Today we honor our veterans who have served this great country. Their incredible valor and service has been portrayed in SO many movies over the years, you may not even know where to begin! I scoured the internet to find the best of the best. Grab your servicemember, a fellow military spouse, or just cozy up on your own tonight to watch one (or 2 or 3!) of these epic military movies.
These are in no particular order of awesomeness, but I have rated them on a scale of 1 to 10 on the Tissue Scale (how many tissues you’ll need: from dry eyes to completely bawling.)
Plus, my favorite quote from every movie. (This part was the hardest for me…there are TOO many amazing quotes…)
1. Hacksaw Ridge
This one is still in theaters! So you’ll have to get a babysitter, but it is well worth it. Hacksaw Ridge is based on the true story of Desmond T. Doss, an American Army Medic in WWII. He is a man who lives and dies by his convictions – he refuses to kill, yet fights with his brothers on the front lines.
Tissue Scale: 9
Favorite Quote:
“With the world so set on tearing itself apart, it don’t seem like such a bad thing to me to want to put a little bit of it back together.”
2. Saving Private Ryan
So, yes, Saving Private Ryan has probably been on every list of military movies since it came out in 1998. But rightly so. This film follows a group of US Soldiers after the Normandy Landings who are on a rescue mission to find a paratrooper behind enemy lines. It’s a story of brotherhood on enemy lines and a mother’s love from the homefront.
Tissue Scale: 8
Favorite Quote:
“You can tell her that when you found me, I was with the only brothers I had left. And that there was no way I was deserting them. I think she’d understand that.”
3. Black Hawk Down
SO good. Definitely a “guy” movie…this movie is actually based on a great book, which details a mission that took soldiers into Somalia to capture two lieutenants. The movie continues the story around the downed US Black Hawk helicopters. You see the horrors of war and the bravery of our great military. Warning: violent, violent, violent.
Tissue Scale: 4
Favorite Quote:
“Nice man, very smooth.” “Single shot through the engine block.” “Shit, that’s a shame. That was a nice jeep.”
4. Dear John
This might be the one you watch if you’re on your own tonight…. Definitely a chick-flick. (I mean, we are talking Nicholas Sparks…) It pulls at those heart strings. Dear John portrays those moments we are all too familiar with. Distance, missing home, love letters, waiting, waiting, waiting, and loving so passionately every time they come home to us.
Tissue scale: 9
Favorite Quote:
“I finally understood what true love meant…love meant that you care for another person’s happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be.”
5. Patton
Not all the best military movies are from the last 20 years! This great film comes to us from 1970. We follow along during WWII and see the life of George S. Patton. Controversy and intrigue, this may be a new one to you, and well worth your time. Warning: It is very long…you may want to break this up over a few nights.
Tissue Scale: 2
Favorite Quote:
“Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.”
