Eugene Sledge shooting breakdown

Eugene Sledge goes out shooting with his father, but the horrors of war still haunt him.
From HBO's "The Pacific", episode 10 of 10.
I claim nothing in this video. It's simply for entertainment purposes.

[@johndashner1833]

One of Eugene's father's greatest fears was that war would 'strip him of his humanity'. Eugene kept his humanity, at such a great cost.

[@dastemplar9681]

Eugene would say in interviews that there was one person in the world who helped him get back on his feet; his father. Eugene was so blessed to have such a loving father and even more so, a father who perfectly understood him. Who understood the hell his son had to go through. I would imagine Eugene wouldn’t have lived a long and happy life if it wasn’t for his father.

[@kevinwade7003]

SNAFU helped him as well. Eugene was such a genuinely good man and SANFU so that in him. When Eugene went to take the gold fillings from the dead Japanese soldier SNAFU stopped him because he couldn't stand to see a good man become what he had become.

[@synthonaplinth5980]

@@dastemplar9681 Agreed, a compassionate and loving father is such a wonderful thing, so I am told.

[@rhysburke703]

Kevin R Wade in the book it was doc Caswell who stopped him from field stripping the dead Japanese soldier.

[@Memento--Mori]

He lost it for a moment in the show, but found himself nevertheless.

[@Aristotle2000]

In his book China Marine, Eugene cries after he mercy kills a gun wounded dove. Eugene breaks down and tells his dad that he can't stand to see an animal suffer anymore. His dad suggests that he would enjoy bird watching instead. As a result Eugene becomes a passionate bird watcher. Eugene later gets a PhD in zoology and becomes of professor of ornithology.

[@huemungy3212]

It's almost a beautiful Irony, to be able to go from trading in death, to learning about life. As a biology undergrad myself, i can't help wonder what inspired his studies

[@noodles1916]

+Aristotle2000 Wow! that's vastly better than this. Thanks for the info.

[@Nmille98]

Ciarán Uí Néill It's better when you realize it's true, because Sledge's book is a memoir.

[@maxkol4380]

Great story.

[@MrKingladder]

did he go vegan tho?

[@MrFreekbrother]

"I reckon the dove population's gonna be mighty happy this morning." Words are not necessary. I love the father's compassion and understanding in this scene.

[@kevinwade7003]

Exactly, his love for his son runs so deep and he knows exactly what to say.

[@emelyn7657]

For real, my father would say "get the hell up and wipe those damn tears" He's never once shown compassion.

[@mtdmca]

Could be wrong but I think sledges father in real life was a ww1 veteran as well so he understands how his son feels better then most

[@kobewatson8758]

mtd mca he was also a doctor who treated vets with ptsd from ww1 so he knew exactly how to deal with his son in that situation

[@2410jrod]

Kobe Watson he was very lucky to have someone who knew what was going on, but a dad like him.

[@Cc-gv1tp]

this scene always makes me cry. I worked in a nursing home and we had an old soldier Arthur who at night would be found trying to crawl under his bed to hide because the night terrors never stopped. most of us take all these outstandingly brave soldiers for granted.

[@robertweidner2480]

It's fucked up, but it's the truth. The idea of "repressed memories" is kinda BS. The more intense the experience, the more likely you are to not not forget them. Intense experiences, like combat, are the ones that stick with your until your dying breath leaves your mouth.

[@anglingnvirginia1346]

Claire when I got home I use to wake up at night choking my wife, didn't know. Still til this day I can't sleep. It's still hard. They shape us into soldiers, but don't teach us how to be civilians nomore.

[@anglingnvirginia1346]

Corrider 11 combat was the easy part. Until you walked a mile in my shoes sir, I wouldn't doubt anyone's mental capability. A lot don't understand the mission always cont. have a good day.

[@RinoGato]

Corrider 11 I'm not here to teach you some lesson about war or mental problems, but you have no damn clue what you talking about, sir. Some people have chosen a different battlefield than the youtube comment section and you should accept it and don't try to talk about things you know nothing about. Good day, fella.

[@bradfordwilliams9760]

Corrider 11, you don't believe it because you have not lived it. Real war is not like "Call of Duty" on your playstation. I am really curious as to who you are and what about your life and experiences make you so ignorant, and willing to demonstrate your ignorance, especially to the veterans on this forum. Claire, I have met and cared for WWII vets like you did, still "shell shocked" after all these years.The worst wounds are not physical. I'm glad you didn't take Aurthur (or any of us) for granted. Thanks.

[@cress5508]

"People back home will wonder why you can't forget."- E.B. Sledge

[@bradfordwilliams9760]

It is good that they wonder. I would not want they to understand why I can't forget. Better that they are ignorant of what we saw. Then we will know we have done our job.

[@flintsky7706]

Lol we all know what you saw, Bradford. Stop acting like civilians have never seen shit and can’t IMAGINE what soldiers saw. Just because we weren’t there doesn’t mean we don’t know.

[@SoranPryde]

@@flintsky7706 What you see on CNN or Call of Duty pales in comparison to what people like Bradford have seen in the face with their own two eyes We give our thanks to people like him, so the horrors he has seen will not be visited upon civilians like us

[@littleguy6753]

@@flintsky7706 A civilian telling a veteran that he knows about combat is like a man telling a mother what it is like to give birth. Until you experience it, you don't know it.

[@redlizerad8268]

@@flintsky7706 I thought that too until I saw the comments saying “Deal with it.” “Your a soldier if you can’t handle death why did you become one” “They went willingly so they have no rights to complain”. They are not in this comment section but they exist and they are not rare.

[@iwanegerstrom4564]

Eugene's father points out in an early episode that the worst part he had in treating the veterans from WWI was those who were clearly shellshocked and traumatized. "It was that they had their souls torn out"

[@tunasandwich8049]

That was his fear, that Eugene would be the same. I guess he was sort of relieved to see his son in tears instead of a soulless husk of a human being unable to feel or speak.

[@redtobertshateshandles]

They had brain damage. My parents lived through air raids, and the concussion of the aa guns at the bottom of mum's street ,blew out their windows. That's a helluva loud noise. It's not just imagined, it's physical damage. My dad had PTSD just from bombs going off around.

[@Tipi83]

@@redtobertshateshandles It's not "brain damage" and "physical damage".

[@MCKevin289]

It happened to my grandfather’s uncle. He was in the Lost Battalion and survived. He received a TBI during the Meuse Argonne Offensive. He spent the rest of his life in and out of veterans hospitals and psych wards before killing himself in 1975.

[@zombiemom6701]

It happened to my uncle. Vietnam messed him up. When he was in hospice, days from death he began to hallucinate he was back in Vietnam. It as horrible.

