The Gun Line MkIII

Saving Private Ryan, and HBO’s Band Of Brothers did an absolutely outstanding job of depicting the combat operations of the European Theater in all of its horrific fury, paying close attention to providing an authenticity that was refreshing and revealing.  These two productions opened a door into history, and prompted the modern American generation to research the entire scope of the drive to destroy the Axis in Europe.

To a lesser extent, but by no means less compelling, The Tuskeegee Airmen and Windtalkers provided a glimpse of the valor of individual units at war, showcasing the courage and contributions to victory of Americans who, despite the prejudices of the time, did their jobs, and did them very well.  In the parlance found at the end of just about every award given in the United States Armed Forces, they “brought great credit upon themselves, their unit, and their respective Services”.  In short, they gave all of us something to be proud of, irrespective of race, creed, or color, but as Americans.  IN this, these heretofore untold stories brought us together against the outrage of racial prejudice, and in admiration of technical and tactical skill, of which these individuals earned every right to be proud of their accomplishments.

And then there was the dearth of “wannabes”, which came in the form of Pearl Harbor, and The Thin Red Line, the first providing a spectacular (if inaccurate) portrayal of the attack on Pearl Harbor (a vexing pet peeve of those of us whose families were directly impacted by that attack – my Grandfather watched as his ship, the Oklahoma, capsized in front of him) as an expensive backdrop to the romance of two Army Aviators and an Army Nurse, and the second a “cerebral” contemplation of the horrors of war (which left me thanking Providence that the characters were not being portrayed as Marines.)

Now, HBO embarks on a production that will, I hope, meet or exceed the standards it reached with Band Of Brothers, and this time, tell the story of The Old Breed, the 1st Marine Division, and the ferocious combat found during the island hopping campaign of the Pacific Theater.  Hopefully this production will enlighten the modern generation about the many battles whose names have all but been forgotten: Guadalcanal, the Solomons, Tarawa, Pelileau, Okinawa, and other actions that should be as close in the Nation’s memory as D-Day, Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge.

Having had the privilege of serving in the 1st Marine Division, I hope that this production will faithfully tell the story of the men in whose shadow I served, and in whose memory I did the very best I could to uphold the standards that they forged.

The 1st Marine Division, “The Old Breed”