The Pacific E09 'Okinawa' -Vet REACTION & REVIEW !!!

[@pinnedthrottle7690]

I just read the book by Eugene Sledge that this episode of The Pacific is based on. Amazing read. The dead body he fell on was actually in a fox hole in front of his and he recalled how because of the shelling and enemy fire they couldn’t bury any dead, marines or Japanese, so over the whole length of time his squad was in that position he saw the entire decaying process of that body. He had some strong metaphors for how he felt about that dead marines body sitting with his back leaned against the side of the foxhole staring back at them for days on end. It’s some gruesome shit.

[@davisworth5114]

Sledges' book "With the Old Breed' is a must read for anyone interested in WWll Pacific. The war in the Pacific became a war of intense hatred for the Japanese because the Japanese were brutal and mutilated the faces of dead GIs so they could pop out gold fillings with bayonets. Japanese resorted to eating each other to survive as they were fighting to the last man. Another must read is "The Rape of Nanking" by Iris Chang, about the rape and slaughter of the Chinese following the Japanese invasion. Sledge became a botany professor in Alabama and suffered severely all his life.

[@pinnedthrottle7690]

@@davisworth5114 I’ll have to check out the book from Iris Chang. I’m currently reading “helmet for my pillow” by Robert Leckie which the earlier episodes were based on.

[@TheMightyKent]

Sledge’s book was really eye-opening to how dehumanizing the entire Pacific Theatre could be on the soldiers fighting it. The daily slog of fighting an enemy who has no moral qualms about forcing women and babies and the elderly into being suicide bombers and human shields and refuses to give up. Add to that the weather and disease running rampant through the ranks and it’s just literally Hell on earth. Absolutely haunting.

[@Gstang05]

I recall reading that he couldn't sleep because he would constantly dream of the dead decaying marines coming to life.

[@Algebrodadio]

"With the Old Breed" should be required reading for every new recruit.

[@Cherokee9898]

A good friend of my families, he past away a few years ago, was at Okinawa. I know he was at Peleliu and a few other places I can’t remember. Wasn’t until the 80’s that he talked about it and ironically he never stopped after that. He knew his serial number and rifle number until his last days. To my knowledge, he was the only survivor of three platoons that attacked a ridge. Was one of the most soft spoken, kind hearted men I’ve ever known and one of the greatest men I’ve had the privilege to meet.

[@TresTrefusis]

this is such a hard one to watch. When I was in the USMC I was stationed on Okinawa, Camp Foster with 3rd FSSG Hq&SVC Bn for two years as my first duty station. It was so breathtakingly beautiful. I loved it there. The people are as kind as any I have ever met and I have never before felt more welcome in a place... but to think of the entire island being such a warzone, the people there being so mistreated and abused... it's hard. It was right there on base too. Going up the hill from the main road to the PX, right there at the top of the hill was a machine gun nest in 1945. ...nearly an entire unit of Marines died on that hill and today? ...just beautiful forest and a well traveled road. It was spine chilling every time I went up it. As for the treatment of the POWs... obviously it's not right, but... your brain in order to stand any chance of surviving has endeavored to dehumanize your enemy. The brutality with which they fought, their unwillingness to surrender... many Marines felt the Japanese were not human, but animals.. till their dieing day, some 50-60 years later. It's the one time I can give a pass to someone for having a racist tendency... it was a scar of war that for many, never healed. For sledge, if you remember his dad talking, about people with their souls ripped out in WWI... Sledge was there, it had happened and he didn't care about any of them, or any one really. ...then he met that dying woman in her hut and it brought it all back. That's why he didn't shoot the unarmed man coming out of the bunker. Old Sledge would have, but he woke up. Strap in my friend, the next one is the hardest in my opinion... nothing like the band of brothers closure. It's been good watching through these with you, look forward to your next reaction. Semper Fidelis to all my fallen brothers and sisters. Hoorah.

[@solvingpolitics3172]

Thank you for your wonderful post and for your service. My father was a forward mortar scout on Iwo Jima decorated with a presidential citation. He never came home the same.

