I love war movies.
Watching war movies has taught me a lot about history, military tactics, politics, sociology; depending on the movie, some of these things were laughably inaccurate, and some were spot-on. But the thing I’ve always been most fascinated by in the war movie genre is not the fighting, rather it’s the personal interactions between the men who fight (and sometimes die) together. These are the scenes that stayed with me long after the credits rolled.
The films always whet my appetite to learn more, and they are the reason I devour non-fiction accounts of battles ancient and modern. It’s also why I write about them. A well-crafted story, with characters you care about, teach us in a way few other devices can, and there are a few noteworthy ones I’d like to share with you. For the next few weeks I will be posting a series of short scenes from my favorite war movies, explaining what they mean to me, and perhaps what lessons we can draw from them. Some of the films include:
Lone Survivor
Gettysburg
Saving Private Ryan
Black Hawk Down
Gods and Generals
The Longest Day
And perhaps more.
Let us begin with Black Hawk Down.
Setting: 1993 Somalia, The Battle of Mogadishu
While participating in a snatch-and-grab raid on Somali warlords, two 160th SOAR Blackhawk helicopters were shot down in a city teeming with heavily armed and angry Somali militia. Over the course of several hours, US Delta Force members and Army Rangers attempted to secure the crash sites and rescue any survivors. The situation quickly deteriorated as dozens of Americans were surrounded by thousands of enemies and had to hold strong points and keep each other alive until help could arrive from the Army’s 10th Mountain Division, and Pakistani UN Allies.
From Black Hawk Down:
One of the common threads among autobiographies from veterans is how they say that when the battle is raging, the big picture takes a back seat. For the soldiers on the ground the fight becomes simply an act of survival, for them and their brothers standing next to them. The entire world becomes very simple: Accomplish the mission, and keep everyone alive.
I think we can take that principle and apply it to every obstacle we face in life. Sometimes the mission will fail, and not everyone will make it out. Keep moving forward, because a new fight is just around the corner and your men need you to engage.
Shall we?
Watch the full movie here on Amazon Prime Video.