As a member of a family which had several members fighting in WW2, I had always been brought up to appreciate the efforts of the Allied forces in fighting and winning this epic world conflict. My father, age 17 when the war ended, lived in occupied France and actually was put to work for the German Army during his breaks from school. My fathers older brother was a pilot for the free French and flew the Halifax bomber out of England(killed in action April 1945). Another Uncle(on my mothers side) flew Spitfires towards the end of the war. Both my father and my surviving uncle went on to be successful pilots in their careers, but my father never let me forget the grand struggle in both Europe and the Pacific.
Today I have a great admiration and respect for all veterans and especially the soon to disappear WW2 Vets.
In 2001, I watched the Tom Hanks miniseries 'Band of Brothers' with my father. We watched every episode as it aired, and my father was quick to provide follow-ups on what Europe was really like during the occupation.
This year, The new miniseries 'The Pacific' started airing March 14th, and wouldn't you know, I was standing right by to watch and record it.
This year was also a sad one for me as my father passed away in October,2009 at age 81, so I'm left watching the second installment of the WW2 saga without him and with deep regret. But I'm not alone, as my 9 year old son will be watching the series with me.
What will I teach him about honor and how our predecessors happily joined the military to push back the tyranny of Japan and the Third Reich? Will I instill in him a sense of duty to his country as his family members had?And will I teach him that he will be able to be and do whatever he wants to here with hard work.
The answer...yes.
I live in the United States of America...The greatest country on earth and am proud to watch these stories of courage and valor. American soldiers are buried all over the globe as they fought on foreign soil to preserve Democracy.
War is certainly not desired, but if its necessary, you will not find a better opponent than the United States of America.
As Admiral Yamamoto commented to his adjutants when they told him of the massive damage that was inflicted on battleship row by his 1st and 2nd waves of aerial attack on December 7th, 1941..he stoicly responded..." I fear we have awoken a sleeping Giant"..
This couldn't have been more true then as it could be today.
Over the next few weeks I'll try and summarize my views of 'The Pacific' as the episodes roll on, so stay tuned for more commentary and reflection.
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