[@Tony-rz4ks]

The Pacific and Band of Brothers are just amazing series

[@jameswg13]

Sledge believed it was his shell that killed that family but the baby. The one he was asked to call down on the building

[@mnemonic1363]

Okinawa is a beautiful island and my favorite place on earth I was stationed there for 2 years and there hasn't been a day that I haven't missed it since I left

[@jordanlaramore5430]

The Okinawans were treated terribly by the Japanese. They were viewed as second class citizens

[@tazzatamania]

Started watching the first episode and watched them all in three days. Both brutal and brutally honest in its portrayal of what they went through. Amazingly good and one of the best series ever.

[@themidianite1645]

The Mandalorian would be something you would definitely enjoy.

[@citizenbobx]

After The Pacific, treat yourself, definitely.

[@jameshannagan7830]

How about Lord Of The Rings its very well done and still looks great and lord knows there is enough fighting and battles.

[@PhilHug1]

FYI, Okinawa was Japanese territory but the Japanese on the mainland saw them as 2nd class citizens

[@mnemonic1363]

Yeah they treated them like they were lower than dirt

[@NestorCaster]

Japanese solders(not all) were also known to use the Okinawans has human cover and even force them to do suicide attacks against advancing American Forces.

[@shawnofdanaukota3843]

Same as the Koreans.

[@conormalet253]

Generation Kill absolutely has to be next. It is basically the "Band of Brothers" for the 2003 Iraq invasion

[@shanek3453]

Shits a little corny, to much rah rah macho bs

[@mnemonic1363]

Most accurate depiction of marines that there has ever been 😂 love that show

[@prettymuchbangtan]

@@shanek3453 its literally the most accurate depiction of marines, stfu

[@shanek3453]

also, cool its the most accurate depiction, I guess Marines are retarded and annoying? cool doesn't make it good.

[@AALO101]

@@shanek3453, did you expect HBO to make a sensationalized goodie two-shoes version of the Marines? This ain't a rom-com.

[@EnriqueDuran310]

Love watching these reactions. It’s amazing to get a glimpse of what the Marines went through in the Pacific Theater. They paved the way for the new generations to follow. Semper Fi!

[@lt.pineapples8772]

Not really a series but boi imma keep recommending these cause i like your channel man.. The Great Raid Flags of Our Fathers Letters From Iwo Jima War Horse A Bridge Too Far Red Tails etc...

[@lt.pineapples8772]

Also, bruh It wasn't a fake baby

[@Scott-on-the-Beach]

Also, Enemy at the Gate

[@gregglistrom2483]

I became friends with a guy that fought there. He told me a story where one night they saw people moving down a ravine next to them. They didn't know if they were Japanese soldiers or if they were civilians, but they lit 'em up.

[@themidianite1645]

World at War is very difficult to find, there are a smattering of episodes on youtube, but that was the most comprehensive documentary on WW2 I have seen. They interviewed everyone. Germans, nazis, russians, civilians, war criminals, holocaust survivors (and those who didn't survive), japanese pre war footage of civilian marching drills in the street and so on. This was a legitimate long series that's worth watching on your own if you can find it.

[@dirus3142]

Great points on this episode. What is worse, the fight for your own sense of humanity, the fight to maintain trust with your friends/brothers, or the fight with the enemy? I've never been tested like that. I'm just a dude, working a simple 9 to 5. Men like Sledge have. Up to us to learn from vets, and others who face such things.

[@MKucheran]

Fun fact: Ashley Zuckerman who played 2nd Lt. Mac (the Lt that talks about a new bomb that vaporizes a whole city) would later star in Manhattan which was a drama loosely based on the program to build the worlds first nuclear bomb. I recommend doing a reaction on Only The Brave (2017). Not a war film but a movie that deals heavily with brotherhood, honour, and sacrifice. Very similar themes to the best war films.

[@eddiecollison]

I agree about Only The Brave, great movie. Only seen one reaction to it so far.

[@devinrivers5808]

Nice review brother, this series was hard for me to watch,especially when Sledge went into that hut, and saw the crying baby..and when he comforted that dying woman😢..that was sad, I don’t know how I would function in a situation like this one, that would break me mentally

[@superdooperfuntimeshows6105]

This episode hits the hardest, the part where the Japanese kid gets shot and sledge gets a reflection of himself when seeing the other guy says "were here to kill japps" really puts it into prospective on himself.

