9 Movies To Watch This Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day here in the USA. If you’re not from here/aren’t familiar, here is a bit of background for the day:

“Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day 2023 will occur on Monday, May 29. 

Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades.” – From History.com

Something I always like to do during the more patriotic holidays is watch movies that remind me, even if fictionalized, of the hardships our service members go through and the great sacrifice they make to give us our freedom. So, I want to share some favorites with you today! It may not be much, but it’s something I can do to spread some knowledge.

* I’m also going to share what inspired the movie, as a lot of them are based on books or true events that happened during various wars. I’m also going to share the number of US soldiers that lost their lives during the war the movie takes place in. Numbers like these are hard to find, and they vary depending on sources for several of them. I did my best to find accurate numbers, but always do your own research if you’re interested. At the end of the day, lives were lost on all sides, which is something to be respected in its own right – but I did try to be as accurate as possible with my basic level of research.

Anyway, these are in no particular order:

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SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

“Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.”
Where to Watch: Paramount+

» Killed during WWII: 420,000 (I had a hard time finding a number for this, so this is an estimation from various sources)

• Loosely based on the true events of Niland brothers. Four brothers from New York who served during WWII. At first, it was believed only one survived, Fritz, and was sent back to the United States so that the parents would not lose all of their children. It was later discovered that a second brother was held captive in a Japanese POW camp in Burma.
• The battle scenes were so realistic that veterans reportedly left the theater, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs set up a hotline for veterans and family members.

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BLACK HAWK DOWN

“The story of 160 elite U.S. soldiers who dropped into Mogadishu in October 1993 to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord, but found themselves in a desperate battle with a large force of heavily armed Somalis.”
Where to Watch: Netflix

» Killed during the Battle of Mogadishu: 19 

• Based on the non-fiction novel Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden about the true story of the 1993 raid in Mogadishu and the Black Hawk helicopter that went down and the attempt to rescue the surviving crew.
• The actors went to bootcamp. The bootcamp they went to depended on what the actors were portraying: Rangers attended a one-week course and Delta Force took a two-week commando course.

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AMERICAN SNIPER

“Navy S.E.A.L. sniper Chris Kyle’s pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and turns him into a legend. Back home with his family after four tours of duty, however, Chris finds that it is the war he can’t leave behind.”
Where to Watch: VOD

» Killed in the Iraq War: 4,500

• Loosely based on the memoir American Sniper by Chris Kyle, who became the “deadliest” marksman with 255 kills, 160 confirmed.
• Chris Kyle was murdered during the production of the movie.

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FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS/LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA

“Flags of Our Fathers: The life stories of the six men who raised the flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima, a turning point in World War II.”
Where to Watch: VOD

• Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima are companion films with the former being from the American viewpoint and the latter is from the Japanese viewpoint of the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945.
• The battle is the origin for the iconic photo of American soldiers raising the American flag.

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13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI

“During an attack on a U.S. compound in Libya, a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.”
Where to Watch: Paramount+

» Benghazi Attack: 4 (not military)

• Tells the story of the six members of the Annex Security Team who defended an American diplomatic compound in Benghazi on September 11, 2012
• The buildings in the film were built using the actual plans of the compound in Benghazi

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FULL METAL JACKET

“A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.”
Where to Watch: HBO Max

» Killed in the Vietnam War: 58,300

• Based on the semi-autobiography The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford about his experience in the Vietnam war
• R. Lee Ermey, who plays Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, was a former Marine drill instructor.

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HACKSAW RIDGE

“World War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.”
Where to Watch: Hulu

» Killed during the Battle of Okinawa: 12,000 

• Based on the 2004 documentary The Conscientious Objector which focuses on Desmond Doss, a pacifist combat medic who refused to carry or use a weapon
• Doss became the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor for his service in the Battle of Okinawa
• Saved approximately 75 soldiers during the Battle of Okinawa

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THE OUTPOST

“A small team of U.S. soldiers battles against hundreds of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.”
Where to Watch: VOD

» Killed during the Battle of Kamdesh: 8
» Killed during the War in Afghanistan: 2,402 

• Based on the non-fiction book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by Jake Tapper about the Battle of Kamdesh
• The Battle of Kamdesh was the bloodiest American engagement of the Afghan War in 2009 with 300 Taliban against 53 U.S. soldiers and 2 Latvian advisors

Have you seen these movies? Do you have any other recommendations? How do you honor the service members of your country (USA or if you’re from somewhere else)?