I have, quite obviously, never been to war, nor served my country in any significant way (but hey, if the Army ever opens a Water Park, I’d love to run it). If there is an overriding theme to the Pacific, it is (to steal the cliché) that War is Hell, and unless you have been there you’ll never, ever understand.
I have to disagree with Sebastian’s comment last week. I agree with what Tom Hanks told Stephen Colbert (linked video is US only, I believe). The difference between here and Band of Brothers is that, with the latter, I wonder what it would have been like to be a part of that team. After watching the Pacific, I know that there’s no way in hell I’d ever want to go through what they did.
Sledge finally gets into the war, and provides an interesting counter to the men that we have been following. He had two very telling conversations, first with Phillips, and later with Leckie, that contrasted well the difference between the veteran and replacements. (The Gunny made the same point with the new lieutenant at the firing range a bit more bluntly.)
I really liked that last exchange between Sledge and his old friend. One couldn’t comprehend what was to come, and the other couldn’t put to words what he’d been through. I hope we explore their friendship more when they have both been in the fight. It will be interesting to see if they can maintain it.
Leckie and Sledge’s conversation was based around the much-asked question: How can God exist in a world with war? Sledge’s answers weren’t enough for Leckie, or me for that matter. I don’t care what you say about free will, it is hard to reconcile a benevolent God with the atrocities these men went through.
Notes & Quotes:
Clacked by Ivey West 
on Apr 11, 2010 @ 23:50 EST5EDT
I feel almost nothing for these Pacific guys. With the exception of Sledge, they come off as dirtbags and I don’t just mean that they are covered in dirt.
As for the conversation between Sledge and Leckie, I would differ to what you know about Leckie, Dorv, but I get the feeling that Leckie is a believer, albeit a very angry one, which is at least a real reaction to war. Let’s not forget that Sledge was right. We have free will. We choose poorly. God is not the author of evil. Where God is absent, evil runs amok.
I think I’ve seen enough of Pacific to say it’s no where near the caliber of Band of Brothers. A pity really.
Yeah I agree now too… imagine the constant rain, the long times between real action with the sitting around, the rats, the heat, the rain, the land crabs. And all the time I had to think about fungus due to being wet all the time. Sorry for the reference but a season of Survivor only lasts 36 days and THEY worry about fungus, hunger and going crazy on that show WITHOUT any war and THESE people were there for MONTHS. That’s insane.
I would go mental. Like the veteran at the beginning of the episode said – it was a nightmare.
*POST AUTHOR*
Yeah, plus (as you mentioned in the end) the whole watching your buddies blown to pieces in front of you thing.