Hugh Ambrose observes parallels between WWII and fight against terror

Hugh Ambrose is the author of "The Pacific," the companion to the Emmy-award winning, 10-part miniseries of the same name which chronicled America's war against Japan.

The son of noted historian Stephen Ambrose, he was at the Museum of World War II in Natick yesterday where he discussed his book and the making of the HBO miniseries with 100 visitors in the museum founded by Kenneth Rendell.

Earlier in the week, Ambrose discussed parallels between World War II and the current War on Terror.

Q: From writing "The Pacific," what have you learned that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan need today to be reintegrated into their families, careers and society?

A: I'm a historian, not a trained psychologist. I wanted to learn the cost of war in these men's lives. Each man responded differently to the challenges of combat. That had a lot to do with his personality and where or when they served.

The individual combat veteran is somebody we should respect and we, as a nation, have a debt to help with their long-term needs.

All of them were changed irrevocably....My hope would be those young men and women who have endured that for us (in Iraq and Afghanistan) would understand the process of healing isn't the process of trying to go back to where they once were but to figure out where they are now and to understand the strengths and weaknesses of this new person and proceed forward there as best they can.