Our Top Picks for Must Watch Movies on Pearl Harbor Anniversary

I have always been fascinated with history, even though my grades in History class were a little wet (they were below "C level"). The Civil War and WWII have always got my attention. Growing up, my Dad and I watched a lot of military movies. Some of my favorites were the old ones that dealt with WWII.
People believed that WWII was the end of the world. 81 years ago when Japan invaded U.S. soil, lots of American citizens thought that it was the beginning of Armageddon. The attack on Pearl Harbor is one of the few attacks that has ever taken place on American soil (including the War of 1812, and 9/11). The attack shook the country so badly that we were forced to drop our "isolationism" ideals and declare war on Japan.
Some of my favorite WWII (Pacific theater) movies include:

1) Tora! Tora! Tora!

Released in 1970, this movie featured stories from both sides of the battle and is an amazing movie for its time. My Dad and I have watched this multiple times.

2) HBO's "The Pacific"

Just like the mini-series "Band of Brothers" (which took place during WWII in the European Theater) this mini-series follows the story of a group of Marines all the way from the attack on Pearl Harbor all the way through the Pacific campaign. Directed by Stephen Spielberg.

3) Sands of Iwo Jima

Starring "The Duke" mutha effa! John Wayne plays a Marine during one of the gnarliest battles of the Pacific theater. No matter how old of a movie it is, it is still a must-see.

4) Pearl Harbor

Directed by Michael Bay and starring Josh Harnett, Alec Baldwin, Kate Beckinsdale, and Ben Affleck, this movie follows the story of a group of young military personnel who woke up to the hell of an attack on 12/7/1941.

I would name more, but I think you have your hands full just trying to catch up on the 4 movies I have listed so far.