Movies to Salute the Military and Honor the Fallen

Veteran's Day was established in 1918 by President Woodrow Wilson and commemorates the date when the WWI armistice was signed. It's an American holiday created in honor of military veterans. Hollywood has always loved the military and saluted them with films depicting our veterans at home and abroad, and especially American veterans returning home after tours of duty.

In the following documentaries, the lives of various veterans are skillfully displayed with humanity and honesty and show some of the best work in documentary filmmaking.

Restrepo (2010)
Chronicles the 2nd Platoon of Battle Co. as they travel to the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, considered then as "one of the deadliest places on Earth."

Stray Dog (2014)
A portrait of Ron "Stray Dog" Hall, a Vietnam vet, who spends his day contemplating the hazy past while trying to help others cope with their own experiences of war.

Lioness (2008)
Tells the story of the first program in American history to send women into direct combat. They were sent to high risk zones without the proper training that their male counterparts had, yet served with ingenuity and courage as the fewer and the prouder.

Most Honorable Son (2007)
Ben Kuroki, 23 years old, joined the U.S. Army Air Force in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
This film reveals his courage and commitment to serve his country despite anti-Japanese sentiment. He flew 58 combat missions and spoke out against the internment of Japanese Americans.

The Great Escape (2005)
The feature film The great escape was based on this true event. Over six hundred Allied prisoners dug three highly sophisticated tunnels in a plan to escape from Stalag Luft III. On the night of March 24, 1944 two hundred prisoners began their escape. The German guards spotted the seventy-seventh man coming out of the tunnel, but seventy-six prisoners made their escape.

Nanking (2008)
Tells the story of the Japanese invasion of Nanking, China in the early days of World War II and focuses on the efforts of a small group of unarmed Westerners who established a Safety Zone where over 200,000 Chinese found refuge.

Return to Tarawa (2017) 
A World War II veteran returns to the site of a battle in which he took part sixty five years earlier. He learns many disturbing things about that site. The remains of several hundred Americans still lie neglected and forgotten on that island. Also, there is live ammunition scattered everywhere on the densely populated island. Finally, huge piles of garbage lie on Red Beach, hallowed ground, where hundreds of Americans were killed and wounded by Japanese gunfire. Available to download through Hoopla. 

Battle for Midway (2001)
National Geographic follows underwater explorer Bob Ballard as he searches for the aircraft carrier sunk during the Battle of Midway. Available to download through Hoopla. 

Arlington: Field of Honor (2004)
Field of Honor is a documentary which examines the history of one of the world's largest cemeteries, the people who care for the grounds and maintain the facilities, and some of the brave Americans who are memorialized there.

Just to round out the list, here are a couple of the best fictional films about veterans returning home and facing myriad challenges:

Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Truly moving drama about 3 U.S. servicemen readjusting to life back home after returning from the battlefields.

The Messenger (2009)
An army staff sergeant returns home from Iraq as a hero, only to find a strange reward.

What are your recommendations for great documentaries or dramas about veterans coming back home?