On Memorial Day, we honor the Americans who have died protecting and serving this country in the Armed Forces of the United States of America. It is a time when all of us should—no matter who we are, where we come from, or where we fall along the political spectrum—forget about politics and our differences and remember those who gave the last full measure of devotion to our great republic and remember what unites us as a people.  Memorial Day became an official holiday in 1971, but it started in 1868 as Decoration Day. It began as an effort to remember those who died in the Civil War, the bloody brother-against-brother conflict that killed and wounded more Americans than any other war in our history. In fact, it was because of the Recent Unpleasantness Between the States, as it was sometimes referred to by gentile Southern ladies, that we established the first national military cemeteries like Arlington Cemetery in Virginia.    The idea of decorating those sacred grave sites with flowers and reciting prayers for the fallen is attributed to General John A. “Blackjack” Logan. Logan was a Union Army general from Illinois who fought at Bull Run and numerous other battles. He became the head of a Union Army veterans’ group after the end of the war.  All of us celebrate Memorial Day in different ways. But as an aficionado of classic Hollywood movies, I have put together a list of war movies that may be fitting to watch this Memorial Day Weekend. I limited my choice to six movies that you can cover in a binge watch in one day. They were hard to choose because Hollywood has made so many. The one factor common to all these films is that they are all based — although sometimes very loosely—on real incidents.  Since Decoration—now Memorial — Day was started to commemorate those who died in the Civil War, I am starting with two movies about that conflict.  The Civil War  “The Horse Soldiers”—This 1959 movie by the great director John Ford stars John Wayne and William Holden. Wayne plays the colonel in charge of a Union cavalry brigade sent on a raid deep behind Confederate lines to destroy a railroad supply depot that is helping Vicksburg resist General Ulysses S. Grant’s siege. Holden plays the surgeon assigned to accompany the brigade who is in constant conflict with Wayne. Along the way, they pick up the mistress of a Southern plantation who is forced to accompany them after she overhears their plans, as they are pursued by Southern forces.    The movie is based on the daring 1863 cavalry raid led by Colonel Benjamin Grierson that destroyed Confederate supply lines from Tennessee to Louisiana during the Vicksburg campaign. A terrific movie with an ending you’ll always remember.  “Gettysburg”—This 1993 movie is probably the most realistic portrayal of what happened in the pivotal battle of the Civil War. It not only has an all-star cast, including Tom Berenger, Sam Elliott, Jeff Daniels, Martin Sheen, and many others, but parts were actually staged on the Gettysburg Battlefield, the first time a movie about the battle was ever filmed there.    That included filming in the Devil’s Den and on Little Round Top, locations I have visited that sent shivers down my spine as I thought about those who fought and died there. One of the reasons the movie is so good is because it is based on the outstanding book written by Michael Shaara, “The Killer Angels.”  World War I  “Sergeant York”—The 1941 movie about the real Sergeant Alvin York was directed by Howard Hawks, one of the top directors of Hollywood’s Golden Age. It stars Gary Cooper as the poor Tennessee farmer, a crack shot, who became one of the most decorated soldiers of World War I, including receiving the Medal of Honor, despite starting out as a conscientious objector due to his religious beliefs.   The movie about how York went from the back hills of Tennessee to the bloody battlefields of France is actually based on his diary. The modesty of York that Gary Cooper portrays in the film was also a reality. York was so resistant to a film being made about him that he was only persuaded after Hawks agreed to help fund a small Bible school in his hometown in East Tennessee.  World War II  “They Were Expendable”—Director John Ford made a movie in 1945 about the little-known exploits of a PT boat squadron in the Battle of the Philippines in 1941-1942 that fought against overwhelming Japanese naval forces. It stars John Wayne and Robert Montgomery portraying two real PT boat commanders, one of whom won the Medal of Honor. Montgomery himself actually commanded a PT boat during the war.  