Movies for Your Memorial Day Weekend.....

Memorial Day has arrived. It's the holiday where we honor the soldiers that have made the ultimate sacrifice to our country. I'm getting to the age where I feel more and more thankful for these people, and all veterans. We live in a great country, warts and all. Most of the people we honor didn't get a chance to enjoy it into their later years.It's also the first holiday with nice weather of the year. So you're probably not looking for things to do inside.

But if it's raining, there are usually plenty of war movies on TV. War seems to be easy money for movie producers. The characters are interesting and there's plenty of action. There's also no shortage of wars to choose from.

My personal definition of a good movie is that no matter how many times I've seen it, I always flip to that channel and get drawn to it again. So here are a few of my favorite war movies. Interestingly enough, they are all from different wars and different time periods.

• Zero Dark Thirty (2012) - This is the story of the nearly 10 year hunt for terrorist Osama bin Laden. It is the story of a female CIA analyst/operative Maya, and her obsession with finding clues to his whereabouts, and dealing with political red tape. This is also a controversial movie

  

  CIA operative Maya.

  because of it's portrayal of torture on suspects. But I don't think that's the point of the movie. It's a view into modern warfare, and how command decisions are made. It's a look into the gritty world of CIA operatives. It's far from the glamorous James Bond world. The movie ends withe the daring and successful raid by the Navy's Seal Team Six on the compound.

Favorite scene: This movie has tons of great dialogue and tons of suspense. But my favorite scene is when Maya is in a tense, high level meeting with the Secretary of Defense to explain her theory. She is the only woman in the room and has to use some pretty corse language to get her point across.
Link: Washington meeting (language)

• The Crossing (2000) This is a movie about the Revolutionary War, and the incredible pressure General George Washington was under. I am always fascinated by this time period. Imagine a collection of colonies trying to revolt against the most powerful military power on Earth at the time. If they failed there would be no prison term. They would be dead. That's quite a gamble.

  

  Gen. Washington

  The movie is about General Washington and his men. He is on a loosing streak. The Revolutionary Army is maybe a few weeks from collapsing. There's little supplies, Congress won't send money, and many of the soldiers enlistment is up. Washington devises a plan to move his entire Army across the Delaware River on Christmas night and attack the mercenary Hessian troops stationed in Trenton New Jersey. The Battle of Trenton was a resounding victory that may have turned the course of the war.  History might have been different with a different outcome.

Favorite scene: Near the start of the movie General Washington has an exasperating conversation with one of his officers.

Link: Should we swim the damn river?

• Saving Private Ryan (1998) This is an epic World War II movie with an extremely accurate depiction of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France. It follows Army Ranger Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), and his men through the invasion and beyond. Three days after D-Day

  

  "Earn this"

  Captain Miller is given new orders. Apparently four Ryan brothers were in action, and three of them died. Miller is given orders to find the remaining brother and have him returned home safely. Not an easy task in the hectic days of war torn France. Actually this is the story of ordinary men placed in extraordinary times. They are not West Point Army types. Captain Miller was a school teacher before the War called.

Favorite scene: At the end of the movie Captain Miller is killed in a battle defending Private Ryan (Matt Damon). In his dying words, Miller tells Ryan to "Earn this. Live a good life." In the next scene we are transported to modern day where an elderly Private Ryan is visiting Miller's grave at a War Cemetery. He then tearfully asks his wife if he has earned it. If he is a good man.

Link: You will need a tissue to watch this.

I am eternally thankful to those that made the sacrifice so we may live in freedom.