‘The Finest Hours’ Sets Finest Example
By Sam Kille, Bob Woodruff Foundation
Disney’s “The Finest Hours” has all the elements of a blockbuster movie — high-stakes drama, a love story and amazing special effects. It’s heroes are ordinary guys, facing and conquering unbelievable odds.
Yet what sets this film apart is that it’s based on a true story, hailed by many as the greatest small-boat rescue in the U.S Coast Guard’s 225-year history.
In February 1952, a brutal nor’easter slammed New England and the waters off its coast, splitting two tanker ships in half. Boatswain’s Mate First Class Bernie Webber and his crew are dispatched as part of the rescue, facing hurricane-force winds, 60-foot waves, zero-visibility and freezing waters — in a 36-foot motor lifeboat.
“In the Coast Guard, they say you got to go out … they don’t say you got to come back in.”
The temptation to “get lost” and return becomes very real for the crew, as everything that could go wrong seemingly does.
Even when they miraculously reach the ship they’ve been sent to assist, the SS Pendleton, they must decide whether or not to risk boarding all the survivors at once.
“We all live … or we all die.”
Thirty-two crewmembers of the Pendleton were safely brought ashore by the Coast Guardsman — in a boat designed with a capacity of 12. For their efforts they, Webber, Engineman Third Class Andrew Fitzgerald, Seaman Richard Livesey, and Seaman Ervin Maske, were awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal by the Coast Guard.
By bringing this story to life, we all gain a glimpse into the character of those who choose to serve in uniform, whether it’s at home or abroad — as well as the life or death decisions sometimes entrusted to junior leaders.
“The movie is a throwback to old fashioned storytelling. It’s a movie about real superheroes. They don’t wear tights or capes, instead they wear hand me down foul-weather gear from World War II,” said Casey Sherman, who coauthored (with Michael J. Tougias) the best-selling book that the film is based on. “They are ordinary men capable of extraordinary things. I hope the movie will inspire people to tackle that next challenge or next wave in their own lives.”
To help promote this positive message, the Bob Woodruff Foundation partnered with Walt Disney Studios to invite veterans and supporters to advanced screenings of the film. Based on feedback so far, the movie strikes the right balance of Hollywood excitement and a favorable portrayal of those in uniform.
“In a movie like that you are always afraid it will get too melodramatic and lose the realism,” said Paul Mooney, a Marine veteran of Afghanistan, now working as a freelance writer and producer. “This one didn’t, and that was great to keep it more true to the story.”
“The Finest Hours” can be found in theaters across the nation, Jan. 29.
Learn more about the rescue by visiting the Coast Guard’s history site online.
