Back to WW II in "The Pacific" on HBO Tonight

Prepare to be shocked and awed. HBO follows up their acclaimed 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers with The Pacific, the new production from the company headed up by big-names Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. This time they're doing for the Pacific theater of war what they did for the battlefields of Europe last time out. The ten-part miniseries unfolds beginning tonight at 9pm, and it's clearly a do-not-miss event.

The Pacific follows four Marines through their time in the field, and the characters are based closely on real Marines: Leckie (played by the intense James Badge Dale), Basilone (played by the interesting Jon Ceda), Sledge (played by Joe Mazzello, who was the little boy in Jurassic Park!), and Phillips (played by Ashton Holmes). Their lives and missions bring them together in historic wartime locales that most of us know only about from history books -- Guadalcanal, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa -- and neither they -- nor we the viewers -- will ever be quite the same again.

From the looks of the comments on the HBO Message Boards for the program, many Americans feel it's high time this important part of WW II history, and the men and women who endured it, were honored with this miniseries. I'm certain many of us will wish our fathers were still alive to see this amazing story that they lived through brought to life like this. I know I do.

In many ways this part of the War has always seemed more real to me, perhaps because my dad Harry (that handsome swabby to the left) was in the Navy on the West Coast in Long Beach, CA, during the war, and also because I've always loved the movies about the Pacific theater. (So Proudly We Hail, anyone? Or Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison? Or even South Pacific...)

We're going to post a selection of trailers for The Pacific here so you can get a good overview of what's in store for you. They are terrific, and will surely get you securely settled in front of your TV come 9pm for tonight's premiere. We also highly recommend that you check out HBO's website for The Pacific, as well as join their Facebook fan page, if that's your thing. You also might like to visit Marines of the Pacific's website, where you can find more info on the real men behind the miniseries.

The Pacific will undoubtedly be the most powerful programs on TV this season, and you've just got to watch it. It's the history of your country and the men who defended it, and we owe it to them to watch. Thanks, Hanks, Spielberg, et al...