The movie, shot with a semi-documentary feel, includes the evacuation of General Douglas MacArthur and his family from the Philippines by PT boat before the U.S. Army’s surrender to the Japanese.  “Twelve O’Clock High”—With this 1949 movie directed by Henry King, we move from the naval war in the Pacific to the air war in Europe. The film tells the story of B-17 bomber crews flying out of England over Nazi-occupied Europe. It stars Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe, and Dean Jagger. The story and the characters are based on the real exploits and officers of the 306th Bomber Group of the 8th Army Air Force, which suffered very high causalities and whose young crews experienced severe mental, emotional, and physical stress and trauma. The movie spawned a TV show that ran from 1964-1967. This tense movie gives you a taste of what these brave young Americans went through to help win the war in Europe.  Korea  “The Bridges at Toko-Ri”—This movie about the air war in Korea and a mission to destroy heavily defended bridges in North Korea was made in 1954, only a year after the war ended. It stars William Holden, Grace Kelly, Fredric March, and Mickey Rooney as a helicopter pilot charged with rescuing downed pilots. Holden plays a reserve Navy officer called back to duty as an aviator.   Veteran actor Fredric March, as the admiral in charge of the Navy Carrier Task Force, has a memorable line for Holden, who resents being forced to leave his civilian job, a line that every veteran can appreciate: “All through history, men have had to fight the wrong war in the wrong places, but that’s the one they’re stuck with.”    The movie is based on a book by James Michener, who based his book on attacks carried out during the winter of 1951-1952 on railroad bridges at Majon-ni and Samdong-ni in North Korea by Navy pilots flying off the USS Essex and USS Oriskany.   Vietnam  “We Were Soldiers”—Forget the movies everyone refers to when talking about Vietnam like “The Deer Hunter” or “Apocalypse Now.” The best and most realistic movie about Vietnam according to veterans I have spoken with is this 2002 movie starring Mel Gibson and Sam Elliot, directed by Randall Wallace. It is a true story based on a riveting book, “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young,” written by Lt. General Hal Moore and former UPI reporter Joseph Galloway. Moore was the commander of one of the first Army Air Cavalry Units and the movie follows him and his men from their initial training in the states to the Battle of la Drang on Nov. 14, 1965.    Moore and his 400 men were dropped into the la Drang Valley, unaware that there were over 4,000 veteran North Vietnamese army troops there. Galloway actually went in with Moore and was awarded a Bronze Star for his gallantry—as a reporter—for helping wounded soldiers. The movie depicts the ferocious battle that ensued, with the American troops coming close to being overwhelmed by enemy forces, and captures both the horror, and the gallantry faced and displayed by both sides.  None of these movies glorify war. What they do is show the courage, bravery, and sacrifice of American soldiers, often against great odds and under horrific conditions, in many different eras through many different generations. They illustrate the moral dilemmas faced by men who didn’t like violence, didn’t want to kill, but were forced to do so in order that the greater good would triumph over the evils of their time.  My salute goes out today to the many Americans all over the world in our military who are the guardians at the gates, standing at their posts, protecting our homeland while we peacefully enjoy our homes and families and commemorate their brothers and sisters who protected us in the past.  May God Bless America.  The post Memorial Day and Hollywood appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The following article, Why Is The U.S. Being Hit By One “Apocalyptic Disaster” After Another Right Now?, was first published on Conservative Firing Line. Have you noticed that America has been getting pummeled by a series of major natural disasters in recent days?  Dozens of immensely powerful tornadoes have carved trails of destruction across the middle of the country, Chicago was just hit by an “apocalyptic” wall of dust, and a plague of millions upon millions of crickets is … Continue reading Why Is The U.S. Being Hit By One “Apocalyptic Disaster” After Another Right Now? ...