[@JV-xf9ry]

Sledge had totally lost his moral center by this time. So desensitized by the horror around him for months on end that he just lost it. No one knows for sure how this carnage will affect them until they are in it. That’s why there are rules for our military to follow, to remind them in times like this how they should behave. Other countries don’t follow those same rules, and sometimes our own soldiers forget. But in the 8 years of service I had, most military members I served with conducted themselves with honor. Some didn’t, and they were usually dealt with. Thank you for the respect you show veterans. I can tell you have served as well.

[@6gunbeaufordiii514]

With all these reaction requests, I wonder if Devin G is keeping a list and if so...how freakin long is that list? lol i know this is off the wall but love death and robots would be a neat reaction but keep doing what you're doing. You're doing great

[@muatra3651]

I've been looking forward to this

[@ACab05050]

@Devin G....Two war movie gems that are rarely talked about but I know you would enjoy. Casualties Of War (1989) and Taps(1981) Both movies are not straight up war movies, but are war related. Lots of well known actors in both movies if you look them up. These are MUST WATCH movies for any war movie fan, trust me on that. Loving the channel! Keep up the great content!

[@Thane36425]

Was watching this as a nasty thunderstorm was going on. Lots of wind-driven rain I was glad not to be out in like the Marines in the show. One close bolt of lightning rattled the house. What surprised me is poncho guy not getting his butt savagely kicked. If nothing else he'd have been running ammo through that gap for a while.

[@graysonhenderson988]

I’m so hype! I was getting on KZbin bored and I see the next episode was posted 25 minutes ago!!!

[@Jhop273]

I hope you react to generation war. It's often referred to as the german band of brothers following a wehrmacht squad through the eastern front of ww2.

[@puneetsinghpuri5052]

Dev, the series is winding down man. Its been great fun. Looking forward to the next one

[@madisonfleming3607]

Awesome channel dude! Love your energy! Makes my day so keep it up!

[@ozymandias3322]

Love your reactions, especially to the war movies please keep em coming, you da truth

[@nexus.shadow]

Devin... can you maybe tell us about your service? also i highly recommend "generation kill"

[@turkeybeard2010]

That baby wasn't fake, they treated the people of that island like dirt.

[@StrykerForge]

After you finish, you should react to "The Fallen of WWII" by Neil Halloran. It is quite emotional, and really puts things into perspective.

[@antondzajajurca7797]

This and last episode were my favorite episodes in the series. Devin, I would recommend you to watch A Bridge too far (1977) movie.

[@rocker966627]

Been waiting on this! Rewatched the series with ya brotha

[@shawnofdanaukota3843]

"Our grip tightens around the black heart of Japan. The Emperor and his war ministers demands all to shed their last drop of blood in it's defense. The old, the young, the weak. If they stand for their country, they can die for their country.Building by building. Room by room. Cave by cave. One rat at a time."

[@ronmaximilian6953]

Are you quiting Call if Duty?

[@shawnofdanaukota3843]

@@ronmaximilian6953 Yep

[@blackpowderuser373]

Somehow this makes me think of a Soviet Invasion of Japan.

[@ronmaximilian6953]

@@blackpowderuser373 you Soviets actually did invade Japan. They took the Kurile Islands, and Sakhalin Island. They also absolutely crushed the Japanese Army in Manchuria. This is what forced the Japanese to surrender as much as the atomic bombs

[@blackpowderuser373]

@@ronmaximilian6953 Ah yes, the Soviets invaded Manchuria, Korea, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands. What I meant was that the original comment would have been fitting in an alt-history timeline where the Soviets somehow decided to go for the Japanese Home Islands themselves.

[@daveduna1]

As a vet, how would you feel about having to fight in battles/campaigns like this one? Big difference from where the US deploys troops these days. Just interested in your thoughts.

[@kelborhal2576]

Beyond the movie Come and See, this is probably the hardest episode about war for me.

[@juanpcalderon28]

You should do reaction on Generation Kill. Marines in the invasion of Iraq.

[@juanpcalderon28]

I like your video

[@flatcat6676]

This series is based primarily on two books, "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa" by Eugene Sledge and "A Helmet for my Pillow", by Robert Leckie. Both are excellently written and honest, and should be required reading in American history classes and by any politician who wants to send men into war. This series shows the grinding, dehumanizing nature of war in a way that few others manage, including "Band of Brothers".

