Favorite Military Movies

The Washington Times ^ | Oct. 10, 2003 | John McCaslin, Inside the Beltway

[Liberal Classic]

Midway
Battle of the Bulge
The Great Escape (one of my favorites with an all star cast: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson, James Coburn)
Full Metal Jacket (first half for best boot camp movie)

[BookmanTheJanitor]

Got to go with "Patton" for a feature film. For a series, I enjoyed "Band of Brothers".

[earonthief]

All really good movies..

Some of mine are The Wind and The Lion, the old T.V. shows of Combat.

[jwh_Denver]

Sargeant York! How could I forget. "Sir, I've got some prisoners." Haha!

[EternalVigilance]

LOL...yep.

Amazing how many people forget about that movie, and about that man for that matter.

[Squantos]

The Beast
Hell in the Pacific
Merrills Marauders
Gettysburg
Das Boot
Blackhawk Down
They Were Expendable
And a old film I can't remember about the early days of WWII with Robert Taylor ...."Bataan" I believe it was.

Stay Safe !

[bruoz]

"Farewell to the King"

[EternalVigilance]

The real Sergeant York:

Who's Who:

Alvin C. York

Updated - Sunday, 24 March, 2002

Alvin Cullum York (1887-1964) ended the First World War as one of America's most famous soldiers, with fame and popular recognition assured following a remarkable act of courage and coolness in October 1918.

Having grown up in poverty the young York honed his skills as a crack marksman, a useful talent for use in hunting food for himself and his family - and one put to high effect during the war.

Despite his remarkable reputation for bravery and the win-at-all-costs attitude displayed during his wartime service York was and remained a pacifist. Following a religious conversion in 1911 - he became lay deacon of a local pacifist sect - he declared himself a convinced pacifist.

Consequently with the U.S. entry into World War One York applied for military exemption as a conscientious objector. Denied his request he was drafted into 328th Regiment, 82nd Infantry. During training however he was convinced by his battalion commander, George Buxton - a fellow Bible student - that the Bible sanctioned active service.

Once in France the semi-literate York earned lifetime fame for his part in an attack in the Argonne Forest against German machine gun positions on 8 October 1918. York, an acting Corporal, led 17 men in action against a German stronghold, the aim being to secure the position and return with German prisoners.

Initially successful without coming under fire, the small expedition took a number of prisoners before the Germans launched a heavy counterattack. With 11 of York's men guarding the captured prisoners (and with the other six killed) York resolved to proceed alone and tackle the German gunners ranged against them.

Having shot some 17 gunners via sniping, York was charged by seven German soldiers who realised that he was operating on his own. He killed them all with his pistol. With the aid of a German Major captured earlier York brought in a total of 132 German prisoners, a remarkable feat.

He was well rewarded however, receiving lavish press coverage at home and the Congressional Medal of Honor, in addition to the French Croix de Guerre (and a fulsome citation from Supreme Allied Commander Ferdinand Foch).

Returning home to a New York City parade, York was awarded a gift of a farm by his home state, Tennessee. A film of his life was made in 1940, Sergeant York, starring Gary Cooper; York used the fee he was paid for the film to fund a Bible college.

He died in 1964.

[185JHP]

"30 Seconds Over Tokyo" "The Courtmartial of Billy Mitchell." Best and worst aspects of the military.

[jwh_Denver]

Thanks for the info. It rung a bell with me about him being a pacifist. I know the movie showed that to some degree but when York enters the battlefield it is lost. Gobble, gobble, gobble! And wipe the dust off the front rifle target site. LOL!

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Here's a lesser known one to add this great list;

"The Odd Angry Shot" from 1979.

A good story about an Australian Army unit in Vietnam. Was an HBO staple in the early 1980's. One of my favorites.

Also "The Siege of Firebase Gloria" from 1989

Good action. R. Lee Ermey is in it.

[earonthief]

Also: The Blue Max,The Thin Red Line(70's version)

[bruoz]

"84 CHARLIE MOPIC"

[nightdriver]

My all time favorite is "In Harm's Way."

It had the Duke and Kirk Douglas and a story that very closely matched a portion of WW2 in the Pacific.

[SLB]

"30 Seconds Over Tokyo" "The Courtmartial of Billy Mitchell." Best and worst aspects of the military.

FYI - This past week the House of Representatives voted to posthumously promote Billy Mitchell to the rank of Major General.

[185JHP]

Wow - great stuff. Thanks. I watched that movie with my father on many Late Shows. Loved the courage and commitment.

[quietolong]

I haven’t.
I only have Rabbit Ears. Even if I did have cable I don’t think I would watch Bravo after hearing about some of the shows they have on there.

[quietolong]

Let’s not forget the TV show 12 O Clock High and then there’s Rat Patrol, McHale’s Navy ;)
And
Ice Station Zebra
Torpedo Run

What was the name of a move about a Sub crew made in the 60s after a Nuclear exchange. It starts in Australia with the song Waltzing Matilda. And everyone preparing for the Radiation cloud that’s coming. Then they pick up a radio signal from the US ( everyones already dead from radiation in the US & USSR) and go to San Francisco and find it’s a Coke bottle with a window shade string rapped around it. And bouncing off a key
Darn I can’t think of the name of it now

[SLB]

These are listed in order of preference. Several others come to mind, but ten is enough for now. I have also read the books some of these movies were based on. In some cases the book is better and some the movie is.

Gods and Generals
Gettysburg
Ben Hur
We Were Soldiers Once. . . . and Young
Patton
The Great Escape
Pearl Harbor
Tora, Tora, Tora
Kelly's Heroes
Cheyenne Autumn

[jocon307]

"Myself, I liked "Glory."

LOL, that was the first one I thought of too, as unmentioned in the orgininal article. That's Matthew Broderick in that, no? A very inspriring movie.

I really do not like war movies much. But of course, some are great. "Patton" is an excellent movie. Karl Malden & George C. Scott make a peach of a pair in that one. Also "From Here to Eternity" is great. Frank Sinatra, who knew he had it in him, his finest moments are in that movie.


"Gallipoli" is great too. So very sad. Mel Gibson.....yes!

I also thought "Paths of Glory", with Kirk Douglas (I think) was a really intense movie. It is really an anti-war movie, and I think it's a bit forgotten, but I watched it one day on TV with hubby years ago. Compelling.

We seem to like some of the same movies Ed!

How about "The Train" with Burt Lancaster? Trying to save art from the Nazis in France. Watched that one during my all Burt all the time era. But nothing can top "The Leopard" with him, my personal fave of all time. It's got some war in it, Garibaldi in Sicily.