In the same fashion as Band of Brothers, HBO brings us another powerful and gripping miniseries set during World War II. The Pacific is a ten-part miniseries exploring the lives and stories of three US Marines: Robert Leckie, John Basilone and Eugene Sledge.
Pfc. Robert Leckie (played by James Badge Dale)
Robert Leckie was from Philadelphia and the youngest of 8 kids from an Irish Catholic family. He worked as a sportswriter for a local New Jersey newspaper before the war. He joined the Marines after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal and Cape Gloucester.
Sgt. John Basilone (played by Jon Seda)
John Basilone, originally from Buffalo, New York, enlisted in the US Army 1934 and served in the Philippines before being discharged in 1937. He enlisted again in 1940, this time with the Marines, and was assigned as a machine gunner with the 7th Marine, 1st Marine Division. He was recognized and awarded the Medal of Honor when he single-handedly fought the Japanese by himself after his team fell against the Japanese forces. For three days, he held the defensive line against the Japanese, not stopping for rest, water or food.
Pfc. Eugene Sledge (played by Joseph Mazzello)
Eugene Sledge was from Mobile, Alabama, and had an older brother who was a lieutenant in the Army. He comes from a family with a long history of serving as soldiers. Some of the officers in the Confederate Army during the Civil War belonged to his family. He wanted to enlist in the Marines with his best friend, Sidney Phillips, after Pearl Harbor was bombed, but complications from rheumatic fever prevented him from doing so. He tried again a year after and was assigned to the 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division.
There are three episodes left in this miniseries. And I suggest, if you missed the others, catch up on those first before watching the last three episodes.
