PACIFIC, THE: PELELIU HILLS {EPISODE 7} (TV)

Summary

The seventh episode in this ten-part historical miniseries, a companion piece to 2001's "Band of Brothers," depicting the Pacific Theatre of World War II as described in the memoirs of several United States Marine Corps veterans. In October 1944, Sledge and the rest of K Company continue fighting for their lives on Peleliu, and the endless carnage begins to take its toll on everyone, with Sledge eventually taking up smoking despite his earlier refusal. The men are relieved to have a few hours away from the battle, and one Marine searches for a piece of Japanese weaponry as a souvenir. Captain Haldane chats with Sledge, mentioning that his father works in one of the textile factories from which they get their uniforms and blankets. Later, another squad passes by K Company, and Sledge is stunned to recognize a grievously injured Chuckler on a stretcher. Back in the States, Basilone attends yet another congratulatory event, this time with the Shriners, and then unwinds at the driving range, though he is still haunted by memories of Guadalcanal and the deaths of his friends and ends up hitting golf balls late into the night.

On Peleliu, Sledge hears a disturbance late at night, and in the morning it is revealed that one of their number has been killed by another who mistook him for an enemy soldier. Gunny Haney lectures them fiercely about not leaving their foxholes at night without properly warning the others. Later, they come under fire while on patrol, and Sledge hears a group of Japanese soldiers in a nearby bunker. Burgin tells him that it was recently checked, but Sledge turns out to be right, and they aggressively attempt to clear it out with rifles and grenades. Leyden is injured when a grenade goes off close to his face, and Sledge kills two soldiers up close with his bayonet when they attack him. Other Marines assist in emptying the bunker with a flamethrower, and Sledge is visibly traumatized by the experience. That night, Haldane assures Sledge that Leyden is doing well, telling him that he "can't dwell on any of it." Sledge and Snafu serve as stretcher-bearers during the next day's battle, struggling to carry the wounded over the rocky terrain. Despite their efforts, first Lieutenant Jones is killed, and Haldane is saddened by the loss of his friend.

De L'Eau observes that even the tough Gunny is starting to crack, declaring that he no longer cares if he himself dies as long as it is quick, and he breaks down in tears as Sledge comforts him. In the morning, the men enjoy a rare moment of levity after De L'Eau encounters an enemy soldier while answering a call of nature, but they are then devastated when Burgin tells them that Haldane has been killed by a sniper. His body is carried by on a stretcher, covered by one of his father's blankets. They are soon forced to move on, and Sledge is repulsed to see Snafu passing time by tossing pebbles into a Japanese corpse's open skull. He himself starts to remove another corpse's gold fillings, as Snafu had done, but Snafu urges him not to because of the "bad germs," clearly not wanting the compassionate Sledge to lose himself. Eventually they board a transport ship and land on Pavuvu, where they are greeted by pretty girls serving lemonade. Sledge and Snafu stare blankly, unable to comprehend something so normal and human. Later, he and the others go for a swim off the beach where he and Phillips once conversed.

Details

• NETWORK: HBO
• DATE: April 25, 2010 9:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 0:50:32
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: 110561
• GENRE: Drama, historical
• SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, historical; World War II - Pacific campaign; Miniseries
• SERIES RUN: HBO - TV series, 2010
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Tom Hanks … Executive Producer
• Steven Spielberg … Executive Producer
• Gary Goetzman … Executive Producer
• Eugene Kelly … Co-Executive Producer
• Tony To … Co-Executive Producer
• Graham Yost … Co-Executive Producer
• Bruce C. McKenna … Co-Executive Producer, Writer
• Tim Van Patten … Supervising Producer, Director
• Steven Shareshian … Producer
• Todd London … Producer
• Cherylanne Martin … Producer
• George Pelecanos … Co-Producer
• Kirk Saduski … Co-Producer
• Robert Schenkkan … Co-Producer
• Miura Kire … Co-Producer
• Jonathan Brytus … Associate Producer
• April Nocifora … Associate Producer
• Jennifer Jackson … Associate Producer
• David Taritero … Visual Effects Producer
• Tom Clary … Visual Effects Producer
• Emily Wallin … Visual Effects Producer
• Eugene B. Sledge … Based on the book by
• Robert Leckie … Based on the book by
• Chuck Tatum … Based on the book by
• Hans Zimmer … Music by
• Blake Neely … Music by
• Geoff Zanelli … Music by
• James Badge Dale … Cast, PFC Robert Leckie
• Joe Mazzello … Cast, Pvt. Eugene Sledge
• Jon Seda … Cast, Sgt. John Basilone
• Brendan Fletcher … Cast, PFC Bill Leyden
• Leon Willem Ford … Cast, 1st Lt. Edward 'Hillbilly' Jones
• Scott Gibson … Cast, Capt. Andrew Haldane
• Josh Helman … Cast, PFC Lew "Chuckler" Juergens
• Rami Malek … Cast, PFC Merriell "Snafu" Shelton
• Martin McCann … Cast, Cpl. R.V. Burgin
• William Sadler … Cast, Lt Col. Lewis "Chesty" Puller
• Gary Sweet … Cast, Sgt. Elmo "Gunny" Haney
• Dylan Young … Cast, PFC Jay De L'eau
• Sean Bunch … Cast, Scavenging Marine
• Alex Gowdie … Cast, Red Cross Girl
• Richard Healy … Cast, Lodge Speaker
• Dylan Hyne … Cast, Packer
• Yutaka Izumihara … Cast, Japanese Soldier
• Nikolai Nikolaeff … Cast, Rear Echelon Man
• John Reynolds … Cast, Cpl. Charles Womack
• Ashley Zukerman … Cast, 2nd. Lt. Mac