--- title: "6 reasons why comm guys hate military movies" description: "Comm guys and military movies don't seem to agree all that well. Here are six pretty glaring examples. Read more on WATM." date: "2022-06-23" modified: "2025-06-30" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/6-reasons-why-comm-guys-hate-military-movies/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Movies and TV" tags: - "Entertainment" - "Movies" --- # 6 reasons why comm guys hate military movies ![comm guys war movies]() *He's not laying down on the job. (Summit Entertainment)* There's a pretty good reason why comm personnel, be they [Signalmen,]() radio operators, or basically anyone responsible for battlefield communications, may not be a fan of watching war movies. It may lead one to wonder: do comms guys hate Hollywood or does Hollywood hate comms guys? See if you can spot it. ## 1. Saving Private Ryan ![saving private ryan comms guy movie]() *HOLE-Y Cow. (Dreamworks Pictures)* Director Steven Spielberg's 1998 war epic "Saving Private Ryan" is the story of a World War II unit detailed to find one soldier whose brothers were killed in combat. Although a work of fiction, the story is [loosely based on a real mission](). But that doesn't really make the comms guy feel better, because he never made it off the beach in the movie's iconic D-Day recreation. There's a reason it's not called "Saving Private Comms Guy." ## 2. We Were Soldiers ![we were soldiers comms guy movie]() *Emphasis on "were." (Icon Entertainment International)* The 2002 film "We Were Soldiers" stars Mel Gibson as the legendary Lt. Col. Hal Moore, who led his less than 1,000 men into combat against nearly 3,000 North Vietnamese at LZ X-Ray during the Battle of Ia Drang in November 1965. The movie, based on Moore's memoir of the battle, depicts five days of combat as the newly created airmobile unit was put to the test in some of the most brutal fighting of the Vietnam War. Less than half the American force emerged from the battle unscathed – and the comms guy above wasn't one of them. ## 3. Hacksaw Ridge ![hacksaw ridge comms guy movie]() *Hold the radio up, not your head. (Summit Entertainment)* "Hacksaw Ridge" is the dramaticized, heroic epic of a real-life soldier who refused to carry a weapon in combat. Cpl. Desmond Doss (played by Andrew Garfield) joined the Army during World War II, despite having a deferment for working at a shipyard. There was just one hitch: he was a conscientious objector and refused to fight. He would, however, serve as a medic to save lives. In fact, he would receive the Medal of Honor for his courage under fire and for the lives he saved. But not even Desmond Doss could save that comms guy. ## 4. Enemy At The Gates ![enemy at the gates comms guy military movies]() *Feels like he could've thrown the spool of wire, but whatever. (Paramount Pictures)* It must have been challenging to be a German comms guy during the World War II Battle of Stalingrad. If the 2001 movie "Enemy at the Gates" is to be believed, the city was just chock-full of Soviet snipers, including one of the real-world greats: Vasily Zaitsev (Jude Law). It would be doubly difficult to be a German comms guy if you were as stupid as the one seen above. Spoiler alert: That was actually a Red Army soldier forcibly disguised as a German comms guy to draw out the Soviet snipers. It's a really great movie. ## 5. Forrest Gump ![forrest gump comms guy military movies]() *This one gets napalmed, too. (Paramount Pictures)* In "Forrest Gump," Pvt. Gump's platoon gets ambushed as they patrol through a particularly dense part of a South Vietnamese jungle. After the shooting stops, Forrest goes in looking for his pal Bubba (Mykelti Williamson), but pulls out the survivors of the ambush first. This unseen radioman was not among those survivors. His remains were later napalmed. ## 6. Even Tropic Thunder ![tropic thunder comms guy military movies]() *This is the greatest war movie ever made. (Dreamworks Pictures)* Dammit. Why do movies hate comm guys so much? ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()