Veterans Day Movie Guide: Where to Stream ‘Saving Private Ryan,’ ‘Flags of Our Fathers’ and More

Veterans Day is a federal holiday that honors the men and women who served.

Countless films have been made about their bravery, heroism and sacrifice.

Here are seven films to stream on Veterans Day this year:

“Saving Private Ryan”

Steven Spielberg’s ode to World War II veterans won five Oscars including Best Director for Spielberg — his second — while famously missing out on Best Picture to “Shakespeare in Love.” It is a visceral, emotional story of a group of soldiers, led by Tom Hanks, who are tasked with finding a private after the invasion of Normandy and bringing him home. Through their journey, Spielberg showcases the perspectives of everyone touched by the war, and the many different kinds of soldiers who fought for their country.

“Saving Private Ryan” is streaming on Paramount+ and Fubo.

“1917” (2019)

Sam Mendes directs this harrowing tale of survival. When the British army receives vital intel about German battle plans, two British corporals (George MacKay, Dean Charles Chapman) are tasked with spreading the news. Communication lines down, the two men must travel on foot across enemy lines in a race to deliver the message in time and prevent 1,600 of their fellow troops from blindly walking into an insurmountable attack.

“1917” is streaming on Netflix.

“All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

While told from the perspective of a young German solider during World War I, “All Quiet on the Western Front” is a gripping portrait of war. Paul and his comrades experience firsthand how the initial euphoria of war turns into desperation and fear as they fight for their lives, and each other, in the trenches. The film from director Edward Berger is based on the world-renowned bestseller of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” is streaming on Netflix.

“Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant” (2023)

“Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant” follows U.S. Army sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhall) and Afghan interpreter Ahmed Abdullah (Dar Salim). After an ambush, Abdullah goes to Herculean lengths to save Kinley’s life. When Kinley learns that his interpreter and his family wren’t given safe passage to America as promised, he fights to repay his debt by returning to the warzone to retrieve them before the Taliban can hunt them down first.

“Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant” is streaming on Prime Video.

“Flags of Our Fathers” (2006)

Director Clint Eastwood’s World War II epic is set in February 1945. Even as victory in Europe was finally within reach, the war in the Pacific raged on. One of the most crucial battles of the war was the struggle for the island of Iwo Jima, which culminated with what would become one of the most iconic images in history: five Marines and a Navy corpsman raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi. This is the heroic story of the six American soldiers at the base of that flag — it was followed by companion piece “Letters from Iwo Jima,” told from the Japanese perspective.

“Flags of Our Fathers” is streaming on Fubo TV and Paramount+.

“Pearl Harbor” (2001)

This romantic drama starring Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale and Josh Hartnett is set against the day that would “live in infamy” — the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, launching the United States into World War II.

“Pearl Harbor” is streaming on Hulu.

This new documentary is different from the other films on this list

“The Metal Detector” follows the remarkable story of Georg, an Austrian retiree living in his hometown of Graz, who has picked up metal detecting to unearth remnants of the Allied B-17 that crashed near his childhood home during WWII. The deeper he digs into the history of the wreckage, the more invested he becomes in the stories of the American crewmembers who parachuted into the town — all in their early 20s during the war. His fascination drives him to locate the soldiers’ descendents, unearthing surprising revelations from the day of the crash and the unpredictable fates the soldiers faced in the weeks that followed as they found themselves behind enemy lines.

“The Metal Detector” is streaming on PBS.