grandfather on my mother's side flew on a bomber as an aviator over Italy and Germany, was shot down twice, wounded once, and somehow survived. My grandmother has a piece of plexiglas from a gun turret twice as big as my fist that was shot out by a german fighter and almost killed him in a frame with a handwritten list of his missions and photos of his fellow crew. Very few in the Air Force survived as many missions as the men on his bomber did. And it was ALL absolute luck. Every time they went up they knew it was likely they'd die. Every time they landed they knew they had to go back up and try again.

He drank hard. He was't as troubled as my great-uncle, but he was troubled. He died in 1979.

I still don't know how they did it. They were brave and strong and fearless and they knew when they went to sign up they were likely sacrificing everything.