The Pacific

John Basilone the Metal of Honor winner gets killed the first day on Iwo Jima

 

Agreed...

 

Just watched Part 3 on demand. I agree, best episode thus far. Why did John get sent home again? War Bonds?

 

He was awarded the Medal of Honor and so he was sent home to sell War Bonds.

 

It was pretty good last night... Lucky was hookin it up!

 

My Dad-(still alive at 84 yoa) made landings with the 3rd Marine Division on Guam the Marshall Islands and Iwo Jima. When I can get him to talk about it he said he was the third wave into Iwo. I asked him what he saw when he landed and he said everyone was stuck and bogged down on the beaches. He said it didn't scare him until after he had been on the beach awhile then all hell broke loose....said that scared the crap out of him. I asked him if he saw the flag raised on Iwo and his comment was "how could I see anything I had my face down in the mud trying to find protection from the god awful fire coming down on us from everywhere. It was nasty. Said alot of the japs wouldn't give up...most fought until they were killed.

Until 1978 he still had a small piece of shrapnel in his leg from a hand grenade fight that he won. The vets from that fight are dying at an incredibly fast rate now...he doesn't like to talk about it....

 

listening to the vets talk at the begining of each episode always chokes me up.

 

My wife was born on Kwajalien in the Marshall Islands. Every time this show comes on she asks if they have gotten to the Marshall Islands, I think she might actually sit down and watch that episode.

 

the last episode, although fairly gruesome, was probably the best one thus far.

 

That rocks. Tell him thank you for us.

+1

Agreed. It was pretty good last Sunday. Can't believe it's almost over already!

 

yea, the top of that japs skull was missing and that guy was throwing rocks into it..haha

 

I like that guy's character for some reason... Calm and a bit crazy. I was surprised that the Gunny broke down like that.

 

that episode, more so than others, i thought was about the humanity and inhumanity of men at war

 

Yea, I like him a lot more than "sledgehammer" he just seems like a pussy to me and it bothers me. Plus I cant get over the fact that he was the little kid on jurrasic park

Pretty wild that gunny broke down, the oldest, hardest guy there..

 

I don't think Sledge is a pussy really. At the beginning of the series, his father basically told him that he didn't want him to see the horrors of war. He being the patriot son, decided to see for himself. Once there, he is being impacted by the horrors of war and I think that is taking a tool on him. He is going from boy > man.

 

True, maybe its the jurrasic park thing thats getting me. haha

 

SNAFU- the best character on the series.

 

next week is iwo jima it looked like from the previews, they might have to break it up into 2 episodes. its gonna be gnarly

 

Iwo Jima is where John Basilone dies... but he gives them one hell of a fight... that was one BA MF for sure