[@XLuftWaffleX]

Anyone who tells you that war is glorious, clearly never has fought in one.

[@tikletik]

+KilroyTheGreat Have you fought in one?

[@joshuawilson1861]

depends on which side of the machine gun you're on.

[@jacobdot456]

+joshua wilson No it doesn't.

[@Tiger74147]

+KilroyTheGreat It can be glorious. It can be horrible too. It can be and has been many, many things.

[@jon33709]

+Tiger74147 war can never be glorious. I mean never! you think if you're lucky and get hundreds of kills , it's glorious? People who have gotten several of kills at once don't feel glorified. They feel like shit and have to live with it for the rest of their lives.

[@hatredcopter420]

When my dad came back from his second Iraq trip I thought we would go hunting like usual. He spent 29 years in the Army. We live in rural Arkansas and hunting is pretty common and usual, we eat the meat not trophy hunting. We went out and were walking a few yards apart trying to stir up something. A deer jumped right out in front of my and ran across my dad's field of fire and just stopped. My dad raised his 30-30 and hesitated. The deer ran off and I walked up, saw tears in his eyes. He couldn't do it, I didn't need to ask why. He hasn't been hunting since, and is one of the most gentle men I know. War changed him in many ways, but not all bad. He is coming to terms with all he did, and rarely does he ever talk about it. When he does I listen and dont say a word, I feel privileged he trusts me enough to be vulnerable around me and share such things with me.

[@tommypetraglia4688]

He raised a good son, which is clearly evident, and that will be the root of his healing. A man needs a father, and a father wishes his son... there is nothing more natural than that. Be that route back to normalcy, that stability he once knew by him knowing you are there for him You've have entered into the next phase of your father and son life, and be there as a son so he can keep fathering you. Don't forget you are a man now, with gathering wisdom all your own. They say the child is the father of the man.... usually referring to as you were as a boy so is the man. But as the years go by it turns the other way where rearing the child makes the father of the man Peece to you both

[@kainhall]

ive never been in the service.... but live in montana, have a 30-30 lever gun (and quite a few others).... and also hunt for meat.... ive shot WAY more big body, with little horn deer.... than i ever will a trophy deer (and even they still get ate) . but i still remember wounding this deer.... 60mph winds... blowing my rifle all over hit it in the gut.... which will kill it.... but slowly, over days.... . it ran about 200 yards.... and stopped drew a bead with my 308..... bang... low and the wind took it more than i figured blew off its front leg.... . it ran another 100 yards.... stopped i jumped in my jeep, and drove about 100 yards away from it got out, rested on a fence post.... BANG.... lung shot . damn thing still ran off.... about 25 yards. . 4th shot.... BANG.... heart shot. . and it still ran about 20 yards before just falling on its knees....dead. . when i started to gut it..... their was almost no blood. cleanest field dress job ive ever done.... . but now days.... i dont even go out when its windy.... i have practiced a LOT more.... and can hit a 4x4 inch plate at 500 yards with that old ruger m77 mk2 308..... out here in NE montana..... its flat open nothingness.... so 200 to 500 yards is average.... cant get much closer unless ya get lucky. .

[@rings-cn1yn]

Thanks for sharing that, hatredcopter420.

[@burkewillis]

From the son of another vet, tell your dad I said "Welcome home, and thank you for your service."

[@smokeyjoe3112]

Your father has a good son and more importantly a good friend he can trust.

[@stormwarning1693]

"...the prospect of fighting is agreeable only to those who are strangers to it." Roman military writer, Vegitius, 400 AD

[@shehryarkhan2916]

nice

[@LimerickWarrior1]

Most soldiers do not join to fight they join to serve.

[@bradfordwilliams9760]

You were a soldier? Who did you talk to? Where did you serve?

[@brentstinson5141]

Then they have not been in ''The Shit''.

[@search4truth616]

Storm Warning I

[@boomer6611]

That "I'm Sorry" ... touched my heart. Excellent acting, you did the Sledge hammer a solid.

[@julee0353]

Indeed. It makes me cry😢😢😢

[@chrislee5825]

My Grandfather was 101st Airborne in WWII. He loved to hunt before the war but wouldn't even touch a gun after. He told me he never wanted to get hold a gun again in his life.

[@destensgaming669]

chris Lee my was also in the 101st airborne in the second world war but he kept deer hunting and upland hunting and other hunting. he taught my granddad which taught my dad

[@SyboeDeRuiter]

Respect to both your grandfathers. They will always be heroes in the Netherlands

[@CR-vn3gp]

+chris Lee, he must have done a lot of killing and seen things no man should ever have to see. I thank him and all those other men for their selfless service.

[@bradfordwilliams9760]

I have no interest in hunting any more.

[@ered203]

Interesting. My Grandfather was a flier and after he was shot down over the Pacific, he never went anywhere without a gun again.

[@kf4lar]

One of my first memories of the University of Montevallo is sitting in Dr. Thomas Wood's freshman English class and watching a very small man with a pair of binoculars leading a group of students across campus looking for birds. I found out later that man was Dr. Gene Sledge, author of "With the Old Breed," an account of his time with the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II.I got to know Dr. Sledge, not very well and certainly not as well as I wanted to, but well enough. He passed away in 2001, but in 2010 his book along with two or three others was used as source material for HBO's Pacific Theater follow-up to "Band of Brothers." "The Pacific" told Dr. Sledge's story.He was a very soft spoken, quiet man who I never heard raise his voice. That made the horrors he described all the more real to me. I heard him describe in person the day this small clip shows. I may be wrong, but to my knowledge, he never touched a firearm again. He said that after this, he did his hunting with binoculars and a camera. Ultimately, he got a Ph.D. in ornithology and taught biology for many years at Montevallo.He eventually wrote his book, and I think he found his peace. I certainly hope he did.

[@racooncity3325]

Eugene sledge was 5'8 which is average for an american that time. How is this "Very small" even today thats pretty average...

[@Reyrocksall]

Well he had aged at the time I'm guessing. You shrink as you age. Also, could mean small as in very thin, not just short.

[@lost6672]

Very beautiful story

[@pchamberlain1984]

@@racooncity3325 I'd say your mother's been telling stories about me again but I'm 6'2!

[@jamesflemingjr1868]

Racoon City Gelo your a fucking dick

[@andyakarudolfhessiansack7936]

Sledgehammers dad is a father we all deserve in this life...and indeed need in order to be healthy. He was amazing as a father and humanbeing.

