It is tough to order family and friends into "harm's way."

As a retired army officer and an adjunct history professor I thought it was important to review what I consider the best war movies depicting the challenges of leadership and the command of men.
 
"In Harms Way" is one of the best movies at depicting how a good leader puts the mission before his personal relationships, even when it involves family and good friends..  Captain Rockwell Torrey (John Wayne), and Commander Paul Eddington (Kirk Douglas), are part of the Navy's effort to retaliate for, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Torrey is romantically involved with nurse Maggie Haynes (Patricia Neal), and also tries to restore his relationship with his estranged son, Jeremiah, a young Naval officer.

I always liked John Wayne in war movies more than in westerns.  I love the tensions the movie sets up between Wayne's character who was an absentee father and his son who resents his father’s involvement in his life.  Also, Wayne's friendship for Douglas vs. the duty of a superior disciplining a subordinate.  A classic war movie that should be viewed by all who like the genre.