Pearl Harbor Starring Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale and Josh Hartnett

 This is a magnificent movie---it has history, action, romance and a fantastic love story. But let’s start at the beginning of our story in 1923 in the beautiful state of Tennessee. 

Rafe McCawley (Ben Affleck) and his best friend Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett) are young boys playing in an old stripped airplane. Probably an old discarded crop duster left in an old shed a perfect gift for little boys to let their imagination soar among the clouds with their heroes.

The boys were best friends living near each other. Rafe always protected Danny because he was younger ---like any older brother would do for their younger brother. All they dreamed about was flying together one day.

In 1940 Adolph Halter draws all of Europe into war and even though France has fallen to Hilter America still refuses to join the ranks of war.

n Long Island January 1941 Rafe and Danny are officially pilots after two years of training and now they know how to handle an airplane for real. So much so they get in trouble doing maneuvers with their airplanes showing how good they are in the sky.

Their last stunt got them both called into Lt. Col. James Doolittle’s (Alex Baldwin) office. First called into his office for a reprimand was Danny and he listened a while and then told the Lt. Col. That he was only trying to inspire the men like he the Lt. Col. Inspired him.

So, this took the wind out of the Lt. Col. Sails for a moment and the Lt. Col. Doolittle said that is BS McCawley, but very,

 very good BS. He said McCawley you remind me of myself 15 years ago.

Lt. Col. Doolittle told McCawley the British have accepted you into the Eagle Squadron and you will be on your way to England if you want to go.

What would you go Major?

I would go even though we will probably be in war soon because of Hitler and I will need you here with me.

Yes Sir---I am on my way.

Then Rafe tells his best friend Danny about his assignment and he is upset.

Danny said--- Guess what it is not combat training over there---it is war. There are no winners the losers die and the ones who come home are wrecks like my dad.

Rafe said--- I will be 25 years old---I will be an old man and they will want me to be a flight instructor, and I don’t want to do loops I want to be a combat fighter.

A group of nurses are on a train going to their assignment---Nurse Lt. Evelyn Johnson (Kate Breckinsale), Nurse Barbara (Catherine Kellner), nurse Betty ( Jaime King), Nurse Sandra (Jennifer Garner) and Nurse Lt. Evelyn Johnson is asked to tell a story about her experience of four weeks ago.

After Rafe leaves the office of the Lt. Col. Doolittle a bus is waiting to take all the pilots to be examined and inoculated. Evelyn tells about meeting Rafe as she gave him is eye examination.

Rafe was afraid that he would fail because he had trouble reading letters. And he explained this all to Lt. Evelyn Johnson---and since she knew how important flying was because her father was a pilot she passed him.

And so the love story begins and I will stop here as not to spoil the movie for you when you see it. It is one of my favorite Ben Affleck Movies. Ben’s wife Jennifer Garner was in this film also as Nurse Sandra. She is easily recognized by her deep dimples---a beautiful lady. They were not dating at this time---that came later.

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