[@TheKsalad]

The house Sledge called in that mortar hit on was the same one they found the dying mother and baby

[@sandbagger57]

Okinawa resulted in many thousands mental casualties for American troops.

[@solvingpolitics3172]

Yes, my father who was a forward mortar scout on Iwo Jima was one of them.

[@alexlim864]

Timeline check: It was while the Okinawa campaign was taking place that Easy Company stumbled across a concentration camp (Band of Brothers, Episode 9), as well as occupied Berchtesgarden (Band of Brothers, Episode 10). Also, the Japanese didn't regard the Okinawans as one of them, as fellow subjects of the Emperor. Some 160,000 Okinawans went missing or were killed (including those killed by both the Japanese and the American forces during this battle). By comparison, the American suffered some 75,000 casualties, while the Japanese suffered some 100,000 casualties.

[@homelessmuffin8898]

I got the blu ray set that came in sorta a ammo can, its pretty cool ,probably my favorite episode

[@stratejic1020]

I give my full honors to all those who served in the Western front and in the Asian theater that includes both the allies and the Japanese because whether you're fighting for a good or evil cause you're still putting your life on the line and going through that hell of war for it and that takes some massive balls. Every man whether Allied or axis fought bravely, let's not let their casualties be just a number but a remembrance of what happens when you let our differences get a hold of us.

[@casey5144]

When they found the baby that was alive with the women that was the same hut that he called the artillery strike on a few scenes before

[@johnnywright609]

They shall not grow old is a great film

[@reecedignan8365]

25:35 I guess you missed it in the episode but Peck was a draftee. So besides being new he was also likely someone who didn’t want to be there but got drafted - and being a draftee in the USMC was looked down upon as “Marines” volunteered.

[@jackdoe8000]

When Sgt Burgin said they had 'low ammo' he meant mortar rounds. They still had small arms, and as often happened, mortar units acted as infantry under different combat conditions. When you don't have enough men to defend a segment of the line, everyone is a riflemen.

[@rosshixon6796]

Hey for a little change of pace but still stayin in the military realm i gotta recommend Good Morning Vietnam.

[@jadenking4268]

Hey man I dont know if your react to much music, but you should definitly check out Trace Atkins " till the last shots fired" amazing military tribute

[@samuraisurge]

Hope we as a species, wise up across the board and never have another World War.....

[@conpop6924]

The prisoner scene is tough. Because the japanese were just so brutal and they saw what the japanese did to their buddies

[@Nick-ck5mk]

You should check out the documentary he has seen war its about the actual men from band of brothers and the Pacific

[@themidianite1645]

There's a lot of interesting documentaries on the Pacific war. One, I love is called War Dogs of the Pacific. Even if you don't watch it for the channel, it's worth watching. I think some or most of it's on youtube. The only people who slept soundly had dogs in their foxhole. The dog handlers were considered jokes until people experienced firsthand just how valuable having a dog on patrol or in a foxhole was. The dog handlers never had to dig their own foxholes after people experienced the value of having a dog nearby. I know I sleep a little safer with any dog of any size.

[@5tarterpack]

No homo but this video does it for me. Subbed. You a cool ass dude, Devin g

[@Not_Harvard]

15:37 The smell... I can't even imagine.

[@chuckbaxter3202]

Great stuff man, you definitely should check out “come and see” sometime, best war movie ever (in my opinion)

[@shannonroberts681]

Never heard of it is it good?

[@BOBofGH]

@@shannonroberts681 it’s the greatest war movie ever made, up there with Saving Private Ryan IMO, but without the sentimentality. It is tough to watch. It brings out the water works.

[@ronmaximilian6953]

It's up there with being the most brutal. I think it's worse than the first 5 minutes of saving Private Ryan in certain ways.

[@jameshannagan7830]

@@shannonroberts681 It is so brutal to watch but so well done.

[@cjennings2876]

nice coffee cup! I have one just like it!

[@callouslich7141]

In the book Sledge cried silently many nights during the Battle of Okinawa. He believes that its a miracle that he didn’t end up going insane and dying in an Asylum like many other Marines. Btw that baby that got blown up was not a fake baby it was a real baby, the Japanese had no mercy for any Okinawans in fact they unfortunately forced many to commit suicide or be suicide bombers.

