re: Rewatched The Pacific...

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I am of the unpopular opinion that its a better series than Band of Brothers. I think its because I saw The Pacific first and there it was my basis for comparison

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I don’t even compare them there are so many apples to oranges things. Both are just incredible.

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I forgot how good of a series that was...damn what those guys went through -

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My grandfather was on a lot of those islands and I did a rewatch after listening to "Neptune's Inferno" and the hell that went down in Guadalcanal. They're all laying in their foxholes watching the fireshow thinking it was Turner giving it to the Japs only it wasn't as it appeared.

Section 12, Grave 284, Arlington National Cemetery.

For some reason I thought he might have been interred at Roscrans in San Diego, but I checked and he’s in Arlington.

Confirming that, I found this.

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On Sunday night October 25th, 1942, at Lunga Ridge on Guadalcanal, about 1,000 yards south of Henderson Field, Japanese troops attacked.

One of the Marine section leaders facing them was Sergeant Basilone. Basilone stayed with his men, repairing guns and changing barrels in almost total darkness, while giving encouragement to his men.

One section of guns was overrun. Two men killed, three others wounded. Basilone took one of his guns on his back and raced for the breach in the line. Eight Japanese were surprised and killed. The guns were jammed by mud and water and a few yards away the Japanese were forming for another charge. Frantically stripping mud from the ammo belts men fed them into the guns as Basilone cleared jams and sprayed troops rushing at his positions with fixed bayonets and hand grenades.

At 0300 a final Banzai charge took place. The full weight of the fanatical Japanese fell on Basilone and his men. He had set up a cross fire which smashed the charge. At least 38 dead Japanese were credited to Sergeant Basilone, many killed with his Colt .45.

Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone was killed leading his heavy machine gun squad off the beach on Iwo Jima on February 19th, 1945. He had just helped destroy an enemy blockhouse before he was hit by a mortar shell.

He was the only Marine to be awarded both The Medal Of Honor and The Navy Cross during World War II

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Remember Snafu lived just up the road from Baton Rouge, Mr.Merriell Shelton and did not pass away until May 1993.

I listened to all his war stories; he was the best at telling the stories of the 1st Marines in World War II ever heard.

He saw more combat than anyone else I have ever met.

I have done some research on many of his stories and confirmed even the story of the IJN battleship shooting a 14 inch shell through the tent with a Marine sleeping in it. Everyone thought he was dead when the shell blows up about 50 yards beyond the tent, only to find him still asleep in the tent when they came looking for him.

The story is in a book published around 2005 about Guadalcanal, gives the Marines name and the whole story.

I first hear of the story from Mr. Shelton around 1972.

Stealing the army rifles, food, clothing etc. has been confirmed in a number of books. Mr. Shelton told us all these stories by 1972.

You will find it hard to believe but the food the 1st Marines carried unto the canal was mostly destroyed by the 3rd day, they had to live off the Japanese rice and whatever they could hunt up to eat.

The clothing by the end of the first month is in tatters. It is hard to find good pictures of the 1st Marines from the last month on the canal, as the Marines did not want to show the American public the ad hoc nature of the operation, also because many are wearing Army uniforms, you get the pictures of the 2nd Marines landing on the canal.

Chesty Puller

Hard to believe the stories on him from all that meet and knew him.

My dad's best friend was one of his divers in the Korean War. I have a few maps out of the 1st Marine's HQ from the Korean war due to Red being at the 1st Marines HQ.

Red passed away around 2003, but he is like many Marines a legend. He wanted to fight the drill Sgt on Paris Island.

Red was caught killing a sand flea on Paris Island and spend near 74 hours hour digging a grave for that sand Flea. Red made one mistake after digging the first grave, when asked what sex was the sand flea and he answered "I do not know" So he had to dig it up, then was ask why is that dirt on my lawn and so on, 74 hours later they finally let him hit the rack.

Chesty should have won the CMOH on the canal for stopping the Japanese attack on October 24–25, 1942. This is when he won his 3rd Navy cross.

I think the main reseon he got the Navy Cross is due to many other commanders fighting off the Japanese attacks had already won the CMOH.

Those were the most hardened frickers that have ever served. I still remember when I was on Wake Island training in 2001, the feeling of being there is indescribable.

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FYI that cemetery is in Point Loma,

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I’ve been there a few times myself. Driving through it you’ll come to Point Cabrillo. Very nice and one of my favorite San Diego spots. I’ve got some good photos of sunset at Ft. Roscrans somewhere on my computer. I think maybe Dan Daley is interred there.

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Band of Brothers is more re-watchable and I like it more but The Pacific is better shot, directed, written and acted.

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It's a testament to the series that it doesn't come off as redundant and that both stand on their own...Miyagi might say: "different but same.". But no. ..they are different, different.

People shy about investing in The Pacific b/c of Band of Brothers needn't worry.

It's not just soldiers in a different location...The only thing similar is the method of storytelling, which is a plus.

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I am of the unpopular opinion that its a better series than Band of Brothers.

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Same. Both are excellent, but I think The Pacific is better.

BoB focused on the sense of brotherhood that can be forged in combat, whereas The Pacific showed the utter horrors of war and how much these guys truly lost of themselves in it.

I also like how The Pacific allotted time to them (most prominently Sledge) coming home and dealing with the trauma of what they’d experienced. Sledge’s breakdown to his father gets me every time, as does the scene when Basilone’s widow gives his CMoH to his parents.

I wish they’d have shown Leckie walking out of South Pacific and telling his wife he had to the story of “how it really was.”

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According to his wife Vera, in 1951 Leckie was inspired to write a memoir after seeing South Pacific on Broadway and walking out halfway through it. He said, "I have to tell the story of how it really was. I have to let people know the war wasn't a musical."

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Vera was a goddamn smoke show in The Pacific if I remember correctly