In just the past month Hollywood has delivered excellent film portrayals of two legendary soldiers who helped protect our freedoms.

Although separated by more than half a century, the courageous lives of Louis Zamperini in "Unbroken" and Chris Kyle in "American Sniper" have resonated with the American public."Unbroken," the movie directed by Angelina Jolie, opened on Christmas Day to packed theaters, including the one I attended.At the end of our showing, a note on the big screen told of Zamperini's post-war years, including how he returned to Japan as a torchbearer for the 1988 Winter Olympics.The people in our theater erupted in applause, a tribute to Zamperini who died last July at the age of 97.The physical and emotional toll of modern warfare, both on the battlefield and on the home front, are portrayed in the new Clint Eastwood-directed movie, "American Sniper," which has received a coveted A+ rating from Cinemascore and set box office records in its opening weekend.Although liberal critics are trying to paint the movie as a pro-military film, both Eastwood and actor Bradley Cooper, who portrays Navy SEAL Chris Kyle as a special forces sharpshooter, say the movie has no political agenda but is a character study about what the plight is for a soldier.Kyle was gunned down two years ago at a shooting range in Texas by a troubled soldier, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, whom Kyle had befriended and was trying to help.Left-wing filmmaker Michael Moore set off a firestorm when he tweeted that after his uncle was killed by a sniper in World War II, "we were taught snipers were cowards. Will shoot u in the back. Snipers aren't heroes." He ended his rant with a parting shot at the U.S. invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan by stating: "And invaders r worse."Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a conservative commentator, replied with this blunt tweet: "Michael Moore should SPEND a few weeks with ISIS and Boko Haram. Then he might appreciate American Sniper. I am proud of our defenders."More important than achieving box office success or stirring up the liberal left, the movie has affected the lives of Americans who matter most those who are ex-military and their families.Rachael Murray, director of entertainment for the USO of Metropolitan New York, said people in general don't recognize the struggle that soldiers are going through when they come home; how hard it is to talk to their families and what an obstacle it is for them to even talk to their comrades about what is happening.Portraying Kyle in the film also affected actor Bradley Cooper, who has traveled around the country talking to troops and veterans at USO "American Sniper" screenings.Even Taya Kyle, Chris Kyle's widow, credited Cooper for faithfully portraying her husband, stating that the actor was able to absorb all of the complex emotion that a warrior, including her husband, went through.By Jim Zbicktneditor@tnonline.com