The Pacific

- (flashbulbs exploding) - Man: Big smile, Miss Grey!

- How's that, fellas? - You look beautiful, Virginia.

When do we say, "Back the attack"?

Every chance you get!

Now the kiss on the cheek and we gotta go!

Hold that!

This is a shortcut.

That's Virginia Grey.

Hey, excuse me. I don't believe this.

You're John Basilone.

I'm gonna be in the Marine Corps.

It's a fine branch of our armed forces.

I re... report next Tuesday.

Boot camp's a breeze.

You get to sleep in on Mondays.

What else?

You coming?

Uh, keep your head down and keep moving.

Look down, keep moving.

Listen to your NCOs.

Thanks. What's an "NCO"?

- You handle it well. - Handle what well?

Membership in the Famous People's Club.

Just don't be surprised if it's not quite what you expect.

Go on stage,

say "Back the attack" a couple hundred times,

get my picture took... there's not much to it.

You have no idea what's coming at you.

Better keep your head down.

Basilone: What kind of message is that?

- Whoo. - Wow.

My kid brother comes to visit me.

Am I allowed to even speak to you without saluting,

- Sergeant Basilone? - Shut up, you jerk.

You know I work for a living.

Early morning, Sergeant Basilone.

'Morning, Al. Hey, how did they let this palooka

into a classy joint like The Biltmore?

This is my brother George, Al.

- Can I get you some coffee, sir? - Please.

Hey, how about some breakfast?

I got a train to catch at 0717.

No no, Al can swing it. Right, Al?

Breakfast? Absolutely.

One of us has to go back to the Marines.

Pendleton agreeing with you?

Paradise by the sea.

Virginia Grey agreeing with you?

Hey, don't you be thinkin' about her. She's in good hands.

Yeah, but is she in the best of hands?

Sit down!

Here we are, gentlemen.

- Thanks, Al. - You're welcome.

Giovanni, you're everywhere.

Yeah, they keep me running.

Listen to this: 0900 I got a meeting with the governor,

then a rally at a plant in Glendale.

Tonight some big deal at the Hollywood Canteen.

I had a six-hour pass. I go to the movies

and who shows up in the newsreel?

You, Mom, Pa, and most of New Jersey at John Basilone Day.

That was crazy.

Don't slug me, but can I ask you a question?

Take your chances.

How scary was it... Guadalcanal?

I hope I don't freeze up or make a mistake, is all.

- I hope I can be as... - George.

Don't feel like you need to prove nothin'.

You know what I mean?

- No, l... - Do you know what I mean?

Yeah.

Looks like Hawaii.

No, it doesn't.

Hey, Sledge, Leyden, what are you doing?

Looking at land, Oswalt.

Man over P. A: Attention, all hands, make way to debark station.

Make all preparations to offload personnel and cargo.

Man: Here we go. Get your gear squared away.

Look at the new guys.

Lookin' for How company.

- This How company? - Two in.

No.

- (men chattering) - Damn.

Man: I could have told you. I fuckin' warned you, you fuck.

What? Huh? Yeah.

Take that, you fuckin' Jap!

And recover.

Hello.

Sledge: This "K" company?

We're supposed to be in 60 mortars, second squad.

Jesus, these guys are supposed to be 60 mortars.

This is second squad.

- Robert Oswalt. - Eugene Sledge.

You mortars too?

Riflemen, third platoon. Bill Leyden.

- Then we'll ignore you. - (snickering)

- That's Snafu. - (grunts)

That man's De L'Eau and I'm Corporal Burgin.

Find yourself a bunk.

Taken.

Taken.

Come on, I'll show you around,

find you another tent.

Let's go.

This is where they dry-dock us when we're not killing Japs.

- Over there is chow... - Man: Move it!

...heads,

King company skipper, Captain Haldane.

Everybody calls him Ack Ack.

- What's your name? - De L'Eau.

D-e...

L'E-a-u, De L'Eau.

Jay De L'Eau.

Were you in Guadalcanal?

Gloucester. G-I...

Grab a rack in that second tent over there.

Thanks.

Sure thing.

Oh, you know where I could find How company?

1st Marines?

Somewhere over there.

- Wanna get some chow? - Been waiting for it.

- Ho ho ho. - Runner: We know this guy?

Mug's ugly enough to ring a few bells.

Gloucester, maybe? Was it Gloucester?

- Chuckler: Was it Gloucester? - Was he on Gloucester?

- He may have been on Gloucester. - He looks familiar.

Maybe he was on Gloucester.

- I don't know. He's ugly. - Fuck you all.

Looks like a land crab that once crawled up my pee hole.

Hey, welcome home, cobber.

You have a good vacation?

Anything to get away from you bastards.

We're not so lucky.

Oh, Jeez!

- Ho, there you go. - (laughs)

What's in this?

When it tastes this bad, it's hard to tell.

What you got?

Depends. Tell Santa whether you been naughty or nice.

Naughty. The naughtiest.

- It's June. - It's the South Pacific.

Christmas comes in June.

For Hoosier...

'cause he's always saying his prayers, making his bed.

- Aw! - All: Awww!

- Look at that. - That's beautiful.

- Chuckler? - Yes?

- Thank you. - Heavier reading.

- With pictures. - Here you go.

Something for Runner's stocking.

Oh, I read this already.

I don't believe it.

Oh!

Something's wrong.

Something's very wrong if you made it through boot camp.

Give me a break, you old greaser!

Haldane: Get up off my deck.

- Captain Haldane. - Sir.

What's this about, Marine? Some rite of greeting new to the corps?

Yes, sir. Um, I mean, no, sir.

- Who are you? - Private Eugene Sledge, sir.

You fellas know each other or is this some kind of conflict resolution?

Old friends, sir. Mobile, Alabama, sir.

- Mobile? - Yes, sir.

- Old friends, huh? - That explains it.

As you were.

But try not to dislocate a shoulder or break an arm.

We need both you men healthy.

- Sir. - Sir.

Carry on.

Get me in hot water on the first day.

Yeah, well, you deserve it!

Welcome to paradise.

Sledge: How do you get used to the smell around here?

Think this shitheap stinks now,

you should have seen it when we first got here.

It was wall-to-wall rats, crabs and rotten coconuts.

Thank God I'm rotating home.

I can't believe I finally get here and you go home.

When you leavin'?

When the Marine Corps tells me.

- What's your unit? - K-3-5.

- A mortarman, just like you. - (rain pattering)

Whoo-hoo!

Hallelujah.

The health of the corps

is only as strong

as the health of the individual Marine.

Marines will make every effort to keep themselves clean.

- Hey! - Ahh!

Hey, don't you quit on me, fucker!

- You gotta be kidding! - Not till I've rinsed.

Phillips: They get hot chow to you when they can.

You know, it might only be crud like this,

but when you been on the line taking fire,

hot chow is a miracle.

- Oh, for heaven's sake. - What is that, baby food?

You know, you laugh... you laugh,

but that might be worth its weight in gold someday.