Sometimes Private Ryan just can't be saved. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be looking at the most harrowing and heart wrenching deaths that occurred in military films and television shows. As we’ll be revealing character fates, a spoiler warning is now in effect.
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00:00 "I'm on diet."
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be looking at the most harrowing and heart-wrenching
00:10 deaths that occurred in military films and television shows.
00:14 As we'll be revealing character fates, a spoiler warning is now in effect.
00:19 And also, go ahead and grab a box of tissues.
00:23 "I'm scared.
00:26 I'm scared."
00:28 War takes a devastating toll on the innocent.
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01:27 Number 10.
01:29 Nicholas Brody - Homeland It can be said that the white-knuckle thrill
01:33 ride that was Homeland was never the same after the death of Nicholas Brody.
01:38 In fact, Brody was initially meant to be killed off at the close of Season 1, but his character
01:43 was deemed too important.
01:51 It would take three seasons for the Allegiance-conflicted character to meet his end.
01:55 He came at the hands of the Iranian military who served him a death sentence shortly after
02:00 his capture.
02:05 The public hanging is filled with vengeful spectators, but watching behind a fence is
02:11 Claire Danes' Carrie, who desperately calls out to the father of her unborn child.
02:21 To say the heartbreak was palpable would be an understatement.
02:25 Number 9.
02:26 Nick "Goose" Bradshaw - Top Gun It doesn't take long for audiences to discover
02:32 that Anthony Edwards' Nick "Goose" Bradshaw is the opposite of his partner Tom Cruise's
02:37 Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.
02:45 While Maverick is a rebellious hotshot, Goose cares mostly about one thing - his family.
02:51 However, the duo's differing styles make them a perfect match and it's clear their bond
02:56 runs deep.
02:57 They sure have a good time when they're around one another.
03:05 If only the good times lasted a little longer.
03:09 When Goose and Maverick's aircraft gets destroyed in jet wash, the men are forced to abandon
03:13 the plane.
03:15 Unfortunately, when Goose ejects, his head slams into the canopy and is killed.
03:31 The gut-wrenching loss left Maverick and moviegoers in sheer disbelief.
03:37 Number 8.
03:38 Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake - M*A*S*H While M*A*S*H is classified as a TV sitcom
03:45 and had its fair share of funny moments, it was ultimately about the tragedies of an ongoing
03:50 war and naturally, character deaths were inevitable.
03:54 Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake's demise, however, was a complete gut-punch.
03:58 Following news that he can go home and reunite with his family, he proceeds to give heartfelt
04:03 farewells to the unit.
04:15 Shortly after, we learn that Blake died when the aircraft he was riding on got attacked.
04:37 Another random casualty of war, the death, while not shown, has made all the more sadder
04:42 when seeing the other characters' shocked reactions.
04:46 They are barely able to come to terms with the news as they must continue their critical
04:51 work.
04:56 Number 7.
04:57 Sergeant Elias - Platoon Oliver Stone's Platoon is easily one of the
05:02 most impactful war movies ever made.
05:10 And perhaps the Vietnam War epic's most jarring death belongs to Willem Dafoe's
05:14 Sergeant Elias.
05:15 You see, Elias was always able to stick to his morals, even among the unspeakable terrors
05:21 around him.
05:28 In a shocking moment, however, Elias is shot by Barnes, his deceitful comrade.
05:34 Desperate and with every ounce of strength, Elias continues to move, refusing to die.
05:40 It's all for naught, however, as the sergeant is then killed by enemy soldiers.
05:45 All while his friends watch helplessly from their helicopter.
05:54 With his arms held high, Elias' death is as maddening and depressing as they come.
06:06 Number 6.
06:08 Sergeant Warren Muck and Private First Class Alex Pencala - Band of Brothers.
06:13 The critically lauded miniseries Band of Brothers dramatizes the real story of Easy Company,
06:19 a 2nd Battalion 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne.
06:29 In the episode "The Breaking Point", we witness the unforgettable deaths of characters
06:34 Muck and Pencala.
06:36 With constant shells hitting the American position, a bit of breeze shooting between
06:40 Sergeant Muck and Technician George Luz is interrupted when a strike disperses the men.
06:52 Muck and Pencala call to a crawling Luz to join them in a dugout.