[@deplorable3657]

thats how they were back then. my dad always had a suit and tie on. my dad served as he was a tug capt. he was not allowed to leave his job for the war effort. he docked military troop and hospital ships in ny harbor. dad 1912 thru 1977. rip dad

[@tavish4699]

They were hard because they didnt have to play hard...back then crying was a normal and accepted Thing in war

[@Eziokilla9595]

For me, this is the best and most gut-wrenching moment in either series.

[@pinz2022]

The nightmare scene is the saddest. Sledge is writhing and whimpering in the grasp of his dreams and Dad is listening silently outside his door...knowing there's absolutely nothing he can do to keep it from happening again and again.

[@wsd4864]

+pinz2022 Yup. That scene broke me down...

[@youremom8977]

For me the most gut wrenching scene was watching Gunny break.

[@WaitAMinute1989]

Next to when Snafu had to leave and left him alone to sleep on the train.

[@bluedog843]

@@youremom8977 it’s even sadder when you read about it in his book. He acted the exact way as he was portrayed in that show. When Peleliu finally broke him, he wrote about how they had to lead him back to the rear and he realized a genuine example of The Old Breed was able to break.

[@roshi98]

My grandfather was deployed to Italy in the Invasion of Sicily. Before the war he was an avid hunter and marksman with a good job boring rifles at the local Remington factory. Once in Italy one of his assignments was to locate and kill Italian snipers, which he was apparently pretty good at. But seeing the bodies of those he killed, often with photographs of wives and children among their effects, shattered him. He was a Walter Mitty kind of guy, with a childlike wonder at the world, honest, decent, and a little gullible. That experience shattered him. When he returned home he never went back to the Remington and never picked up a gun again, giving away those he had to other family members and friends. He remained a kind man, never acting out in anger, or laying a hand on his family, but he was haunted the rest of his days. RIP, Grandpa Lester.

[@B2091]

My gramps served in ww2 from Dunkirk then north Africa, Normandy and into Germany. He would rarely talk of it. He showed me a picture once of him and his friend on a camel in North Cairo. He told me His friend was killed a little while later. Even still in his 80's that brief story brought him to tears. That photo is one of my most treasured possessions. What these men went through in ww1&2 is something no one will ever truly understand. We should all do our best to live lives worthy of their sacrifice.

[@scottwallace2942]

B2091 I'm guessing by dunkirk and north africa you're british and so was your gramps, i thank him for his service, without men like him this country would not be great, without the brave men who have laid down body, and mind for it, I dont know if he's passed away, by the fact you now have the picture, but if he has then may he Rest in Peace a hero

[@snowpey3751]

That's awful, I can't even begin to imagine how that must affect a person. The greatest respect to your grandfather.

[@MetalDetroit]

Uss Santee Aircraft carrier. Great uncle would often recount a story about picking up burned bodies after a kamikaze attack, and having their skin come off in his hands. He'd start laughing, then burst into tears. It was the same way every time he brought up the story.

[@Ruvik92]

My great grandad served in North Africa aswell as far as the other parts of ww2 he was in its unknown he died when I was young I never had the chance to speak with him my grandad told me about his fathers time in North Africa my grandad pasted away a couple of years ago all i know is my great grandad served with the Gurkhas in Africa apart from that I don’t know much more information :(

[@philipswain4122]

My grandad too. He was in the British army. Fought in the battle of Normandy. His truck hit a land mine. He survived but broke his back and was invalided out. I always remember how quiet he was. He was in constant pain all his life, bent over with a walking stick. He would walk slowly and wheez a lot. I remember asking my mum about it and was told “it was the war”. It was only as I got older that I understood what that meant

[@rhorlen]

This scene just crushed me the first time I watched it. Incredibly sad and powerful. Really spoke back to the episode where Eugene's dad talked about the WWI soldiers having their souls torn out.

[@rossdow4419]

I believe that Eugene dad expected him to return with PTSD

[@Rabbit_585]

yea he said something about the " eyes " of the solders who returned home when he warned Sledge before the dude joined the corp

[@RoupMcgee]

Of course. He treated combat vets from the First World War.

[@pacmanzz]

well in the show he tells sledge im not worried about your body being torn up, im worried about your soul being torn

[@2good2often]

His father knew what PTSD could do to his son . Anyone who foughtt on Okinawa or Guadalcanal or any hard fought place was forever scared in some way . I remember watching an interview with Canadian vet who lived thru Dunkirk disaster and was a POW for 3 years . His wife said in 40 years he had never had a proper night's sleep . Wiill Bird said in his book ' Ghosts have Warm Hands " anyone who survived Passchendale was never the same . At least now the vets back from Iraq and Afghanistan may get some help - maybe .

[@ignotumperignotius630]

they didn't really know about PTSD, which, like all psychological disorders, depends on the environs as much as anything.

[@tonybmw5785]

"The only thing worse than a battle lost is a battle won." The Duke of Wellington after Waterloo.

[@WETTV96]

+Jorge Anderson It's the quote from a very human stand point. The loser dies and doesn't know loss while the victor is left seeing at what cost of life is was for winning.

[@badddd]

ASDF Anderson lol

[@bb_arcadia5752]

@@Jorge.A.12 how about you go into combat first and then come back and say that

[@Fanatyk1010]

@@Jorge.A.12 Only the dead have seen the end of war - Plato

[@jayd8091]

His quote was "The saddest thing next to a battle lost is a battle won". Which holds completely different meaning to your misquote.

[@rockisheaven]

One of my favorite scenes in the whole miniseries. Sledge is the emotional heart of the cast, and Joe Mazzello was absolutely fuxking incredible throughout. This is one of his finest moments.

[@fernandochavez4312]

My dad told me once about my uncle after he returned home after WW2. They were all at a Chinese restaurant in Fresno when a truck backfired out on the street. My uncle hit the floor so fast, no one could figure. My father was embarrassed, being a young man. When my father served in the Korean War he understood. Thanks.

[@joevignolor4u949]

A few years ago they were adding a new wing to the VA hospital I go to in Manchester, NH. They had to blast out some ledge so they could put in the foundation. Even though they announced it over the PA each time they set one off there were still guys running through the halls yelling like they were under attack. Once that terror gets into you it never leaves and its difficult to control. Ironically the new wing was being built to expand mental health services because so many vets need that kind of help.

[@5iveshot170]

My grandfather also did something similar outside a post office (in New Zealand) after the war.. a truck also backfired and he ran for cover into the nearby garden. He didn’t even realise he was doing it but it shocked my great uncle (his younger brother). Like Eugene he retained his soul and sanity, but at a great cost..

