'The Pacific' Views

Having seen HBO's 10-part mini series 'The Pacific' made my thoughts wonder & wander.

Jon Seda as John Basilo

I initially refused to watch it as I'm not into violence and bloodbath. But I eventually watched it having heard  from a friend as she teasingly described the docu-drama TV show without spoiling the plot. She told me how frequent the Philippines was mentioned all throughout the story. Indeed, it was a good way to understand and appreciate the history of World War II.



Our conversation transpired into the memories of my late grandfather who was once part of this horrible bloodshed. I remember how annoyed I was every time my grandfather would ask me to sew his old and smelly 50's bell bottom pants into an everyday shorts; when he would repeatedly blab about his sneaky moves from the Japanese soldiers (pretending to catch a catfish when in fact he was just about to retrieve his bayonet gun hidden in the mud of a canal); and of how often he would pack and unpack his old soldier side cap together with his American veteran pension papers (which he patiently waited for so many years until he died of waiting).  Honestly, I felt guilty when he passed away. I was 14 then and I never understood why he's stuck with his old ways.

Claire van der Boom - Stella

Having gone through part four, The Pacific isn't that savage at all (or yet?). In fact, I find it very depressing. It reminded me of my grandfather... of what it took him to survive the Japanese occupation and how lucky he was to survive that ordeal.

On another note, I was surprised to see nudity in this Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg production. Claire van der Boom is sure pretty. She made me appreciate the 40's and 50's fashion -- breezy and dainty.

The war for a soldier is a battle not of gaining victory alone but of surviving a gun shot or a co-soldier's stray bullet with sudden bomb explosions, of fierce weather conditions in an impenetrable jungle, of starvation and sleep deprivation coupled with diseases such as enuresis, or of enduring depression and shock that may lead to insanity. Other than survival, it is the mere anticipation of earning a Medal of Honor or simply the chance to be home with their loved ones.

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