Diary of a Sergeant

{{short description|1945 film by Joseph M. Newman}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2015}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Diary of a Sergeant

| image = Diary of a Sergeant 3.jpg

| caption = Sgt. Harold Russell in Diary of a Sergeant

| director = Joseph M. Newman

| producer =

| writer =

| narrator =

| starring = Harold Russell

| music =

|studio = Army Pictorial Service Signal Corps

| distributor =

| released = {{Film date|1945}}

| runtime = 22 mins

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

}}

Diary of a Sergeant is a 1945 American short film produced by the United States Army Pictorial Service. It stars Harold Russell, who lost his hands in a military training accident in 1944. The film tells the story of his medical rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C..{{Citation |last=Newman |first=Joseph M. |title=Diary of a Sergeant |type=Documentary, Short |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1772258/ |access-date=2024-08-14 |others=Alfred Drake, Harold Russell |publisher=U.S. Army Pictorial Services, U.S. War Department}}

File:Diary of a Sergeant (1945).webm

After seeing the film, director William Wyler cast Russell in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). Russell received two Academy Awards for his work in the film, becoming the only actor to receive two Oscars for the same role.{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-classic-hollywood-harold-russell-20161130-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=10 December 2016|title=Remembering Harold Russell, the soldier-actor who won two Oscars for 'Best Years of Our Lives' |first=Mark |last=Montgomery}}