Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for the complete miniseries.
The Pacific follows three Marines through separate experiences of the war against Japan. Robert Leckie arrives on Guadalcanal, where hunger, exhaustion and combat replace his expectations of service. John Basilone’s defence of Henderson Field brings him the Medal of Honor, but his friend Manny Rodriguez is killed. Rest in Melbourne briefly gives Leckie a place in Stella’s family before she ends their relationship, unwilling to face losing him. Basilone is sent home to sell war bonds, while Eugene Sledge, previously held back by a heart murmur, finally enlists.
Leckie’s next campaign takes him through Cape Gloucester’s rain and jungle. Combat stress sends him to hospital before he returns to his unit and fights on Peleliu, where a blast wounds him and ends his fighting war. Sledge reaches Peleliu with men including Snafu Shelton and R.V. Burgin. The airfield assault and fighting in the hills expose him to thirst, casualties and the death of Captain Haldane. Basilone leaves the bond tour to train Marines, marries Lena Riggi and returns to combat, only to die on Iwo Jima. Sledge continues to Okinawa, where civilians are caught in the fighting and his own responses to violence have changed.
The final chapter follows survival beyond the battlefield. After Japan’s surrender, Leckie returns to New Jersey, takes newspaper work and begins a relationship with Vera, the neighbour to whom he wrote unsent letters. Lena visits Basilone’s parents and gives them his medal. Sledge returns to Alabama after parting from his fellow Marines, but nightmares and ordinary expectations make civilian life difficult. A hunting trip with his father ends in tears when he cannot bring himself to shoot. Homecoming reunites families without simply undoing what the men have endured.