[@tonyjones1560]

There was a young married couple up the street. The guy had been a Green Beret in Vietnam and was struggling with his memories. All the neighborhood children loved him, because he’d round us up, march us to the corner store and buy us ridiculous amounts of penny candy. We’d go to his house and help his wife clean. I noticed that he had a Mickey Mouse night light in the bedroom. She said that if he woke up in the middle of the night and saw Mickey, he’d realize that he wasn’t back in the jungle and not freak out. He also didn’t “do well” with cars backfiring. Four decades later, from my time in Iraq, I understand why…

[@joeschmoe233]

His father was a loving, understanding beautiful man.

[@jennygoodall5481]

Such a poignant scene! His father responded so beautifully.

[@hollywoodwerewolf]

It is a great scene. I'm not surprised the father responded in this way, since (if I remember correctly) it was said he was a doctor in World War One. He knows what his son is going through.

[@taelyrpost9510]

Especially since the long term effects of the kind of stress EB experienced were not well known... there was a prevalent attitude that signs of that stress were signs of weakness. I can't imagine having a father who understood and was just... there, rather than tried to save his morning of hunting.

[@didimean]

In a series with very powerful moments, I'd say this one hit the hardest. He really came a long way since Jurassic Park. Killed it as Sledgehammer.

[@majorsy-0325]

I never realized he played the kid until I read your comment then my mind clicked their faces together

[@tomoconnell2320]

Plays a nasty bass guitar too

[@jarraandyftm]

No fucking way!? 🤯

[@_R-R]

​@@jarraandyftm Yes way. Same actor, Joseph Mazzello.

[@bassface14]

My god. I am a vet, but I can't say that I can identify in the slightest bit with the experiences of Eugene. I watched the whole series, in one day, from beginning to end. After the credits finished at the end of the last episode, I stayed in my chair for a long time. I was trying to process what I had just seen. I was trying to process what I had viewed on CAMERA in a hollywood environment. Some things were just so utterly horrible, heartbreaking, and sad - Especially when you see the changes in each of the characters. They did it so well. So exceptionally well. And those actors (and of course, the real veterans), have my undying support. To me, this scene hits harder than most....Because it shows how unbelievably difficult it is to suddenly rejoin "normal life", and how many things will ultimately never be the same for them. The silent suffering, while being glorified by many people as a hero.....Well, it just isn't fair to the men being called a hero. These scars last forever, and maybe they get better - But they will always be there. No matter what. I look at my own service in the United States Army, and it doesn't compare. I wasn't asked to serve my country. I joined because I felt like it was the right thing to do at the time. Think about what was asked of these "kids" (dare I say that word, and I mean it with the most respect). How great of a challenge was presented to them, that they felt and undying obligation to serve. That isn't the case right now, but these veterans (and really all veterans) have my eternal respect. I think to myself, "What did I do in the military".....And it is immediately overshadowed by the huge amounts of very young men and women who had to stand up and stand face to face with evil, evil, evil, tyranny. They will always have my respect, my love, my compassion....But also my sorrow - Because many of them never got to experience real, American, civilian life without horrific memories of war that only few would understand. They essentially had to "suck it up" for a great number of years....My grandpa included (He passed away in 2010). I'm rambling now, sorry guys. But as a vet, and man who has family who served in various wars, I guess I have a lot to say. May their pain be cured with atonement. May their nightmares be cured with dreams of joy, and may their suffering be healed with strength. Oorah to you, Marines, and know that you will never be forgotten.

[@Bisinski]

I've worked briefly in the mental health area and have seen some things that open your eyes. I can't even fathom what would be to go through severe psychological trauma that accompanies with war, I really hope vets get the support they need after deployment. These guys display a remarkable mental fortitude that most simply can't grasp.

[@geraldjohnson3567]

My father served with the 761st Tank Battalion in World War II. He drank heavily because the shit he saw and did just horrified him. What can a man do when he sees his friends get blown up in tanks, yelling in indescribable agony as they burn to death and you can do nothing. My father can relate to E.B. Sledge as well. I'm a Marine Corps vet but peacetime. I can only imagine what my father experienced. I read With the Old Breed a few years ago for the 1st time. Hell of a read.

[@bassface14]

Gerald Johnson It sure is man. I read it, and I remember having to set it down so many times and just sort of process what I had just read. I couldn't imagine seeing things like that. Just absolute brutality. Every single day, for months and months on end. I remember the part where Eugene finds the Okinawan woman in the damage hut, and she is begging him to end her suffering and shoot her. He can't do it, and instead cradles her. That shows us something big about him. Even though she wanted to die quickly, I think being comforted in her final moments made it easier. Small acts of humanity despite unbelievable violence is what makes memoirs like these so important.

[@bassface14]

Bisinski Fortitude in a way that I don't think that I could ever be capable of having. And then being made to suffer in silence for the rest of their lives, because PTSD and treatment wasn't really a hot topic. Some men didn't talk about it because they couldn't find a way, and the others didn't because they just wanted to forget about it.

[@GermanHockey]

Amen brother. People don't know how hard it is for vets coming home and doing their daily business.

[@dantealighieri7234]

I'd argue that this is the most important scene in the entire series.

[@wysoft]

out of both BoB and the Pacific I think this is one of the most powerful scenes about what can happen to some men after war. BoB only touched on it slightly.

[@mcpaplus]

Yeah, that scene when Snafu leaves the train while Sledge is sleeping...ouch.

[@Rabbit_585]

i know right, sometimes goodbye is so freaking hard and at this case , the part way was too hard for the dude who his nickname was literally "snafu" to handle , and this dude has done some crazy shit

[@Elthenar]

The one time BoB touched on this was when Buck Compton broke after watching Toye and Guarnere get blasted by artillery.

[@andrewpestotnik5495]

Personally, I think BoB is better bc it doesn't jump around as much. What I mean is, Winters, Lipton, Malarkey and others were at the exact same place at the same time. You got their individual perspectives from each battle and it flowed together. In The Pacific, you jump from Leckie, to Basilone, back to Leckie, to Phillips, back to Basilone, then back to Leckie. The Pacific was a great series, but BoB flowed better.

[@Koendabomb]

Imperial Senator Avitus Livius Aquila Well B.O.B made me tear up too, at the end of the last episode, when major Winters recites a letter by Mike Ranney I think? His quote then still gets me to tears, even after having seen it almost a hundred times...

[@pcojedi]

I remember coming home and just seeing my Mother and I felt like a 5yr old that had been lost. No matter how old or tough you think you are, you will always be your mothers child.

[@tonyjones1560]

My then-50something mother basically ran laps through the house like a little girl. My father, 20 years in the US Air Force including Korea and Vietnam, cried. I’d never seen him cry before but I was too…numb to truly understand his reaction.

[@AGH331]

I think this is one of the most powerful und sad scenes I've ever seen.

[@Rahavin1]

"und" and suddenly it's a german accent.

