“Epilogue of the Pacific” is a one-hour documentary produced as a companion to an HBO mini-series tentatively entitled “The Pacific,” which is currently being developed by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg as a sequel to their critically acclaimed “Band of Brothers.”

Unlike “Band of Brothers” which focused on the European Theater of WWII, the follow-up mini-series will depict the Pacific Theater of the war.

During the earliest stages of research for the mini-series, thirty-nine Pacific war veterans were interviewed to provide research for the writers and producers.  From those interviews, twelve were edited into an engaging glimpse into what it was like to fight these brutal and bloody battles in the Japanese islands of the Pacific.

The film has a unique approach to presenting this chapter of history.  It has no narrator.  Instead, it relies heavily on testimony from the veterans, first-hand accounts from those who fought in the Pacific – both American and Japanese.

We hear very detailed and personal accounts of Marines, Army soldiers, Navy crewmen and Air Corps pilots.  Motivated by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, boys as young as 16 would lie about their age to fight for their country.  To make their families proud.  It was a war that had to be won.

It was a time when patriotism was high, and the very real risks of war were relatively unknown to most Americans.

“Epilogue of the Pacific” features the stories of twelve men from the American military, and two Japanese nationals who fought against them.  Also featured is one Marine’s sister, who provides a poignant perspective of the home front, and the painful fear and unconditional pride that blanketed the United States during the war. 

The film is packed with powerful black & white photography, capturing precise moments of battle -- grief, pride, and everything in between. 

It is at times very emotional, and often very graphic and shocking in its portrayal of what men endure at war.  There is even some humor that the enlisted men found during even the harshest of times. 

To be sure, “Epilogue of the Pacific” is a film about war.  Although it’s specifically centered on the Pacific Theater of WWII, the stories are ubiquitous.  The film is a tribute to those who have fought in any war.  The sacrifice, the risks, the day to day experience of the fighting man, are not unique to this war.