After watching the preview for episode 5 and thinking ok it looks like it might be picking up then actually watching episode 5 I have all but given up on this show. Can they make it any more boring?
I think that is kind of the idea. Not that the viewer be confused, but that they get some of the feeling of "What is the big deal about this insignificant speck of an island? Is it worth it?" that many of the marines felt at the time. BOB, as great as it was, was a different story about a different war. Corps and armies and army groups maneuvering across the fields of Europe is just different from the smaller units, over-stretched supply lines and closer-range fighting of the island campaign. I am now caught up on the episodes and I am liking the series quite a bit. I thought the latest episode, with invading Peleliu, was the best yet. I am looking forward to the rest, though I'm afraid that Peleliu and Okinawa will make the earlier episodes look like a walk in the park. I liked when the gunny threw the brass at the officer and bawled him out for not keeping his pistol pointed down range. That was straight out of Sledge's memoir. I don't remember anything about him having a .45 revolver from his dad, but maybe I forgot. It will be interseting to see if that figures in an upcoming episode. The stuff with the Greek family was not part of the book, but I assume was added to show more of the Australian civilians' experience and point of view. The marine shooting the cow in the field was also added for the film, I assume to show Leckie's change in attitude from his fellow marines as he got to know the Australian family. Leckie did go AWOL in the book, though, and did pull a pistol on an officer and did spend time in the brig. It is inevitable that some parts of a book will be cut, compressed or conflated in a screen adaptation. I think they've done a pretty good job of keeping the basic gist of Leckie's book. Yes, but that stuff was also in the Sledge book, which is taking over more of the narrative now that they are on Peleliu. --Justin
JTB, I agree, but Leckie pulled the gun on the officer because he was pissed the guy took his cigars, not because he was depressed over a woman dumping him. He also had just come from getting drunk with a buddy after skipping out on a parade he was supposed to march in. He also wasnt upset getting assigned to the battalion intelligence section in the book. He welcomed it. Also book Leckie is different than the show Leckie. Book Leckie is a guy pretty much looking for a good time and trying to get over instead of brooding about the war like show Leckie. Most of the book is this guy trying to get laid, weasel the system, steal stuff from the Army or other supply depots and chilling with his friends. He didnt come across like the guy we see on tv. I haven't read Sledge's book yet, but plan to eventually so I am interested in seeing how his story matches the book. I think some of the stuff in the book would have been pretty cool for the show like when they were wondering what the "V" was in that river on Guadacanal and even shot at them a few times. Then they realized the "Vs" were crocodiles swimming under the surface and were eating the dead Japanese and so they left them alone and used the crocodiles as sort of a "watchdog" in order keep the Japs from sneaking across the river. I read Band of Brothers and that series followed the book more closely than this series does.
Band of Brothers was a series about a company of soldiers who went through the entire war from D-Day to VE day pretty intact. The Pacific is not the film version of either Leckie or Sledges books. It uses those two books to build upon and tell the story of Marines in the Pacific theater. Two completely different concepts. It's like the difference of the movie "Apollo 13" and the series "From the Earth to the Moon."
Just Japanese and Blacks I believe, Persians/Arabs etc were White in America of that era as well as non Black Latinos for segregation purposes. Once other Asians were cleared as not Japanese they also served in the general non segregated forces.. Native Americans also were not segregated, every WWII platoon movie had its "Chief" character. And many whites, then just as now, claimed partial native heritage. Claiming partial black heritage made one black under the single drop rule the US society lived under at the time. However those Native Americans recruited as code talkers served in semi segregated units since only members of their own nations knew the code.
Hrm, that's kind of interesting. I thought there was a US Chinese American unit as well though? Or were they just thrown in with the Japanese dudes in some cases?
There was a mostly Chinese Air Corp unit sent to the China Burma India front but they were not segregated as official policy as the Black units and the Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team and 100th Infantry Battalion.
Oh right, I guess I was remembering this article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/10/02/DDK419L9T6.DTL Ah, race is funny I guess.
If by "funny" you mean "completely arbitrary cultural invention with no legitimate basis in biology whatsoever" then yes.
In the past few decades all interest groups have stepped forward to say we had it bad also, but Blacks were set apart for the worst treatment. I can theorize that if Pearl Harbor had happened a week after the declaration of war instead of minutes before the Japanese would not have been interned and officially segregated.
^ It's ironic, because German spies were basically left to their own devices (those that weren't caught anyway). I didn't know that there was different treatment between "island" Japanese and "mainland" Japanese though. The fact that Hawaii's Japanese population was too big meant that they couldn't intern them. Figures. That's exactly what I mean, actually.
What was really messed up were black soldiers could not go into dining facilities and PXs on Army bases, but German prisoners, who had killed Americans soldiers, were allowed into these places. Now that is straight up hatred and racism when you prefer the company of some man who may have killed your brother over the company of a man who would die defending your brother.
While training at Camp Blanding outside Jacksonville, FL, members of what would become the 442nd were still considered to be interned and not allowed off base. This policy only applied to he Japanese personnel. So yeah, prejudice is pretty fcuked up.
I'm actually doing research for a WWII essay right now....(Yes, I am taking a break--or 'breaks'-- looking at TrekToday....) Anywho: Blood donations were separated between white and black soldiers. Charles Drew, a black man who developed the blood bank system, was actually fired for trying to push integration. When troops were shipped out on the Queen Mary to fight in Europe, black troops had to stay in the lower decks (near the engine room) while white troops were accommodated in the upper decks. Of course, we had our anti-Semitism, female rights still being fought for, and the racism against Japanese. I am still waiting for a strong film (big screen) based on the Tuskegee Airmen. I still need to read a short story, written by author Kenzaburo Oe, about a downed black pilot in Japan. (Already inaccurate because there were no black pilots who flew into Japan; but it still serves it's purpose for another research project I am doing about the relationship between blacks and Asians during that time period). Oh, and in regards to The Pacific. I haven't seen it; and, I don't really have any interest in seeing it at this time.
When is the story set? If the invasion of Japan had happened the 477th Medium Bomber Group and the 555th Parachute Infantry Regiment were almost certain to be deployed. Besides the Moutford Point Marines the segregated engineering units driving landing craft saw combat in the Pacific even if their MOS was not to directly fire at Japanese.
I've only read tidbits online; and the full story is waiting for me at the school library (which was unfortunately closed all last week due to a fire). AFAIK, the author doesn't mention the exact time the story is set. However, the black airman is one of two pilots that are downed. I'll get back to you on the details.
I know George Lucas' involvement will probably alienate some people on this board, but he's producing a film about the Tuskegee Airmen called Red Tails to be released this year.
I know. Again, I'm waiting for a strong film based on the Tuskegee Airmen... (Lucas and the prequels don't have me in high hopes)....maybe he'll surprise me, but I'm not holding my breath.