By Joyce Kryszak
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-890675.mp3
Buffalo, NY – Last night, the cable channel HBO premiered the long-awaited follow up to the beloved series, "Band of Brothers." "The Pacific" tells the story of the war fought in the Pacific theatre, through the lives of a band of marines. One of the those marines was a deceased veteran from Buffalo.
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In the new mini-series, Tom Hanks and HBO tell the other story of World War II. "The Pacific" captures the horrific, seemingly relentless battles fought one island at a time through the south pacific.
One of the marines who was there as witness to history was Wilbur Conley. He was known to his friends and family as Bud. He died in 1997 at the age of 77. But his son Bruce Conley remembers every account his father told of the war. The younger Conley said in many ways the war in the Pacific was worse than the fighting in Europe.
Portraying those battles with profound accuracy cost more than $200 million. The producers also went to great lengths to portray each of the marines featured in the series with incredible realism. The series is based in part on a book written by Bud Conley's marine buddy and life-long friend, Robert Leckie. He too passed away several years ago. But Conley's daughter Jeanine Conley-Baran said the series helps their legacies live on.
The series premiered on HBO Sunday night. But the cable channel's customers can still catch it on HBO on demand.