‘Midway’ Search Discovers Powerful Emotions

Hidden within National Geographic’s “The Battle for Midway,” which premieres tonight on TBS, is an unexpected antiwar message delivered in such a subtle and poetic way that some of its images linger in your mind long after you’ve finished watching it.

The main attraction of the 90-minute special is meant to be following renowned deep-sea explorer Robert Ballard (the same obsessive fellow who in 1985 discovered the remains of the Titanic) looking for the vestiges of the American and Japanese ships sunk during the Battle of Midway.

A brutal incident, the June 1942 naval confrontation saw young American and Japanese soldiers fighting viciously for control of the Pacific Ocean. Eventually, the Japanese were defeated, after causing significant damage to the U.S. side.

Using the traditional device of parallel action, the special tells two stories. A tense account of the battle is enriched with unbelievable 16-millimeter footage shot by none other than director John Ford, who was on one of the ships and almost killed by enemy fire. The footage from Ford, who went on to make such classic films as “The Quiet Man” and “The Grapes of Wrath,” is intercut with the mostly monotonous story of the modern-day quest for the battle’s remains.

Ballard and crew spend much of their screen time searching the waters fruitlessly. As expected, they eventually discover the remains of the U.S. aircraft carrier Yorktown. We then get to see some exceptional shots of the gloomy vessel resting in the eerie calmness of the sea floor. Fortunately, Ballard was wise enough to sail in good company. Along for the search are two Japanese and two American veterans, who fought the Battle of Midway. Their presence turns this otherwise ordinary quest into a poignant affair.

Interestingly, the old fighters don’t seize the opportunity to make any ponderous statements about war and patriotism. Instead, they gaze at the waters with a melancholy look, interacting with each other with a politeness and respect that are almost moving.

When Ballard apologizes profusely for not being able to find any traces of a ship yet, one of the Japanese veterans gives us a precious Zen moment amid the fervor of the search: “I am very happy to be here right now,” he says, before throwing to the sea a bouquet of flowers he has brought especially from Japan for the soldiers who died.

The discovery of Yorktown brings the veterans to tears as they remember the horrors of the battle, the fire and the loss of so many young lives. The profound sadness drawn on their old, wrinkled faces is as eloquent an expression as any of the high price of war.

* “The Battle for Midway” airs tonight at 5:05 p.m. and 8:05 p.m. on TBS.