- Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
- Born on the Fourth of July offers the complete opposite storyline of Sergeant York. A biographical film about Ron Kovic’s life pre- and post-Vietnam War, a war the complete opposite of World War I. Oliver Stone’s film focuses on a young man who is determined to serve his country and be a hero like his father was in WWII. Kovic’s Roman Catholic family believes in the righteousness of young Ron serving in Vietnam and believes God will watch over him. However, unlike our conscious-objector-turned-war-hero in Sergeant York, Kovic’s war story is not as heroic as York’s. Kovic becomes paralyzed from the waist down in battle and upon returning to the states falls into depression and dedicates his time to protesting the Vietnam War. Born on the Fourth of July dramatizes the horror of war to audiences, the numerous deaths, the long line of caskets and the poorly treated wounded vets with no sense of victory or appreciation. Though in Sergeant York deaths are present, the film is focused on a war hero and a celebration of victory.
- To Hell and Back (1955)
- While Sergeant York is about the most decorated soldier in WWI, To Hell and Back is the film biography of Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier in WWII. By the end of WWII Murphy received two-dozen of the highest military awards issued by France and the United States, including the Congressional Medal of Honor. Although both war heroes went to war for different purposes -- Murphy because he needed to support his younger siblings and York because he was drafted -- both storylines follow the courageous acts of courageous men as they fight off the Germans and enable victory for the United States.
See Also
Black Hawk Down (2001)
The Fighting Sullivans (1944)
The Fighting 69th (1940)
First Blood (1982)
The Patriot (2000)
Patton (1970)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
We Were Soldiers (2002)