[@StevenARC]

Can recommend Generation War for a german point of view from world war 2. It's not super long, only three episodes :)

[@omalleycaboose5937]

Pretty sure when he said they were low on ammo they meant specifically low on the Mortar ammo.

[@J4ME5_]

Straight up hell on earth

[@rodciferri9626]

At some point you may want to consider reviewing "Last Samurai" and "Apocalypse Now" - each of which, in my opinion, rank in the top five war movies of all time - along with with Saving Private Ryan, Full Metal Jacket and Platoon.

[@26b47]

Hacksaw ridge! Must see, great military movie

[@skynetterminatort100]

Check out the series..... Mankind - the story of all of us It was played on the history channel

[@Theakker3B]

I don't think the Tony Peck character deserves all the hate he gets from audiences. Peck definitely represents the ones who should have never been there. Unlike the paratroopers in Band of Brothers and the other Marine characters in The Pacific, Peck was drafted. He was forced into the war, and it is clear that he had no desire to be part of it (and I can't blame him). Sure, he should not have swapped the torn-up poncho with the one that was covering the mortars, but Snafu should not have screwed him over by stealing his in the first place.

[@Hiyoko.nitouhei]

12:41 In Okinawan language, it says "I entrust my baby."

[@billblackstarr5935]

I'd love to see your reaction to Hamburger Hill.

[@martinsandt1135]

"Over There" was great imho , but seems there is no stream

[@Smilodon1985]

Now you know what I meant about "intense." If this episode didn't shake you, you don't have a head, or a heart. These men went through hell, as did the civilians who were caught in the middle. So did the enemy.

[@1320crusier]

Given how brutal the Pacific campaign was... those prisoners are lucky. What those Marines were doing is wrong but given the context of the fighting they have seen... Much of the Pacific war was give no quarter and take none.

[@hanksilman4016]

As a history note, the citizens of Okinawa at the time (and now to a lesser extent) were treated as lesser citizens by the Japanese from the mainland and were treated absolutely terribly by the Japanese military in WWII. There are many stories on how they were surprised and then very welcoming of the Americans coming in to occupy Okinawa (where our base is now) because of how badly they were treated. Besides being forced into being suicide bombs as depicted they were starved, their women were raped, and all were forced into enslavement by the Japanese. So needless to say they were in bad shape before the Allies even arrived.

[@ronmaximilian6953]

The 9th episode of these always seem to be hard to watch. I'm looking forward to the third in this series, the mighty eighth, about the US Army 8th Air Force in Europe. On the other hand, I also know that the 8th Air Force took more casualties than the entire US Marine corps did.

[@cromlaughsatyourfourwinds8333]

Spitting on prisoners is ugly but from what I've learned from documentaries and heard from my own relatives who fought in the pacific and Europe the Japanese were over the top brutal and sadistic. My late uncle was with the 5307th composite unit in the China Burma India (CBI) theatre "Merrill's Marauders" and he told me stories of what the Japanese would do to captured G.I.s. It's too horrible to mention. Combine that with their fanatical resistance, the miserable jungle terrain and climate, tropical diseases and all the extra misery that our guys in the pacific & CBI endured and hatred for the Japanese was higher than it was for the Germans. And it's understandable.

[@oldman9843]

You have to be in the mind set of the soldiers , the one that spit on him most likely has lost several of his closes friends , maybe just hrs before .

[@mattyjay1711]

Things haven't changed much in the Marines, I've taken a dump a time or two in an ammo can.

[@SliverGhost164]

Now this is epic

[@justinm4497]

the last episode, I don't know if it mentions it, but Sledge and the rest had to go to China, for a while.

[@reecedignan8365]

To explain the scene with the civilian and bomber. Those were Okinawan Citizens. The Japanese very much didn’t care for them - Japan at this like Germany saw itself in the way of being “the superior race” and while Okinawa had been in Japanese hands for an extended periods of centuries, the Japanese didn’t see the people as true citizens. As such, the Japanese on Okinawa pretty much used them as forced labour and warfare assets - forced suicide bombers, human shields, dummy targets. Another sad fact was that many Okinawan citizens died because they were taught to fear the Americans so much - told propaganda that the Americans troops would “rhymes with grape” them and eat them and enslave them. As such many Okinawan citizens would kill themselves or throw themselves from the sides of cliffs to avoid “capture”.

