As clever as Uncle Larry is I do not possess the words now to communicate to you how impacted Saint Marty and I were by Act of Valor (Valor). If I could think of some phrase to motivate you to see Valor on the big screen I would share it with you. Terms like “can’t miss” – “film of the year” – “five stars” just don’t cut it.
I can’t give Valor a rating. That would be like asking me to rate how I felt when I saw my first man down in Vietnam in an ambush with his intestines all spilled out in my hands. Some things just have to be experienced personally to be understood.
It’s true that some movie goers will be more impacted by Valor than others. I think people who have experienced combat – Veterans – families and close friends of Veterans and people who seriously love, pray for and respect our American Military Men and Women will be moved more than others. When Valor ended they rolled a dedication to the Navy Seals who gave their life in defense of America since 9/11/01. Marty and I just sat there in silence for a few minutes and cried. We hardly said two words on the ride home.
I think it was Sherman who said “War is Hell.” Uncle Larry and other Combat Veterans can tell you sometimes “War is Slow” – days of preparation and inactivity interrupted by moments of sheer terror. It’s fair to say that Valor was slow at times – particularly in the beginning as they filled in the “back story.”
While I won’t rate Valor as a movie I will say the drama – the tension – the feeling of authenticity – the almost unbelievable technology of warfare in 2012 and the sense of bonding that men share in combat could not be better. As my friends Bob and Dolores Wehn in Chicago said when they called last night – urging me to see Valor today – “Larry this movie is an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10.”
Warning: Act of Valor is intense and is not for children or younger teens who may be disturbed by both the reality of the film – the pressures America faces from terrorists today and the need to have a highly skilled fighting and killing machine like The United States Navy Seals.
Uncle Larry
Uncle Larry's Blog 
Glad to hear some input on Valor. I heard its a very intense movie. I think we are going to watch it tomorrow night.
Larry, we saw the movie over the weekend and I couldn’t agree with you more. Thank you for your service many years ago. We all should be thankful that men and women want to service our country in this manner.
We just saw this movie and it was moving. We went with Rachel and Rob (who is in the Air Force). I noticed other military people in the audience and am grateful for their service and yours as well. It is a big sacrifice. I also was moved to tears by the list of seals at the end. Thank you!
Hi, we saw Act of Valor over the weekend with our son-in-law who is in the Air Force and was stationed for a while in Afgan this last year. We thought it was good. We sat in silence as well at the end. Give our greetings to Marty!