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SZonian:

In a similar vain, HBO’s the Pacific is based on 3 actual Marines. John Basilone is one of them and I as an American of Italian ancestry am very proud to see his story come to screen. His story is based on the actual combat reports from Guadacanal where he became the first enlisted man to win the Medal of Honor. He was sent home to sell war bonds and then asked to go back to combat and was killed at Iwo Jima. Chuck Tatum a marine who served under Basilone with the 5th Marine Div and his book recounting his experiencs of Iwo Jima are also used as Tatum witnessed Basilone’s death at Iwo.

The other 2 Marines Robert Leckie and Hugh Sledge and Hanks and Speilberg used the books written by both of these Marines as the other primary source material. Leckie wrote the book “A Helmet for my Pillow” which recounted his experiences starting with his entlistment in the Marine corp the day after Pearl Harbor and his experiences in the Pacific at Guadacanal and Pelieu. Sledge’s book “With the ole Breed” is the other primary source material and recounts his experiences at Pelieu and Okinawa.

So regardless of Hanks and Speiberg’s Liberal politics, I have to commend them as Producers of this 10 part mini-series for using actual accounts of the Pacific War and that relate to 3 honest to God American Marines.

Regards

Interesting information, thanks.

I hope they keep their politics out of it and don’t use the portrayals of these fine men to vicariously espouse their (Hanks/Speilberg) liberal views through the screenplay.

Here’s hoping.