[@AGH331]

@@Rahavin1 Goddammit, given myself away ...

[@WaitAMinute1989]

Next to Snafu leaving him to sleep on the train.

[@Dirtyharry340]

You could certainly tell Eugene's father understood what he went through because he treated World War 1 veterans. Eugene was haunted for many years because of what he saw on Peleieu and Okinawa Hats off to all veterans past and present and all the men who have spilled their guts and gave everything they had. Hats off to Eugene Sledge and all the sacrifices that those of the greatest generation have made.

[@deplorable3657]

here here

[@Rickky1971]

I watched this with my dad who is a Vietnam vet and myself a Gulf War vet myself and saw him tearing up. I know exactly what this scene truly means. We never said anything more about it but we both understood we were good.😑

[@usmc-veteran73-77]

I agree, my dad was a Korean War Vet. Semper Fi from an old Marine Sergeant, involved in the Evacuation of Saigon April 1975.

[@5iveshot170]

Having not been in war I cannot claim to understand it.. but this scene still broke me as I saw my grandfather’s trauma from WW2 when Eugene broke down into tears. These men returned home but at a great cost.. It is not a feeling I would ever want to experience.

[@maxfrankow1238]

It was Sledgehammer’s father who suggested he take up birdwatching. What a great father he was.

[@NA-sb7xz]

Reminds me of when my college friend came back from Afghanistan. We went pistol shooting and as soon as he took his first shot he started shaking uncontrollably. It took me a second to realize what was happening. I stopped him and took him home without saying anything and took him to the VA hospital. He's doing much better now years later.

[@tommypetraglia4688]

Just be his friend by just being there. No words no actions, just so he knows you are there. And remember this... the lives you lived before are over now and there's no reclaiming and there is no need. Just day by day, live this moment only and the very next and this way new life will come

[@lovewonderfulcolours]

I've watched this scene multiple times, and it gets me every time when he says "I'm sorry" in this high-pitched voice. He APOLOGIZES, goddamnit. For what?! I just wanna hug him tight and never let go of him anymore. Precious boy, precious youth, spoilt by the horrors he has seen, never to be the same again. This scene just makes me utterly sad, thinking about how very much realistic it unfortunately was and is to this day for many men.

[@csp42199]

I think what got me most about Eugene coming home was that he had lost that spark of life his father told him about. His dad said he did not want to look into his own son's eyes and not see life. That's what happened and that's what got me the most. This scene drove the feels into me even further. The whole finale was stunningly beautiful, but the scenes with Eugene made me bawl my eyes out.

[@fredgrimley8883]

love... I agree. It's very similar to the last scenes in The Lord of the Rings. When the hobbits are bowing, and the King looks on incredulously and says: "You bow to NO ONE". Similarly, as a greatful American, I would tell Eugene Sledge. You apologize to NO ONE.

[@TheCablife]

One of the finest, most gut wrenching, most emotional, most realistic portrayals of PTSD ever captured in film.

[@dadeo8957]

I had a very similar incident with my Father after his return from Vietnam in 1970. He related his experiences to me just before he passed away. What he said, explained everything. God Bless Dad. God Bless you Veterans.

[@johncase1353]

Seeing how his dad was a WWI medic which inspired him to become a doctor he truly understood his son's pain.

[@jpoplover350]

the saddest scene in the whole series for me was when Snafu looked at Sledge while he was sleeping and left the train. That broke my heart. Rare friendship.

[@66xXDeathIsNearXx66]

"It was not that their flesh had been torn from their skin, or their bones broken. It was that their very souls were ripped apart."

[@armagonarmagon3980]

This is a very emotional scene, probably the best from The Pacific. My grandfather served as a copilot on a bomber in the European theatre and I asked him if during the war he had had some very bad situations (this was a couple years ago, and I didn't know that this might have been exactly the wrong thing to ask). He didn't answer, and his hands started to shake as if there was an earthquake. He is still living right now, and he is undoubtedly haunted by his experiences. Rest in peace.

[@randomhiphop5055]

My great grandfather as well. Never got a change to meet him though.

[@michaelterry721]

I have never seen something, or even read something, as moving as this about a father's love for his son. There is such tenderness and love here. Unbelievably well done.

[@tankmaster1018]

His father is SUCH a good actor... Holy hell man. And that is comparing him to Joseph Mazzello, who is one of my favorite actors of all time.

[@eepsmakelijk]

When I first saw this I cried because I identified with Eugene. Then I became a father, and watching it years later it hit me like a ton of bricks because I identified with the dad. The change in perspective was remarkable.

[@kevy0307]

May these terrible wars never happened in our lives.

[@Theakker3B]

"Over ten million men are in the armed forces. Bringing them back into civilian life would present a difficult problem, even if they had only been away over night. It would be an even greater problem if all those more than ten million had been away for three years on a holiday. What then are the dimensions of the problem when over ten million have been in war? This is real. And after months and years of war, battle or drudgery, no matter where, there is always that bewildering let-down. The big thing has been done. Whether squeezing a trigger, or guarding an island, or carrying a stretcher. And suddenly, there is no more war. Here is your man. Remember, he isn't naïve anymore. He's been places, he's seen things. He has seen and experienced things which should not happen under guard. Which should not happen under the sun. Which should not happen again. Not to his children, not to his friends, not to anyone. He is toughened to withstand these things. He is no longer illusioned. He is no longer a boy. He has seen war."

[@laxjoh]

It should also be noted after WWI and WWII, a lot of veterans came back to do violent gang work as integrating into civilian work was just impossible for them. Instead they took on jobs they were good at; killing and fighting. This would erupt into providing recruits and bodies for mafiosos in the early 1900s during the Prohibition and violent gangs did arise after WWII but were covered up and would begin the precedence for a huge police brutality era around the nation.

[@tntkop]

laxjoh Good point...right up until your comment on the police brutality era. Facts and many, many studies prove otherwise. Facts are, the average police officer will see and experience far more carnage in his career than the average soldier in WWII. Yet society honors the soldier while denigrating the police officer and making false accusation such as "a police brutality era." Cops bleed the same as soldiers. Bullets kill cops as easy as they kill soldiers. Here's a FACT: More police officers have been killed in the line of duty in the United States since 9/11 than military personnel have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined during that same time. Source: US Department of Defense, FBI, Officer Down Memorial. The only difference is, cops are killed by American citizens, whereas soldiers are killed by foreign enemies. Society deems it more honorable to be killed by a foreigner enemy than to be killed by a fellow American. And groups like Black Lives Matter are classified as enemy combatants in Iraq and Afghanistan and all throughout the world....except on American soil. On foreign soil, BLM would have a JDAM dropped on their head for digging a ditch. In America, BLM burns down communities and gets invited to the White House. Those are simply facts. And police do more to protect our freedoms and our way of life every day than the average soldier.

