ABSTRACT

While contemporary observers may have understood the late 1990s and early 2000s as two eras marked by pre- and post-9/11, this chapter understands it as one long era that 9/11 and new wars greatly affect. It begins by bringing into relief the version of World War II preferred by Reagan, Brokaw, Ambrose, Spielberg, and Hanks by discussing the counter-point offered by Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line and Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers . The ability for the preferred perspective to reach younger audiences is also discussed through Spielberg’s first-person shooter Medal of Honor and competitor, successor Call of Duty. These simulations and virtual spaces are mirrored by the chapter’s interpretation of the physical space of Ambrose’s National World War II museum. The chapter also includes an interpretation of the Spielberg/Hanks television collaborations, Band of Brothers and The Pacific to show how each both reaffirm and challenge the perspectives offered by their respective Stephen E. and Hugh Ambrose source materials.