For decades, movies and television have not shied away from the topic of combat and war. Media like “Saving Private Ryan,” “M*A*S*H*” and more have brought history to the big screen in such a crucial way, not only to educate the public but also to engrave the stories of real people and real stories into the lives of young people today.

Recounting events from the past should be more than just an assignment. Having access to these films and shows is a way to spark interest in events from history that society has lost focus on.

Hollywood powerhouses Tom Hanks and Steven Speilberg made history with their first project together, “Saving Private Ryan,” which was released in 1998 and made a name for their partnership. While not only winning the Academy Award for Best Directing in 1999, this film has been credited for being the most accurate portrayal of war by veterans and historians alike.

While this movie is historical fiction and all of the characters and their stories were created by the writers, the plot was inspired by real events and by the “sole survivor” policy. This film has been known for having accurate violent and gory battle scenes that show the impact on the lives of humans and the effect that war has on them. 

Bringing these stories out of history textbooks is essential to connect people to the lives of heroes and moments that have shaped the world that we know today. This media is inspired by real stories and real people, and nearly 80 years later it is more important than ever to understand and realize what people were put into these inhumane conditions. 

Some more recent depictions of history in media have been released on Apple TV+ in 2024.  “Masters of the Air” is the latest collaboration between Hanks and Spielberg and tells the true story of real members of the 100th Bomb Group in the 8th Air Force during World War II. This show, like other collaborations by the duo, does not hold back on showing the entire gruesome truth of what these men went through during the war. Each man was sent up into a deadly experiment that could have been the deciding factor between winning and losing the war.

From the initial release of this show, fans and historians alike have all been enamored with not only the people but also the events that they went through. The pilots and crews during WWII went through such a unique experience that, until then, no person had ever experienced.

World Wars are not the only major historical event that is currently educating the public on formative events. “Manhunt,” released in 2024, is a historical fiction limited series that recounts the events of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination and the chase to catch his killer, John Wilkes Booth. 

Reaching back into the past and telling the story that is explained in the book “Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer” by James L. Swanson, those watching the series are taken through the tragic and thrilling events that followed the first assassination of a United States president. This brings the events out of the history textbooks and intrigues viewers to learn more about the events that they are watching unfold on the screen.

This need for a look back into history is not new. Realizing the true gruesome events that have shaped not only the nation but changed the lives of people around the world is one of the most important things we can continue to do to encourage people to learn more about history. Through these different media outlets, there can be further inspiration to research more about events that may have gotten lost in the hectic recounts of history. 

Many of these events have brought into view the reality of what humans can be capable of. Creating media that highlights these terrible things that people are put through and experience did not start recently. 

“M*A*S*H*,” which was released in 1972, detailed the lives of a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War. However, what makes this specific series stand out is not the time period, but the fact that it was initially filmed while the Vietnam War was still raging on. This show documented the impact of war on people while the U.S. was continually drafting more men to go fight in another war. 

This show was one of a kind when it was released. While it was disguised as a comedy, there was a clear message being told throughout each season, how war impacts humans and humanity. The episodes follow the main characters working endlessly to save the lives of young men that were essentially drafted to their deaths.  

The topic of PTSD or trauma was not widely talked about in society when these episodes were premiering so when the writers were showing the effects of war on the mind, people were finally becoming aware of how damaging these conditions were. 

Shows and films of this nature are necessary to educate the population on the realities of the past while almost acting as a warning. The fact is that if we ignore history, we will be fated to fall into reliving these traumatic and terrifying events once more within the same lifetime. 

These shows are not glorifying the horrors that have been seen by many, but bringing the realities of humanity’s past to the forefront of people’s minds. Many people leave the history lessons behind in school and that will prove to be detrimental for all those who refuse to remember the heroes that are responsible for the lives that people lead today.