Actor Hanks Unveils WWII Project In Hub

BOSTON -- From "Saving Private Ryan" to "Band of Brothers" actor Tom Hanks has used his star power to connect moviegoers to the front lines of war and combat.

Wednesday night, Boston rolled out the red carpet as Hanks unveiled his latest World War II project at the John F. Kennedy Library.

"The Pacific" is an HBO mini-series based on the real-life stories of World War II veterans.

"Tom Hanks is just like Forrest Gump. He's a nice guy," said veteran Bob Johnston, who was on hand for the event.

The series was eight years in the making and profiles the stories of actual war veterans.

"It was a war of terrorism. A war of racism,that was fought on the other side of the globe, and that may actually sound familiar to some people today," Hanks said.

Hanks stepped behind the camera and produced the series. At the JFK event, he shared the red carpet with local veterans. He chose the venue because Kennedy also served in the Pacific.

"It's nice to be back in this historic town where it seems like you can't turn the corner without seeing something that means an awful lot to us as Americans," Hanks said.

"The Pacific" starts March 14 on HBO.

"War isn't very good, but you can see what we did and, hopefully, you don't have to do it," another veteran said.

A Methuen officer is just one of the many veterans portrayed in the series.

Hanks said he's behind the camera more often these days because his career has matured.

"I'm getting older. It's as simple as that. You know, you can't always win the girl," he said.

Dave Walker