What is gained by letting a guest re-open a long dormant thread (As much as I was refreshed by my post of 16 years ago)? Can't we put these to bed and let them open a "Part II".

What to people get out of this practice, which seems to have started up lately?

Now that the thread's open, I'll recommend "Battleground" from 1949 which I believe had a cast including some soldiers who fought in the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge. It has some good drill work at the opening and includes some good period dialogue with a sense of the look and humor of the times.
Likewise "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" which was produced before the end of WWII with excellent performances based on the real participants of the Doolittle Raid.
And of course, "Best Years of Our Lives" which likewise bears the stamp of reality of the times.