From Band of Brothers to The Pacific – Remembering Our World War 2 Veterans

Two of the most unforgettable dramatic TV series about the second world war   that I have seen would be “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific”, voted hands down.   Both being Emmy Award winners, they were produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. These two war films eloquently  captures  the  events that transpired during the second world war.   Their stories were told through the eyes of the soldiers who have actually lived through the hellish killing fields of their time.

With all the war stories my Father had told me from his childhood days, my thoughts have often wondered what it must have been like to live through those days until I saw these two TV movies. 

Coming from the Philippines, the war in the Pacific interested me more than the war in Europe.  But after having watched  both series, being at war had no distinction between place and time.

Band of Brothers

The  Band of Brothers was the first series that was shown in HBO.  It was a 10 part mini series that was  written by a historian about the war against the Germans in the European front.   The story is based on the real life exploits of Easy Company starting with their jump training at the Curahhee training site and ending in the capitulation of Germany  in Europe.  At the beginning of each episode, actual members of the  Easy Company who had survived  and have grown old narrated their experience about the war.  You could actually feel their experience as it was being told.

As The Band of Brothers had ended,  many world war two vets  from this war were brought back into the limelight for their sacrifices they made.  However, those involved in the Pacific war were clamoring for their story to be told as well.  And so “The Pacific” was produced.

The Pacific

The  Pacific series was about the memoirs of two U.S. Marines.  Patterned after the presentation of The Band of Brothers, The Pacific depicts  well known battles against Japan involving the 1st Marine Division, particularly the battles in Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, Okinawa and Iwo Jima.  I  was hoping that the Philippines, which also played a major part in the Pacific war,  would have been given more exposure to the story as well.   Nevertheless, the story  was told from a very personal point of view that made one feel all the emotions of those directly involved in the war.

The  stories of these two mini series coupled with their musical score  made it a touching experience that makes you realize all the sacrifices of those before us had made for the sake of our freedom. 

World War II Veterans

We should not forget  our war vets..

Now I know what my Dad and Grand Father was taking about…