Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.
1) Honor Flight
A couple years ago I found myself sitting in my in-laws’ living room with some family, including my wife’s Grandpa. He is in his mid 90s now, stolid and profoundly midwestern, and a veteran of the Korean War. We were doing the “what should we watch” routine where nobody suggest anything and everyone defers to everyone while one person aimlessly scrolls through streaming services. Finally we stumbled upon this documentary and someone said, “Oh, I heard this was good.” Grandpa nodded, so we watched. An hour later I was in tears and things seemed to be a bit dusty on Grandpa’s side of the room too. Honor Flight chronicles the efforts of a group of good-hearted people to fly surviving WW2 veterans to France to visit Normandy (and other sites) one last time. Throughout you hear parallel stories, one from the group seeking to organize and fund the fights and the other from the veterans who are being honored. They are such normal great men. It is beautiful and moving and powerful in a human, relational way. It truly honors men worthy of honor and recognizes the efforts of those who love them. On this memorial Day weekend, take the time to watch this short documentary. You’ll be glad you did.
2) Band of Brothers
I have shared this previously, but in honor of Memorial Day weekend I am sharing it again.
I cannot think of a better series or miniseries to have graced the small screen. Band of Brothers is one of the rare adaptations for screen that is notably better than the book (in this case, the exceptional book by historian Stephen Ambrose) because it captures the emotions, thoughts, and human relationships of war in a unique way. There are plenty war movies or shows that successfully tell stories of campaigns or heroism or focus on a particular leader. Band of Brothers does all that excellently, but almost in passing, as it tells the story of Easy Company from D-Day to Hitler’s lair (spoiler alert: the allies won). It is deeply human in the full range of emotions and experiences. It captures friendship and brotherhood in a rare way. It shows how normal men become heroes and how reluctant heroes become great leaders. And it depicts the horrors of war without gratuity or reveling in violence and gore. This is one of those series that I revisit every few years and enjoy it more and in new ways each time.
3) Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes
While the first two items on this list are heroic and celebratory and, this book remembers a different side of soldiering. Marlantes, a Vietnam War veteran himself, tells a story of bravery, futility, bitterness, betrayal, and confusion. It is fiction but encapsulates so many accounts and experiences of Vietnam as to ring true. It is a powerful story and wonderfully written. Matterhorn isn’t a book of anti-heroes or propaganda but rather a story that shows the moral confusion of war and the plight of soldiers treated as pawns. They are not less heroic for their war having been less just. They are simply less remembered.
