re: Question for combat veterans that actually watch war movies

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Just never was the same.

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It does that to you. I had intended to go into the Corps after college as an officer. My Uncle Dubby was my only family in Baton Rouge while I was in college, and he had ben a Marine in WWII. When I told him I wanted to be a Marine, he told me, "Charlie, if I ever hear you joined the Marines, I'll kill you before they get a chance to do it." It affected him a lot. But, years later, after I had gone Army (yes, I knew without a doubt he wasn't kidding about the Corps), we talked about the elephant we had both seen and I finally understood why he, nor I talk about it much.

The one thing he did say to me one evening at his home in Greenwell Springs was that he thought I had it harder on me because the war he fought actually meant something about the survival of our nation, whereas the shite I'd been sent to do was undeclared, unnecessary, and unconstitutional. That evening's talk was an awakening for me.

As for the comment regarding the smell, I don't even hunt anymore. I used to love deer hunting and cleaning the property of hogs, but I just can't stand the smell of blood anymore. It smells a lot like rust on iron, but there's something else that's almost intangible about the odor. I just can't do it anymore. After talking to some of my superiors years later, as well as some of my subordinates who were NCO's, I find that they have the same feelings.

Our young men are still, to this day, being sent into combat with the idea that they are defending freedom, but the truth is that no one has threatened our freedom or our nation's borders since 1945. My beliefs in maintaining a super-strong military have changed significantly in my years since leaving.

And back to the original question: There are several movies that come close to portraying actual combat. The way to know which ones are most accurate in that portrayal are the ones that you will see veterans leaving when the first combat scene appears on the screen.