Within the last few months, a few of my favorite movies have aired on television: Platoon; Full Metal Jacket; and Saving Private Ryan. If you have missed any one of these films, see it as fast as you can.
Each one pierces into an experience that the overwhelming number of us luckily have never known. War is not glamorous, and these films reflect that stark reality -- offering gritty, complex, and honest depictions of the physical, mental, and spiritual toll of war.
Safe in our cineplexes and home theaters, these films – and others -- allow us glimpses into experiences of absurd horrors and extraordinary acts of bravery and sacrifice.
But as the end credits roll, we can rest in the reality that it was only a movie -- carefully constructed representations of an experience one can only truly understand by living it: the sound of bullets, grenades, and bombs; the taste of meat from a can after a long march; the feel of shrapnel; the sight of a buddy’s severed body next to you; the smell of death in the air; the joy of making it home; and the regret for those who didn't.
Today we all should take a moment to truly consider what the sacrifices of those women and men in uniform mean for us. If the closest any of us can get to that is through a film, so be it.
To all the women and men who have died in combat and their families, I express my sincerest gratitude and respect. Thank you for your sacrifices.
I am Joseph Flynn, and that is my perspective.
