REVIEW: 'The Pacific' Episode 2 – 'Raggedy-Ass Marines'

Last week, Uncle Pete sent me a box full of history. Books, photos, news clippings and the granddaddy of them all… a scrapbook meticulously prepared and maintained by an Australian girl during the war and sent to Uncle Pete’s mother. That, however, is a story for next week.

As I carefully made my way through the contents of this box, I realized that I was holding history in my hands. It was quite a feeling let me tell you. I hope to share some of the items as the weeks commence.

PFC Pete Cavo with 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division

Episode two returns us to Guadalcanal. The Marines have been here a while and they are tired, hungry and low on supplies. I’m beginning to recognize some of these guys. Marines at rest are an amusing bunch. It’s an attitude that’s difficult to capture and almost impossible to reproduce. Too often, Hollywood goes for the stereotypes. Director David Nutter handles the men in these situations deftly.

The age-old rivalry between the US Army and Marines made me chuckle. Marines have always been asked to do more with less and that is a tradition that continues today. The pride that is instilled in every Marine is demonstrated by Chesty Puller’s order that all personnel be freshly shaved upon the arrival of the Army. Then, rather than call attention to their tattered uniforms, Puller praises his “raggedy-ass Marines,” declaring that they “look this way for a reason.”

While going through the box that Uncle Pete had sent, I found a form that listed all of Pete’s citations. I was surprised to learn that he had received the Purple Heart.

“Well they gave it to me, y’know… uh, I got shot in the ass. I was tryin’ to crawl from one hole to another to get a cigarette,” he laughed. “I was back on the line the next day.” Raggedy-ass Marine, indeed.

When I asked him about the episode, he said he was a little disappointed that they didn’t show more patrols or “when we were at the Matanikau River three times and couldn’t get across… those were pretty important battles.” Overall, he thought it was a “good show,” though.

He talked briefly about the major battle depicted in the episode and about being aware at the time that the Japanese had broken through the line and I considered what it must have been like to face down a massive frontal assault knowing the enemy had gotten behind you. That thought chilled me a bit. Meanwhile, Pete talked breezily about water-cooled machine guns overheating and men having to piss into them to cool them off.

I watched the episode again while writing this piece. It got me this second time. After talking to Uncle Pete about his experience on Guadalcanal, the last scene (the one with the Navy cook) resonated much more deeply. Pete Cavo is a hero. I’m grateful for this opportunity to learn about his service and to share some of his story with you.

Thanks for reading. See you next week.