[@CR-vn3gp]

Louis it is from a US Gov. film made by the War Dept.

[@JD1976]

Thats if he isnt dead.

[@mansourbellahel-hajj5378]

tntkop You know because in war the soldier must learn to kill his enemy Armed but when he is unarmed he should not kill him the thing is the Soldier should let the hatred grow in his heart.

[@oledahammer8393]

My Uncle Bill was 82nd Airborne in D-Day and fought through to the Battle of the Bulge, and made it home. I can't begin to imagine what he endured. He died when I was a teenager. I wish I had the maturity or guts to ask him about the war, and say that we need to remember what he experienced for future generations. And how much I appreciated his sacrifice, and all his friends sacrifices that never made it home. May God bless him and ALL those that sacrificed.

[@BloodofPatriots]

More common than you think. Had a friend that grew up hunting. Pheasant, duck, deer, boar, pretty much anything that was legal to hunt, we did. He goes off to Afghanistan in the Army and gets out after three tours. Never wanted to go hunting again. So we go fishing. Never needed to ask why.

[@5iveshot170]

I think war puts violence into perspective for soldiers. It’s ironic (but tragic) given their usual reasons for joining the military. One realises that war is futile and that there is nothing glorious about it. Obviously the drafted men had no choice, but Eugene volunteered (so did my grandfather) and they both came back as men who could not exhibit violence ever again. Nor did they want to be recognised as ‘heroes’. They killed other young men and saw the worst in humanity, that breaks any sane human being.

[@hanscombe72]

I was studying Anzac Day with my class and we looked at two songs associated with the Australian experience of war. "And the band played waltzing Matilda " and "I was only 19". I tried to get across the fact that not only are we mourning the loss of life in war but we are mourning the loss of humanity. You don't face that kind of horror and come back in one piece. The trauma gets carved deeply into your nervous system. I googled for my students the images of "the 3000 yard stare" a famous etching of a Marine's blank stare after fighting on Peleliu. I asked the kids to write down what they could say to the veteran who had lost his legs watching the parade go by. Immediately a child countered with "But you always told us not to talk to strangers". Another stellar moment of pedagogy right there.

[@sanitarycockroach9038]

I made it through the whole series without crying, up until this scene. Whether it was the horrific brutality, the declining humanity, or the friends lost I never batted an eye, until this. This is the scene that broke me.

[@meljrnone8608]

You and me both...we're not the only ones...

[@miltplum8657]

Dad spent 26 months in Korea as a combat soldier with the 25th Infantry " Tropic Lightning" Until the day he died, you NEVER wanted to touch him to wake him up because he would come up swinging. It took me many years to understand that he suffered from PTSD after the things he saw and the things he did as a 21-year-old. He was and continues to be, the only hero I ever had in my life. I miss you Dad

[@mashallah7235]

I figured that your father had fought for South Korea in Masan. This is my hometown :) I geniunely thank to your father fighting for the freedom of the Korean people.

[@miltplum8657]

@@mashallah7235 Dad passed away in 2006 from the effects of Parkinson's. I still grieve for him. He was all the man there ever was.

[@MadtownChucknut]

I loved the fact that the dove was the animal they were hunting. It’s the symbol for peace. Gives this scene so much more meaning.

[@funkeystudiostv]

Nice catch

[@harrymurphey2634]

....my Grandfather hunted all during the "Depression" to feed his family ... he went off to WWll at 33yrs ... served in Belgium (Battle of the Bulge?) driving Ambulances since he was too old to be a foot soldier ... he came back and never really talked about it ... and he sold all his guns ... never hunted again ... I now realize he suffered from "PTSD" ... the Greatest Generation ... who saved the world ... and suffered in silence ...

[@tommypetraglia4688]

And I'd wager Harry is a grandson he'd be proud of today. We are who we've come from... roots run deep and they run long.

[@kkpenney444]

My father was a Marine in the Pacific. Never touched a gun again either. Few people he loathed more than these beta males carrying AR-15s to buy a Sub sandwich. RIP Dad 1925-2014.

[@harrymurphey2634]

@@tommypetraglia4688 ... I try every day to honor him ...

[@rd9793]

This scene breaks my heart. Makes me think of my dad 1st Marine division Choisin reservoir Korea. He was a brave and heroic marine...and he suffered from his experience..generally misunderstood. He took my sister and I to a Chinese restaurant...the waiter took our order and walked away...my dad dropped his head and said I probably killed his father. I wish I could have understood you better daddy...rest in peace.

[@Warschibarschi]

This is why I like "The Pacific" a bit more than "Band of Brothers". This homecoming and facing the horrors they've been through, is what veterans devour the most. My grandfather was 3 years as a tank commander at the eastern front in russia. He got wounded in 1945 what rescued his life. As a former (Nazi) german soldier it was not aloud to speak about his combat experiences in public back then in the GDR. All I heard from him when I was young were only little pieces about what happened, but I always saw tears running up his eyes remembering about those memories. I do not want to say he was a hero, possibly no one was, but he was a human beeing like everyone else, no matter what uniform he or she has worn.

[@Invincibility87]

Same with my grandfather. Neve rmet him, cause he died years before my birth, but my dad told me he only talked about the horses he had to take care of in the Wehrmacht. Nothing more. Never. Thats what breaks my hard maybe the most. Because most of the german soldiers saw things like Eugene and the others. Most of them even more if they manage to survive, cause if the did not die or got seriously wounded, they had to fight years and years. Some for the whole war from 39 to 45. And after the war, nobody wanted to listen. Because we lost, because the country was sick and shred to pieces and because all wanted to forget. I dont want to imagine how many poor young bastards had to wake up every single night for 30 -40 or more years because of the horror which they never could punsh away because talking was not-wished or even illegal. Heartbreaking...

[@all_the_bad_news5614]

@@Vranabg in fairness to him and as someone who enjoys a good documentary or three in the German army of WWII as much as the next white guy but honestly it's hard to call anyone who is the aggressor a "hero" I mean it's not like he just found himself in Russia one day wondering how he got there he def made a whole lotta of choices to end up fighting on the Eastern Front for the Germans he was not thrust in to battle without a chance to prepare or something....I def don't want to say he wasn't a hero but he wasn't buddy

[@Vranabg]

@@all_the_bad_news5614 can you fucking put together a thought thats not full of double think. yeah they were on a wicked mission and no more no less were heroic in their deeds regardless of whether they were good or bad.

[@sblack48]

Not all german soldiers were nazis.

