Top Five War Movies in Honor of Veterans Day

Veterans Day is the day we honor our country’s servicemen for defending our shores and doing their part to make home a safe place to be. Often sacrificing their time with family, their limbs, even their lives, these men and women are true heroes to us. Originally initiated to honor World War I vets, Alfred King from Emporia, Kansas, came up with the idea of honoring all veterans, not just those from WWI.

Hollywood has immortalized wars and heroes since 1915 with the controversial Birth of a Nation. Personally, I am not a fan of war movies, but there are some that even I love to watch because they simply could not be ignored. They cover the Revolutionary War, World War I and II, the Viet Nam War and the Civil War.

1. Saving Private Ryan – is a 1998 American war film set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. The film is notable for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which depict the Omaha beachhead assault of June 6, 1944. Afterwards, it follows Tom Hanks as Captain John H. Miller and several men (Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, Adam Goldberg, and Jeremy Davies) as they search for paratrooper Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), who is the last surviving brother of three fallen servicemen. Notably one of the most moving war films I have ever seen.
2. Glory – is a 1989 American drama war film based on the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, as told from the point of view of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, its commanding officer during the American Civil War. The 54th regiment was one of the first formal units of the United States Army to be made up entirely of African American men. This movie had so many great lines in it from so many great actors, it makes my list every time.
3. Patton – is a 1970 American biographical war film about U.S. General George S. Patton during World War II.
4. Sergeant York – is a 1941 biographical film about the life of Alvin York, the most-decorated American soldier of World War I. It was directed by Howard Hawks and was the highest-grossing film of the year.
5. The Patriot – The film mainly takes place in South Carolina (and was entirely filmed there) and depicts the story of an American swept into the American Revolutionary War when his family is threatened. The protagonist, Benjamin Martin, is loosely based on real Continental Army officer Francis Marion and other Revolutionary War figures.

Honorable mentions would be Good Morning, Viet Nam, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, Bridge Over the River Kwai, Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, The Best Years of Our Lives, Memphis Belle, Apocalypse Now, and All Quiet on the Western Front.

Just like many of you, there are many vets in my family, including my husband who served in the U. S. Marine Corp. for three years. My thanks to each and very one of them, and God bless all who still serve today.