Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday of May in memory of all of the men and women who gave their lives in service to our great country. It began just after the Civil War, as a way to remember all of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the war, and has developed into what it is today which is a holiday honoring all Americans who died while in the military. Many great movies have been made that are perfect to watch in celebration of Memorial Day, and here are a few of the favorites.
Flags of our Fathers
Flags of our Fathers is a story based on the lives of the soldiers who fought in Iwo Jima during World War II but more specifically, the soldiers who are depicted in the pose raising the American flag over Iwo Jima. Ryan Phillipe, Jesse Bradford, and Adam Beach play the parts of three soldiers who survived that terrible battle, and who find themselves touring the states, re-enacting that all too famous pose, to help sell war bonds. As simple as the task might seem, it is almost more than the three men can handle as it brings to surface memories of an event in their lives that produces nothing more than feelings of guilt over their survival. The son of one of the three men (Tom McCarthy) is asked to interview the others in order to find out exactly what happened to his father during that specific battle. The question is, will he able to handle the answer, and the only way to find out is to watch Flags of our Fathers.
Born on the Fourth of July
Born on the Fourth of July tells the story of Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise), once the small town all around athlete but now one of the paralyzed remnants of a war that changed many lives forever. The Vietnam War was a war that was affecting the lives of many, but that didn’t seem to stop Ron from leaving his comfortable life to join the Marines to fight in the very same war. Ron’s expectations, as well as his enthusiasm, were high however they were met with a completely different reality from the moment that he was shipped over to Vietnam. In fact, his life is shattered as a result of two different incidences that occur while fighting in the war in that he mistakenly kills one of his very own men, and he gets wounded by a bullet that leaves him completely paralyzed from the chest down. Ron returns home a totally different man than the one that left for the war previously, and he falls into a depression that leaves him a drunken mess in Mexico. But Ron finds the will to pull it together, and becomes an activist in the fight against the war thus changing his life for the better.
The Messenger
Ben Foster stars as Will Montgomery, a soldier whose last hope for a new start is a post in the Casualty Notification Office during the Iraq War. Will is lucky enough to cheat death while in combat and spends much of his military career in military hospitals. During this time he finds out that his girlfriend (Jena Malone) is moving on without him which is a crushing blow in and of itself. Will understands just what it means to be faced with the reality of dying in battle, but isn’t certain that he is ready to be the one informing families that their loved one has died whether in battle or not. Will finds himself in training for the position under the mentorship of senior officer Tony (Woody Harrelson), and the two develop a bond that helps both adjust to things more effectively. Will eventually finds himself attracted to the widow (Samantha Morton) of another soldier who was killed in the war, and is faced with a dilemma of whether or not being in a relationship with the widow of another soldier is ethically proper or not. .
Glory
In a war that was being fought for a belief that we are all in fact created equal, the fact that racism kept blacks from effectively participating in the Civil War is astonishing. But it was a reality that the all-black members of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, 54th Regiment, were faced with each and every day. Glory is the story of the men in the 54th Regiment, and exactly what they went through despite the fact that they were putting their lives on the line like everyone else. They were the true heroes and they were under the leadership of Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick), the son of an abolitionist (Jane Alexander) who was quite influential during that particular time in history. Shaw spends a good amount of time trying to get his men the same privileges, as well as amenities, as the white soldiers were getting but to no avail. Despite the way that they are treated, and the fact that they are all given an opportunity to quit, the men of the 54th Regiment push forward. In fact, it is this very same all-black group of men that fights a battle against 1,000 Confederate soldiers, a battle that may just make a difference in the outcome of the entire war.
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