05/17/2026
Before Peleliu. Before command. Before war changed everything. Captain Andrew “Ack Ack” Haldane was simply “Andy.”
This week, our co-director Scott Gibson, who portrayed Haldane in the HBO miniseries The Pacific, traveled to Bowdoin College to stand in the same places Haldane once walked during some of the happiest years of his life.
The first image is a 1941 photograph of Haldane (right) alongside teammate Richmond Edling on the Bowdoin baseball field. The second is the Sigma Nu fraternity house where Haldane was a proud member. While a student there, he served as student council president, captain of the football team, varsity baseball player, fraternity brother, and countless other roles on campus.
Yearbooks described Haldane as the “most popular man in his class,” and it was here many of the leadership qualities that would later define USMC Captain Andrew “Ack Ack” Haldane first took shape.
Far from home during the war, Haldane often reflected on his time at Bowdoin. These years clearly stayed close to his heart.
Scott was joined on the visit by our volunteer and USMC combat veteran, PFC Neal Fauver, making the experience even more meaningful as they walked the same grounds where Haldane once lived, studied, and dreamed of the life ahead.
In 1945, following Haldane’s death during the Battle of Peleliu, Bowdoin established the Haldane Cup, a prestigious annual award presented to a graduating senior who displays outstanding qualities of leadership and character.
Sometimes understanding who these men were before war helps us better understand the weight of what was lost. Andy’s legacy so clearly lives on, and we are honored to have spent the day walking in his footsteps.
