In honor of Memorial Day and all American war veterans here are some great feature films that have captured the traumas they face on the battlefield and at home:

• The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000):  A traumatized WWI vet and pre-war promising golfer returns home during the Depression.  He recovers his life and heals from his PTSD through his sport and a “mysterious” caddy.
• The Best Years of Our Lives (1946):  Three WWII vets returning to civilian life find that everything has changed.  Army veteran, Harold Russell who lost both hands in a training accident became the first non actor to win an Oscar for supporting role.
• The Forgotten (2003):  Two tanks get lost behind enemy lines during the “forgotten” Korean War.  A young enlistee has to take command, but can only “escape” the war in his thoughts and drug-induced delusions.
• Forrest Gump (2004):  One of the few “uplifting” tales about the Vietnam War. A great example of the physical and mental healing powers of occupations for many war veterans.
• Brothers (2009):  A man helps the wife and children of his older brother, MIA in
•   Afghanistan to cope with life.  The brother, suffering from PTSD, returns to face his demons and a family he has trouble connecting with.
• The Messenger (2009):  An injured veteran of the Iraq War is reassigned to the Casualty Notification Team where he faces an ethical dilemma and his own emotional scars.

Centra salutes all the brave men and women of America’s wars and the dedicated rehabilitative professionals who work tirelessly to help them return to full and productive lives.