I promised myself that I ‘d stay off the computer this past Memorial Day Weekend and spend my time with friends, family and history. Then when I went to get back online, my computer went on strike, so to speak, so this is a few days late, but thought the movies and thoughts were good throughout the summer!
As we enjoyed the long weekend, I wanted to make sure we didn’t completely lose sight of the meaning of Memorial Day. We often get wrapped up in activities and events. It is the weekend to take our first mini-vacation of the summer season; or participate in a string of activities from picnics and bar-b-ques to block parties, from trips to the local amusement parks on their summer schedules to projects involving or taking out the ‘summer toys’ including boats, sea-doos, motor bikes and ATV’s… And before we know it the weekend is gone and nobody even mentioned the reason for Memorial Day.
I am a first generation American immigrant from a family full of more recent immigrants and one of my fondest childhood memories is of family events where I would sit and soak in the conversation and stories. My mother was German and served in the (German) Red Cross during WWII where she met my father, an Austrian soldier in a medical unit. They married in an American prisoner of war camp after the war. My grandparents went through WWI in Germany. My uncle and his brother served in the Korean War and their father served in the U.S. army in WWI. It was fascinating because we heard personal stories and accounts from several perspectives and since then we have added relatives and friends who have served in Viet Nam, Somalia, the first and second Iraq conflicts and now in Afghanistan.
There is no greater country on earth than America and there is nobody that deserves more credit for the great lives we live and freedoms we all enjoy than our Founding Fathers and our troops who have fought for us, given their lives and kept us safe for over 235 years, since before we were a nation. Unfortunately we are no longer teaching history in our schools and if you do learn some, it has generally been re-written. As citizens and parents, it is our job to inform ourselves and to reverse this cycle by returning to teaching and learning history from “original sources” and passing it on.
If you can get there, a trip to Washington D.C. and Arlington Cemetery is the ideal Memorial Day trip or summer vacation destination. Some other great Memorial Day activities are visiting a Presidential Library or civil war battle field, watching the yearly special honoring our troops from DC, visiting a veteran’s grave locally, reading a book about one of the wars we have fought in or about the founding of our nation and sharing about it over dinner or at an event. And watching a movie or movies (hopefully with some accuracy) about one of the wars and then perhaps following up on the history behind it is another. We all know that even the best films throw in a little “Hollywood” slant and sizzle (unfortunately sometimes too much), but the right movies can be a great place to spark our children’s interest in history and a jump off point for us to learn more!
Some years, especially like this past Memorial Day, when gas prices are high and the 
economy is slow a great weekend is just staying local and attending the city parade or event, visiting a nearby cemetery, catching the yearly PBS Memorial Day Special from DC and spending your time at home with family, friends (or even alone) eating some comfort food, reading a worthwhile book related to the holiday or our history and/or creating your own film festival of war movies. Below are a few to start with. There are many more that you can add to the selection. One of my favorite movies for both Memorial Day and the 4th of July is Yankee Doodle Dandy about George M. Cohan, starring James Cagney. It is a musical that some might say is a bit corny, but it highlights the patriotic music of our country and somewhat balances out the serious and somber war movies. The songs therein were songs every American child learned in school and every American could sing until recent years.
Saving Private Ryan (Blu-Ray)(WWII): Is at the top of almost everyone’s ‘best’ war movie or movie from that era list.
The Hunt for Red October (Blu-Ray) (cold war): This cold-war submarine flick is a must for author Clancy fans, starring Alec Baldwin and Sean Connery.
Tunes of Glory (post-WWII): A well-regarded 1960 film starring Alec Guinness and John Mills in post-war Scotland.
Das Boot (Blu-Ray) (WWII): A claustrophobic thriller set aboard a German submarine.
Hope and Glory (WWII): Funny and touching, it tells the story of the British home-front in World War II.
Danger UXB (WWII) (hard to find): A TV series from my mom's post-Brideshead Revisited phase. It also takes place on the British home-front with a squad in charge of defusing unexploded German bombs ("UXBs").
The Bridge on the River Kwai (WWII, pictured above): An all-time classic, again starring Alec Guiness and William Holden. A great collection for WWII buffs is the WWII 60th Anniversary Collection (The Guns of Navarone/From Here to Eternity/The Bridge on the River Kwai) (Includes Collectible Scrapbook)
Lawrence of Arabia (WWI): Another classic, and one of my favorite "see it on the big screen" type of movie.
Letters from Iwo Jima (Blu-Ray) (WWII): Clint Eastwood's deeply thoughtful look at the Japanese perspective of World War II. And the companion piece, Flags of Our Fathers (Blu-Ray).
M*A*S*H (Korean War): Robert Altman's black comedy that spurred the long-running TV series, which is also available on DVD now.
Gallipoli (WWI): Not exactly uplifting, but a powerful drama.
Joyeux Noel (WWI): Another one from the Great War. It's based on a true event in which opposing armies take a respite for the holiday. (Special Collection) I remember my dad telling stories like this from WWII.
Mrs. Miniver (WWII): More from the British home-front, starring Greer Garson.
Platoon (Viet Nam War): Best Picture of the Year Oscar Winner (1986) that was part of Oliver Stone’s trilogy of Vietnam War films, also including Born on the Fourth of July (1989) — winner of two Academy Awards and Heaven & Earth (1993)
The Patriot (Blu-Ray) (Revolutionary War): An emotional, vivid, and palpable story about a South Carolina Family during the Revolutionary War with an excellent cast including Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger.
Black Hawk Down (Somalia Conflict): Depicting the Battle of Mogadishu, a raid integral to the United States' effort to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid.
North & South (Civil War mini-series): An epic series with Patrick Swayze and Kirstie Alley.
The Hurt Locker (Iraq-Afghanistan Conflicts) The little film that beat out the mega monen blockbuster; won the 2010 Best Picture of the Year Oscar.
Others worth a mention including some of my own favorites: Patton, The Clock, The Great Escape, Stalag 17, Casablanca, The Guns of Navarone, The Deer Hunter, Glory, Breaker Morant (hard to find DVD (VHS), We Were Soldiers, Midway, Dr. Strangelove, Or…, Buffalo Soldiers, Tora! Tora! Tora!, The Forgotten Grave, The True Story of the Fighting Sullivans..., All Quiet on the Western Front, Band of Brothers, Gone with the Wind… my favorite movie of all times.
Some great books to start or re-start your journey through America’s history with are: The Real George Washington; The Original Argument, A Patriot's History of the United States..., Original Intent, Giants, The 5000 Year Leap, and The Greatest Generation (on Kindle) and War Letters
There are many many more great films about American involved wars and the troops who fought them. Sorry if I missed one of your favorites! Unfortunately… “Freedom Is Not Free!!”, so we owe those who fought for us the respect of remembering and remembering the truth.
by Ask Marion
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