The Pacific, Part Nine

In the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Marine Sgt John Basilone prepares to ship out, while budding journalist Robert Leckie enlists in the Marine Corps. Eugene Sledge is unable to enlist because of a heart murmur.

Basilone and the 7th Marines arrive on Guadalcanal to reinforce Leckie and the rest of the 1st Marines as they continue to defend the crucial airstrip. Basilone plays a key role in repelling a nighttime attack, but suffers a frightful personal loss.

Physically and mentally debilitated after Guadalcanal, Leckie, Basilone and their comrades land in Melbourne. While his buddies carouse, Leckie becomes attached to an Australian woman. Basilone is awarded the Medal of Honour.

Finally enlisted as a Marine, Sledge trains for combat. The 1st Marine Division lands on New Britain, where Leckie and the other Marines battle the enemy as well as the jungle itself. Leckie begins displaying the physical and mental effects of combat.

Basilone's celebrity grows as he travels across the country on the war bonds tour. On Pavuvu, Sledge is briefly reunited with Phillips, and Leckie rejoins his company. Sledge then gets his first taste of combat as the division lands on Peleliu.

Despite terrible heat and a lack of water, Sledge, Leckie and the other Marines attempt to capture the Peleliu airfield. Leckie is wounded and evacuated, while Sledge witnesses the shocking truth about what is sometimes required to survive another day.

The Marines continue the battle of Peleliu against an enemy determined to fight to the last man. Devastated by the loss of a revered leader and witnessing unimaginable barbarity on both sides, Sledge veers to the edge of moral collapse.

Basilone convinces the Marines to allow him to train troops headed for combat. He enjoys a whirlwind romance, but the couple know they are living on borrowed time as Basilone is soon to take part in the Marine landing on Iwo Jima.

Sledge and the 1st Marine Division are ordered to relieve an Army division that has been in combat against the most strongly defended Japanese position on Okinawa. The conditions and the moral dilemma posed by civilians put great strain on the Marines.

After the Japanese surrender, a healed Leckie returns home, while Sledge heads back to Alabama to be reunited with his family. Lena has an emotional meeting with Basilone's family. Leckie resumes his old job, but Sledge will require more time.