TV Shows For Memorial Day

To some of us Memorial Day and Veterans Day are interwoven. One is to remember only the fallen and the other is to honor both the fallen and those who returned. A few years ago I posted movie suggestions for  Veteran's Day (and also July 4th) but sometimes I like to watch shows, besides the ones on the History Channel. Since a tv series goes on longer than a movie they are able to build on the characters a bit better. My Father was a Korean War vet and not much of a talker, so getting to sit with him and watch something that we both enjoyed was huge. Here are a few shows about the military I remember watching with him.



I will start with China Beach which ran from 1988 to 1991.  I have always loved the open credit song which is the 1967 song 'Reflections' by The Supremes. This one hour drama (except for pilot and series finale which were both two hours long) is about the everyday lives of men and women that are stationed on an Army base during the Vietnam War. Some of this story lines form the show are taken from actual experiences - which might of touched a little bit too close to home for some but allowed the show to be a place where someone could find a bit of solace that they weren't the only ones with the same experiences.

Now M.A.S.H the tv series is one of those shows that everyone can really enjoy.  This dramedy follows the daily grind of a medical unit (mobile army surgical hospital - to be more exact) during the Korean War. This show originated from the hit movie from the same name (more info in the link above) and kept the opening song 'Suicide Is Painless' but sans the lyrics. This show ran for an amazing 11 seasons and it still holds the highest rated series finale 'Goodbye, Farewell and Amen' with about 120 million viewers.

There are tons of other shows including Hogan's Heroes, Homer Pyle USMC, McHale's Navy and the popular Combat! that you can try. Let me know your favorites.