[@HaveMonkeyWillDance]

What was your unit, man?

[@NUCKELAVEE70]

Watch the movie Glory. 1st black soldiers fighting in the Civil War

[@adasga]

Hey my guy, where is Braveheart part 2?

[@davisworth5114]

Please react to "The Anderson Platoon", the Marc Levy version, it's not a movie, it's real. One of the very best documentaries on Vietnam, made by a former French soldier who fought in Vietnam in the fifties. It looks at the trials of an Army infantry platoon led by a black West Point Lieutenant.

[@woeshaling6421]

minor bit of info, the japanese imperial army did not consider okinawans "real" japanese. they treated okinawans badly, like second rate citizens. they would have sacrifice their own people as well, if it came down to it

[@2858garbear]

You should watch the Outpost on Netflix it's really good and based off a true story

[@porgyt7177]

There seems to be no desire to have a Japanese speaker , unlike German in BoB. I cannot help but wonder that if knowing what the lady who blew up was saying , may have saved lives.

[@rs91268]

First.great video sir

[@radiofreeastrocast3010]

Generation War. It has subtitles. Make it a first and a good intro to another language!

[@aaronwhite2021]

Hacksaw Ridge. Watch Hacksaw Ridge. Best war film since Saving Private Ryan in my opinion.

[@bearadactyl9998]

If you want my honest opinion, watch Ken Burns the Civil War. 🙏 Being a Veteran this should resonate with you 💯❣️

[@shawnofdanaukota3843]

Is there anyone like Sledge in your regiment who mad like that?

[@justinm4497]

yep, it was a rough episode.

[@first_namelast_name5139]

The Japanese army was using prisoners as bayonet practice and beheading others. The marines saw the worst of what the Japanese did to their friends. That’s why, aside from the obvious racism, there’s so much animosity.

[@rubenlopez3364]

Devin Pimp!!

[@danielglenn915]

The civilians on Okinawa were told that Americand were savages who would do basically the same atrocities that the Japanese were doing to their captives. As a result, many of them threw their kids off of cliffs and jumped off behind them rather than be captured by Marines. There are many videos shot by cameramen of the civilians jumping available to see today. Horrible battle, and it came at the end of four years of brutal island combat so the Marines were not disposed to being polite by the time they arrived to take the island.

[@catherinelw9365]

Saipan too.

[@Dlfrog]

That new guy wouldn’t have been looking for a new poncho If Snafu hadn’t taken it from him.

[@rollomaughfling380]

Yeah, well, FNG shoulda sucked it up. He talked shit and lost his bet. You don't sneak around at night, and fuck up everybody's ammo for payback, or your own silly comforts. What are you even fucking talking about? You the POG trying to file his report?

[@Dlfrog]

He would not have taken the poncho off the ammo if Snafu hadn’t taken the poncho off him.

[@jameswg13]

The poncho snafu took from him was for the ammo not snafu.

[@Dlfrog]

If he put it over the ammo. What poncho was Snafu wearing?

[@jameswg13]

@@Dlfrog snafu already had a decent poncho but he was responsible for the ammo and they needed a new one

[@thomass772]

The scene where the Japanese shoot civilians with the woman who explodes with her baby is horrible. The Japanese used civilians as shields in okinawa and the Japanese navy was found responsible for mass suicides on some islands

[@citizenbobx]

One of the lowest points in a century full of lowpoints. Sledge is the audience's way in to this story, the heart breaks just watching this guy just get destroyed bit by the bit, just the way his father warned him.

[@jamie8032]

Sad fact is, Alot of the marines who fought the Japanese, didn't view them as human beings the same way they viewed their European enemies. It was the 1940's and racism was rife back then in society. G.I's took Japanese teeth, Gold Fillings and even Human Skulls as war trophies and the Japanese mutilated any American body they got their hands on. Really was a savage war.

[@dirus3142]

With a simple google search you can find footage of Japanese soldiers forces civilians to jump of cliffs into the sea.