There are many good war movies that you could watch for Remembrance Day or Veteran's Day. Over the last week, I've watched "Saving Private Ryan" and "Lone Survivor". Both of them were very realistic as to what happened in those wars. Despite the fact, one was set in France (1944) and the other in Afghanistan (2005). Little was said about  PTSD, although the Tom Hanks' character was suffering slightly from that condition.

In two earlier films, "The Bridge On The River Kwai" and "Attack", I saw how battle stress brought out the worse in soldiers. 

While I enjoyed both Saving Private Ryan, and Lone Survivor, I felt the violence was overdone, especially in Lone Survivor. Mark Warberg's character in the movie was subjected to just about every punishment in war, shot multiple times, beaten, bounced around on rocks, attacked by a snake, and almost beheaded. Despite my personal incredulity, he survived it all.

The ending of Private Ryan was marred by the gross cowardice of a GI the not-so-heroic death of Tom Hanks. It was suppose to end like the Alamo, but it didn't.

The common thread of all these movies is "boots on the ground". (Soldiers in foreign lands getting killed or surviving heroically.)

Troops suffer not only casualties, but psychologically trauma from the loss of their buddies. Added to this is the wilful or collateral destruction of prisoners, civilians and fellow soldiers. 

The bodies of men are ill-suited for war. They damage and die too easily. The experience of loss and injury continue in fellow soldiers, relatives and the general population for many years afterward.

We even have a national day of morning in Canada called Remembrance Day.

With the high-tech weaponry (e.g. CF-35s) that the allies have in the 21st century, it is my hope and prayer that Boots On The Ground will disappear forever.