Favorite Military Movies

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

[EdJay]

 Our item on retired and active military members being asked by USAA Magazine to rank their all-time favorite military movies (the most popular, in order, were "Twelve O'Clock High," The Bridge on the River Kwai," "The Longest Day," "Patton," "The Deer Hunter," "Saving Private Ryan" and "We Were Soldiers") generated considerable response from within the ranks.

 "I saw that article ... and wondered how they came up with those movies. Then I saw the writer was a retired Air Force officer. Well, no wonder," writes retired Army officer Bob Thomas of Guthrie, Okla.

 "Soldiers would choose a different set of favorite war movies, as would sailors and Marines. I can't believe no one mentioned 'Black Hawk Down,' 'Flight of the Intruder,' 'Gettysburg,' 'Memphis Belle,' or 'Full Metal Jacket.' "

[robertpaulsen]

I was just about to list that one. Good choice.

[meisterbrewer]

"War Hunt"

Cool, have to check it out.

[Pro-Bush]

Hamburger Hill

[woodyinscc]

You left out Sands of Iwo Jima with John Wayne. A classic!

No one has mentioned "Battle Cry" The story of Huxley's Whores, with Aldo Ray.

[Conservative4Ever]

Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. Yep, I'm a Duke fan.

Red

[buccaneer]

i simply can't beleive nobody mentioned "to hell and back"true as you can possibly get!

[Spyder]

Where's Catch 22?. I don't think I saw M*A*S*H on the list either.

We watch Tora, Tora, Tora on a regular basis.

I'd also list Patton, Gone with the Wind as well as several others that folk have already listed in detail.

[top of the world ma]

Let's see...

A Walk in the Sun - w/Richard Conte, John Ireland '42 Italy
When Trumpets Fade - Battle of the Hurtgen Wood
All's Quiet on the Western Front - w/Lew Ayres '30?
Men of the Fighting Lady - A/C Carrier - Korea
The Flying Tigers - John Wayne based on the story of Claire Chennault
Above and Beyond - Robert Taylor Based on the story of Col. Paul Tibbets and the Enola Gay

Lt. Speirs explains to Pvt. Blithe how to cope with fear.
Ronald Speirs: We're all scared. You hid in that ditch because you think there's still hope. But Blithe, the only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function. Without mercy. Without compassion. Without remorse. All war depends on it.
-Band of Brothers 200l-

[irv]

Many people have made good choices. I'll bet we've missed a few, too. Here's my contribution (in no special order):

• The Guns of Navarone
• Gettysburg
• A Bridge Too Far
• The Great Escape
• The Enemy Below
• Stalag 17

And some movies that were not necessarily "military" movies, but were war-related, anyway:

• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
• No Time for Sergeants
• The Last of the Mohicans (The Daniel Day Lewis version)
• Spartacus

[Trajan88]

Taking in "We've Never Been Licked" and "Patton" the night before the Fighting Farmers of Texas aTm take on the t-sips on/about Thanksgiving-time gets me fired up.

Trajan88; TAMU Class of '88; Law Hall (may it R.I.P.) Ramp 9 Mule; f.u.p.!

p.s. "Heroes of Telemark" is not a bad flick.

[Spyder]

the only other one I have ever used was "Twelve O'Clock High." Twelve O'Clock High is an outstanding tool to explain differing leadership styles.

My husband says they showed that in his Advanced course (for the medical/dental corps) at BAMC (Ft. Sam).

[top of the world ma]

One more thing about The Last Castle:

This movie poster was canceled after 9/ll and another poster was made to advertise the film.

[quietolong]

The Bridges At Toko-Ri
The Bedford Incident
Final Count down. ( they did splash two Jap Zero’s)
In Harm’s Way
Father Goose
Operation Petticoat
Strategic Air Command
Sink the Bismarck
Fail Safe


To name a few I can think of now

Why yes I was in the Navy, How did you guess?

[CyberAnt]

Has anybody ever heard of "The Package".

It's a spy thriller, with a few military intelligence guys and others who try to stop an assination. Very fast moving .. I watch it every time it's on.

It has been playing on Bravo the last few days. You'll love it.

[jwh_Denver]

"The Enemy Below"----fantastic!

Was that with Robert Mitchem commanding a destroyer going against a German U-boat? If so, fantastic is right.

[kitchen]

If you list No Time for Sergeants, can you overlook Soldier in the Rain?

Here's my list:

Stalag 17
The Hill
Highest Honor
Beau Geste
The Four Feathers

[irv]

can you overlook Soldier in the Rain?

Never saw it. The cast is impressive (but I'd say that if the only name I recognized on the entire list was Gleason)! I'll have to see if I can rent it sometime. Thanks!

[jwh_Denver]

I looked through every post but didn't see "Hell Is For Heros". The first film I ever saw that had the brutality of war in it up front and personal.

The movie that hit me the hardest was "Johnny Got His Gun". Very tragic.

[Iwo Jima]

Precision daylight bombing bump.

12 O'Clock High is by far my alltime favorite. I must have ssen it 20 times. I have the "consider yourself dead" speech nearly memorized. So true!

[EternalVigilance]

My favorite: