But when the AP gathered questions via Facebook last week for me to ask of Dr. Sidney Phillips, it turned out to be an interesting change of pace — and a reminder that curiosity, whether that of a reporter or news consumer, is the basis of journalism.
Those interested in the veteran's perspective on war and more included students at a preparatory school in Georgia, a woman whose father was a Marine in the Pacific and an Egyptian who had served in his country's army and had once lived in the United States.
The questions sent to AP were thoughtful and, when I put them to Dr. Phillips, drew interesting and sometimes very personal answers. When asked what helped keep Phillips going and on mission throughout World War II, the veteran cited the trust and support of his fellow Marines. Then he added colorful examples of how that translated.
"Those guys would say, 'Phillips, you're so dumb you couldn't pour urine out of a boot with directions on the heel,' " he recalled in response to a question that Melanie York Shepherd submitted on behalf of a class at the Savannah Christian Preparatory School. "That meant they liked you. ... When shelling would get unbelievable, there's one guy that would say, 'Everybody stay calm. Don't lose your head and go to pieces.' Marines are a different group of people."
Phillips, who is played in HBO's miniseries by Ashton Holmes, was 17 when he enlisted the day after the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He fought on Guadalcanal and joined in the invasion of another island in the Pacific theater, New Britain.
On his return to Mobile, Ala., he became a physician and raised three children with his wife, Mary, who died in 2000.
Facebook user Sharol Olson Ulrich, whose father landed on Guadalcanal, asked if Phillips still considers himself a Marine.
"Oh, absolutely," he said. "Once a Marine, always a Marine."
"The Pacific" debuted March 14, with new episodes airing at 9 p.m. EDT on Sundays through May 16.
David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer
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