Variety recently published an article asking: “Does being a Morgan Wallen fan make you MAGA?” That’s the wrong question. A better one might be: Does listening to Morgan Wallen still make you a country fan? It’s a valid question. Here’s why. There was a time, not that long ago, when country music actually sounded like country. No algorithmic doubt. No Spotify crossfade. The twang was unmistakable. The stories were raw. You’d hear about a heartbreak, a hometown, a broken truck, a cold beer. Simpler times, sure. But unmistakably country. Fast forward to now, and try telling me with a straight face that Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help” is country. Yes, it’s catchy. Yes, it topped country charts. And yes, it’s got the aforementioned Wallen growling somewhere in the background. But let’s be brutally honest: it’s not country. It’s pop with a bolo tie. Just like Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” wasn’t country, despite the banjo. Just like half of what comes out of Nashville these days is more suited to a Peloton playlist than a porch swing. (RELATED: Is Post Malone a Good Role Model?) What we’re witnessing isn’t just evolution. It’s erasure. Country music, once rooted in place and pain, is being disassembled in real time. We can trace the descent. Country was once regional. The sound of Appalachia. Of coal dust and calloused hands. Hank Williams gave way to Johnny Cash. And Cash passed the torch to Willie, Waylon, and Merle. These were outsiders. Rebels. Poets with real guitars. Then came the Garth Brooks era — the stadiums, the staged spectacle. Country went mainstream, but it still had dirt under its fingernails. (RELATED: The Appeal of ‘Richmond’ Extends Beyond the Small Town) Then came the early 2000s. Shania. Faith. Tim. The crossover era. Country started flirting with pop, and pop flirted back. But there was still a line. Taylor Swift danced on that line before hopping off it entirely. Now, however, there is no line. The charts are dominated by songs that use country like a seasoning, not a base. “Country” has become a marketing tag, a sonic suggestion. As long as there’s some degree of drawl, a slide guitar tucked in the back, or a rural-themed lyric, it counts. Even if it sounds like it was cooked up in the same lab as a Katy Perry single. It’s not that these songs are bad. Post Malone’s “What Don’t Belong to Me” is a rather decent track. Beyoncé can do anything she wants musically, and she’ll nail it. But the point isn’t talent. The point is genre identity. Once a genre loses its core — its tone, its structure, its values — it becomes unrecognizable. If in doubt, just ask rock. Once the swaggering voice of rebellion, Rock is now a ghost. Technically, it exists. But where? Who? The genre that gave us Nirvana, Zeppelin, Hendrix, and The Clash now limps along as a brand category for people in H&M leather jackets. You could win a Grammy for Best Rock Album today and still be someone no human being has ever heard of. And I fear country is heading the same way. If this trend continues, a decade from now, “country” could mean almost anything. A trap beat with a mandolin. A dancehall track with cowboy boots in the video. A synthpop ballad about a farm, written by a Swedish AI and sung by a hologram in a hat. And critics will hail it as “genre-bending brilliance.” Because that’s what they always say when they don’t want to admit the genre’s dead. It’s not necessarily about keeping country pure. It’s about keeping it honest. Country music doesn’t need to sound like it’s from 1955. But it should sound like it comes from somewhere. And right now, most of it sounds like it was born in a boardroom and tested in a focus group. There’s a reason so many Americans, especially rural Americans, feel culturally displaced. It’s not just the politics. It’s the sound. The stories. The slow fading of things that once felt like home. (RELATED: Oliver Anthony’s Army Is Here to Stay) So, what’s left? Of course, there are still real country artists out there. There are musicians like Zach Bryan, Colter Wall, Charley Crockett, and Sierra Ferrell, scratching at something honest, picking guitars instead of dragging samples. But they’re swimming upstream. Because in the current landscape, the algorithm rewards the hybrid. The market wants the blend. The industry wants whatever sells in both Nashville and L.A. at the same time. And so country music, once grounded in place, is floating into abstraction. Like rock before it. Like jazz before that. One day, kids might learn about country the same way they learn about swing or surf rock — as a historical footnote. A niche. A playlist. A vibe. And when that happens, no twang in the chorus will be enough to bring it back. READ MORE from John Mac Ghlionn: How the BBC Dehumanizes Men The Southern Poverty Law Center Is the Real Hate Machine Confessions of a Jimmy Fallon Fan The post What the Hell Happened to Country Music? appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.