[@wubryan3872]

@@sblack48 But no soldiers serving nazi germany deserve pity. When a nazi tank commander's grumbling about how terrible he's been throught in a battle with Russia, he has definitely forgotten hundreds of miserable Russian defenders trampled underfoot by his cruel tank.

[@Jsall209]

My grandfather wanted to take an early morning walk with me when I came back, the exact same thing happened and the same words were spoken. My grandfather was not an emotional man, but this day he was, and kept saying I didn't need to apologize to him. I think I just wanted to be held. After we got up never spoke about it again.

[@DuckingAround]

I loved how the father was understanding of the ptsd because of his own experience in war. I've been looking for the scene where sledge is chilling by a tree and his father tells his mother to give him time.

[@Ezra91020]

Love the fathers comment about the doves. He's trying to cheer up Eugene...

[@Abensberg]

oh really?

[@kurtgrossoehme2691]

I knew a WW1 veteran in the early '80s that would cry over what he lived through at the Somme. He could never understand why so many of his buddies died on his left and on his right as they charged out of their trenches, but he was still alive. The suffering that vets endure carries on long after the last shots fired.

[@danutejermolaviciute3351]

Joe Mazzello was born for this role. He's just perfect here. He is favorite actor after this mini series... His expression, sensitivity, emotion ... It seemed like he was really going through all those horro...

[@THEbadlnb]

When my uncle returned from the South Pacific after WWII, he brought home a bolt action Arisaka Rifle with a speed loader clip of ammo for it. I never knew the story behind it, or how he was able to bring it home. But he did. I remember the rifle well, it hung on a gun rack made of horse shoes welded together and mounted up near the ceiling on a wall in the kitchen of my grandmothers house in Bedias Texas. I was fascinated by it growing up, because of its location and mystery. It was way out of my reach which was the intent of it being so high up on the wall. The stripper clip of ammo was displayed in a glass case in the hallway. The rifle and ammo were always there, unmoved. When I was 10, my dad reached up and brought it down for me to look at. I held the rifle and carefully examined it up close for the first time. My dad showed me how the bolt worked. My grandmother told me my uncle brought it back from the South Pacific when he came home from the war. I was always confused as to why it was at my Grandmothers and not at my uncles house. At my uncles house, there were two more relics of his service, A Bronze Star (he earned in The battle of Layte) and a Purple Heart (he earned on Papua New Guinea) that he never talked about. The awards were both in their boxes in a drawer in his office. Those were the only 3 signs he was ever in WWII. My uncle was a gentle, smart, talented man with a big heart, wicked sense of humor, who loved his family and was my favorite uncle. It was hard for me to imagine, know or understand what he went through, or why that Rifle he endeavored to bring back across the Pacific abandoned by him in my Grandmas kitchen. It was this scene in the the series ‘The Pacific’ that explained why he did. It was the same reason why his awards were in a drawer hidden away. The memories they evoked in the post war years were too much. He just couldn’t anymore. I am sure that “Jap Rifle” (as it was always referred to) was just like many others pointed at my uncle and his buddies in the South Pacific. That was behind him when I knew him, he made it home. Maybe the knowledge that the Rifle was high up in my Grandmother’s Kitchen gave him peace of mind, knowing that as long as it was there, separated from it’s ammo and his enemy, it could never hurt anyone again. My uncle went through a lot, but you could never really tell by knowing him. Under the surface, his years in the Army and his memories in far away Islands were there as a haunting memory and nightmares. My uncle died in November of 1997. His grandson has that Rifle now. I hope he keeps it safe like my grandma did.

[@zericle1]

Hopefully the rifle doesn't end up being sold. I hope your uncle is at peace eternal, friend.

[@THEbadlnb]

@@zericle1 I really hope not too. There is more value to that rifle than money. A lot of mystery too

[@Gobbostopper]

"And my children will look upon me in a renewed awe when they find out that their father went to war, and they will ask me what their father did. And i will never, ever, tell them."

[@tonyjones1560]

I said to my sons, “Take a good look at me. Just know, if you do the things I did, you’ll be just like me if you survive. You deserve better than that.”

[@tricitiesair]

What I respected most about this series is the way actual combat was portrayed. It is hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror. And it changes you long after it passes.

[@AliceInWonderland85]

This scene really tears my heart out. I wish I could comfort him.

[@donaldkgarman296]

The great irony is that War never leaves You.......You will carry the scars all of your days.

[@andrewl6899]

I understand. I use to like hunting and sport shooting. After my deployment to the Middle East I now get nauseous looking at a firearm, I now have no interest in shooting.

[@malex4321]

One of the most moving and heartbreaking things I have ever watched. After watching this show, this scene made me cry uncontrollably. I still can not watch without tearing up.

[@royce45678]

I had an awful experience while watching American Sniper. As a Iraqi war vet after the movie called my Lt Colonel on my phone, he was like a father to me, and cried . I couldn’t even talk. He new and like the son I was to him he new what to say. He passed away couple years ago Colonel Leslie I miss you.

[@wattsnottaken1]

I’m so glad his father understands. I have so much respect for these men

[@dlphcoracl9645]

One of the most moving and unforgettable scenes in this outstanding HBO series.

[@imtemplar1940]

You never win or lose a war, you survive or die in the war

[@MrCree123]

My grandpa was 101st airborne in Vietnam. Was 16 at the time of his arrival in Vietnam he Went in place of his older brother who had been drafted. He served 3 tours 2 of those were in the ashau valley aka “hamburger hill” he was one of 7 African Americans in his platoon but by the time they finally took the hill he was one of 3. He went from 101st grunt to LRRP would never say much about his experiences unless he was drunk and even then it was tough for him 3 solid years in a place where a lot of people never made it a full month so many scars on his body from phosphorus grenades to bullets to shrapnel. The torture a lot of these men went through is unbelievable. My grandpas gone now, has been for some years as much as it hurts to say. But he was a soldier through and through but even well into his 60’s he still would have trouble adjusting many nights I would see him tossing and turning and many nights he would lie awake unable to sleep. I love and miss you grandpa, rest easy Edmond Keith Linton and all veterans who suffered in silence but never told a soul about how years after the conflicts the war still raged on in their heads

[@meljrnone8608]

Sorry for your loss. I am a Vietnam Era Vet, which means I was in the USAF during the Vietnam era, so your granddad was probably close to my age (just turned 69 this past November). I was never in country, but I spent a couple years in Thailand during that time. How old was he when he passed?

[@sirpepeofhousekek6741]

Your grandfather was a hero.

[@Chriskey83]

I found this scene, Gunney Haney's "This is what happens" speech and Basilone's wife giving the medal to his father the most moving scene's in the series. Hard to think that the chap who plays Sledge is little Tim from Jurassic Park. Outstanding acting from an outstanding mini series.

