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Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud
Awesome!
I watched Midway last weekend and my first reaction was that of utter horror as I saw the attack on Pearl Harbor.
I’ve seen every war movie ever made and I’m not sure if D Day, as depicted in Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan, was any more horrific than watching those men die horrible deaths. I know it’s a movie and they’re actors and all, but just seeing those men, those brave Americans, die with absolutely no chance of not only fighting back, but with no option of surviving.
And why in the world is the name Dick Best not celebrated more in American history? The guy singlehandedly took out not one, but two of the Japanese navy’s largest ships, yet there’s never a word about the guy.
The actor that portrayed him was excellent.
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There was another pilot in the Enterprise squadron named Norman Kleiss who also scored two carrier hits, and later a hit on a destroyer, thus becoming the only man to hit three ships in the battle. The people who made the movie omitted him and his contributions completely; I assume they thought it would detract from Best's story to add him.
If you're interested in Pearl Harbor, I highly recommend the book Second To Last To Leave the USS Arizona, written by Lauren Bruner, the final survivor of the attack who passed away just last year. The rescue scene is undoubtedly based on his story, although the truth is far worse than what the movie depicted.
It's a tough, but interesting read. A good part of the book details what life was like on Hawaii before the bombing, which was also very interesting.