06:57 However, as he gets closer, a shell strikes Muck and Pencala and they simply disappear.
07:09 The moment is jarring, shocking and unforgettably sad.
07:14 Number 5.
07:15 Lance Corporal Thomas Blake - 1917.
07:19 In the impeccable World War I film 1917, two soldiers must race against time and cross
07:26 over into enemy territory to deliver a life-saving message.
07:31 However, the mission soon falls to only one of the men, Lance Corporal William Scofield,
07:43 as his friend, Lance Corporal Thomas Blake is tragically killed.
07:48 The sorrow-filled moment happens when Blake tries to save an enemy pilot after his plane
07:52 suddenly crashes.
07:58 When the pilot comes to, he stabs Blake and ultimately ends his life.
08:03 As Blake was trying to save the life of the person who killed him, it makes this fate
08:07 extra sad.
08:09 Adding to the heartbreak, of course, is Scofield's helplessness as he watches his friend die.
08:26 Number 4.
08:28 Captain John H. Miller - Saving Private Ryan.
08:31 Steven Spielberg's classic war film, Saving Private Ryan, is often cited as one of the
08:37 most accurate depictions of wartime, and so the deaths that occur in the film are as authentic
08:47 and upsetting as you'd expect.
08:50 Captain Miller's death, however, is undoubtedly the film's most emotional.
08:55 Shot in the chest and slowly dying, Miller musters the strength to give Private Ryan
08:59 his decisive final message.
09:10 After everything that Miller has done to complete the mission, it's incredibly sad to see him
09:15 pass on.
09:16 Hope remains, but the devastation is tenful.
09:19 The performance would go on to earn esteemed actor, Tao Hanks, a much-deserved Academy
09:24 Award nomination.
09:26 Number 3.
09:28 Smitty Riker - Hacksaw Ridge.
09:31 Based on an incredible true story, Hacksaw Ridge focuses on the World War II experiences
09:36 of Desmond Doss.
09:39 Doss, who refused to carry/use a weapon of any kind, heroically saves numerous lives
09:50 throughout the movie, something he would be greatly rewarded for later.
09:59 Sadly, there was nothing he could do to save Smitty Riker, his friend.
10:13 After being shot by a machine gun, Smitty's fate is all too clear.
10:18 Standing in Doss' arms, no less, the fallen soldier tells his friend that he's scared.
10:30 It's a truly emotional loss, as audiences had gotten to see Smitty's journey and grew
10:35 to root for him.
10:36 However, it's yet another example of the sorrows of wartime.
10:41 Number 2.
10:42 Lieutenant Michael Murphy - Lone Survivor.
10:46 As the title alludes to, there was always going to be just one survivor in this 2013
10:52 Mark Wahlberg-starring military film based on true events.
10:56 And so, when a four-man Navy SEAL mission goes south in Afghanistan, an extraction is
11:02 needed.
11:11 Lieutenant Michael Murphy, played by Taylor Kitsch, is successful in signaling a quick
11:16 response force atop a mountain.
11:19 However, he is upsettingly shot.
11:29 Making this death even more painful is the fact that the rescue helicopter he's sent
11:33 for is taken down by an RPG, thus making his life-ending efforts amount to nothing.
11:47 It's an unforgettably sad and tragic demise, any way you look at it.
12:09 Number 1.
12:10 Albert Crop - All Quiet on the Western Front.
12:14 Based on the 1929 novel of the same name, All Quiet on the Western Front is a German
12:19 anti-war movie that masterfully shows the horrors that took place in World War I.
12:33 And while the ultimate death of our main character, Paul, at the film's close is incredibly sad,
12:39 it's the fate of his friend, Albert, that left us most shaken.
12:43 Albert meets his end in a chilling scene where he's caught in no-man's land.
12:47 The German soldier attempts to surrender, but is instead burned by an opposing soldier's
12:52 flamethrower.
12:53 The look of devastation on Paul's face as he sees his friend die on the battlefield
12:58 is one that will forever be marked in our minds.
13:05 Is there a death in a war film or TV series that completely wrecked you?
13:10 Share your tales of viewing heartbreak in the comments below.
13:23 Did you enjoy this video?
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13:50 Thanks for watching!