[@tomlyons8440]

I haven’t seen the snow yet, but this is an amazing reaction from the father. Back in this time, they say she’ll shock, PTSD, whatever you wish to call it as cowardice or as if you were mentally feeble or defective. After the First World War, many Europeans veterans found the people who applauded them going off to war looking the other way when they needed help.

[@dougbrowne9890]

I so want to reach into the screen and hug them both. The sacrifices made to win that war were great. No one should ever forget that.

[@johnkelly3555]

This is exact thing happened to my uncle when he came home from Vietnam. My grandpa took him hunting and fishing down in West Virginia with other family members and while fishing was no problem the moment a gun was put into my uncle's hands and everyone started walking towards the thick forest my uncle had a nervous breakdown and had to stay the night in a hospital.

[@MsTinkerbelle87]

This acting is so fantastic! Joe is an actor that makes you feel blessed to be able to watch his gift.

[@nomdeplume4030]

When "Johnny Comes Marching Home Again," many times he is not Johnny anymore.

[@user-so9gw2po7n]

Great scene. My dad served as a quartermaster on USS Renshaw as a quartermaster from 1942-45. A bunch of guys were killed when the ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Every year on that anniversary he'd break down in tears for his lost shipmates, guilty that he got to live many more decades later to see his great grandchild born. He was the strongest man I ever knew but he'd cry one day every year for his 18 and 19 yr old buddies who were robbed of their lives.

[@r1singthorn4451]

As Eugene's father said near the end of episode, "You have no idea what men like 'him' have been through." It all comes back to when Sledges dad told him of the of the souls had been torn out of every man he had to treat. It plays a roll of creative Foreshadowing. And honestly this scene makes me shake and cry because though's memories would be with Eugene forever. He said from that day he never wanted to kill another living creature ever again "Shooting a deer was like shooting a cow in a pasture." And the break down we see from Sledges PTSD in the series, was actually where he broke down because he did not want to kill a wounded Dove. Such pain. :/

[@Onecooltop75]

As a Marine whose been deployed 7 times in a combat zone in the past ten years, I can certainly relate to this man.

[@khouse1554]

This comment is 10 years old, I hope you doing good!

[@barbarossa1234]

This is not a breakdown. This is healing.

[@epramos6800]

Amen brother

[@olivia-sq8se]

i don’t have anyone in my family who’s been in the military, nor any friends families i know of. watching this scene crushed me, only slightly understanding what PTSD is like, especially after what Eugene had went through. Joe is such a great actor and has got everything down in the role down perfectly

[@warrenchambers4819]

All those who've seen war carry a pain most can't imagine. If you've ever experienced something like this scene in your life it breaks your heart and you finally see the real person whose been thru hell. Take care of our veterans as so many shoulder this alone. We as civilians shouldn't let them be alone. Something as simple as answering the phone can and does save a life.

[@sabrecatsmiladon7380]

I recognize the severe anxiety attack. Every once in a while my with own PTSD, I too, break down and just "shut down" like he did. I like to think Eugene got a camera and took pictures of the Doves instead of killing them

[@chrisyother9606]

Jesus Christ this scene rips my guts out every time....wish my wife would stop cutting onions in the kitchen.......

[@roccospencer53]

This is the burden that all Veterans carry for all of us.....never forget that people.

[@Unmedicated_Moments]

This hit me pretty damn hard. Was expecting him to not shoot the dove or something, but he couldn't even make it that far.

[@BikerGeek]

I don't think this series got the credit it deserved. I think it was just as poignant and powerful as Band Of Brothers. I also didn't realize that the actor who played Eugene was the kid in Jurassic Park.

[@zericle1]

Well...seeing all the people who've showed up to comment here, it makes me proud. A million people watched this video. A million who were invested enough to see this scene. I think there will be many more who will watch this after us. People give more credit than they like to show. Peace, friend.

[@BikerGeek]

@@zericle1 If you haven't read "With the Old Breed" by Eugene Sledge, I strongly suggest it.

[@joep2590]

not only is he comforting him, Eugene's father is cupping his ears to drown out the noise of war 😔😢😟

[@redbulls1337]

My father was a WWII combat veteran. My brother once asked him why he didn’t hunt. My father replied, “I’ve killed enough.” The issue was never raised again.

[@SNVILLE]

That scene was so touching. By the end of episode 9, we could see how much he's grown to be a man but that small scene when he breaks down and start crying, suddenly it jolts at you that he was just 23 when the war was over. Quote "His father found him weeping after a dove hunt where Sledge had to kill a wounded dove and in the ensuing conversations he told his father he could no longer tolerate seeing any suffering"

[@PsychoticLeprachaun]

Seeing this makes me wonder what's harder. Going to war or coming home.

[@jeffreyszymecki3557]

My uncle Mike was a WW II Army vet. He fought from The Aleutian Islands to hopping islands in the Pacific. Dad told me that uncle Mike used to be one hell of a hunter before the war but, the war changed things for him. This scene hits home.

[@TheWhitehammy]

One of the most emotional scenes I have ever watched! It really emphasizes and shows us, the ones who have never served in the military, just what veterans go through and that war is not some fun and games, it is hell.

[@slick8038]

Only scene that made me cry. Similar to saving private Ryan when the old private Ryan collapses at the beginning of the movie

[@sidewaysvertical2138]

His father warned him about this happening!!...He told Eugene right after that last stethoscope exam he performed on him, that it wasn't the wounds of the broken bodies that affected him the most, but rather the men who had their souls stripped away from the meat grinder they went through!!...Eugene was fortunate to have such an understanding father!!...A fathers love has no boundaries when your son needs YOU!!

[@meauxbull4321]

This one scene got me the most out of all....

[@MrDakotaThunder]

I got choked up by this scene. Powerful acting. It hit even harder after seeing all of the atrocities Eugene experienced throughout the war. Seeing all that pent up anguish finally come flowing out and then watching his father finally embrace him was heart wrenching.

[@bbz232]

Talk about a man tear moment.

[@huemungy3212]

it's odd how tears are seen as weakness in modern time. During the Classical greek and Roman era's it was often known for great heros to openly weep for fallen brothers in arms.

[@starkiler13]

+bbz232 He was just a kid , a kid that had to converter in a man

[@zsedcftglkjh]

That's gotta be his dad's best dad moment.

[@seNor916x4]

As a vet myself the first time I seen this I cried it was so accurate I know the dizzy hyper ventilation uncomfortable feeling you get when an episode happens out of nowhere, except for the small triggers.

[@benpursell7682]

I watched this whole series a couple days ago. Really made me sit down and think for a long time. Watching this was one of the most surreal moments of my life