Historical Accuracy 2
The U.S.M.C. were stuck North near the DMZ since the beginning of the Democrats demanded "Save the Democracy of the Republic of South Vietnam War".
U.S.M.C. were not trained nor equipped to "Homestead", since WW2 U.S.M.C. only trained and equipped to Assault a Beach Head, hold the Beach Head until the U.S. Army arrived. Unlike the U.S. Army trained to hold ground, usually when building a Firebase, an entire Company of Combat Engineers, Engineers showed up with Bulldozers, backhoes to build the U.S. Army Firebase, the U.S.M.C. were supposed to get the U.S. Navy Seabees that usually did not happen so the U.S.M.C. Firebases on the DMZ were really inadequate against the routine North Vietnamese 122mm Gun (D-74 range 15 miles) and 130mm Gun (range 17 miles) Artillery fires that outranged the U.S.M.C. M101 105mm Howitzers (range 11 miles) that could not reach the North Vietnamese Army Artillery. The U.S.M.C. requested U.S. Army Field Artillery Support so the U.S. Army sent M107 175mm Self Propelled Guns (not short range Howitzers) to U.S.M.C. Khe Sanh, range 21 miles.
U.S.M.C. were NOT U.S. Army Special Forces Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol, and were U.S.M.C. Force Recon, trained to do a different Mission. L.R.R.P.s do Covert Strategic Special Reconnaissance and Strategic Special Surveillance ONLY, NO Enemy Contact.
Nobody else wore our handmade U.S. Army Special Forces Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol "Tiger Stripe" uniforms. Usually, made by mixing "Mogas (U.S. Military Gasoline)" and vehicle flat black paint, and painting Basic Combat Training issued U.S. Army Fatigues (not "Jungle Fatigues"). Reason why "The Tiger Stripes" are horizontal because we were trained to do "the Tiger Crawl (stripes then become vertical, to look like tall grass with shadows in between tall grass)" also back then there were actual tigers at Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, later renamed "the Bear Crawl (doesn't make sense)". Other U.S. Military "Elite" Forces attempted to copy Our U.S. Army Special Forces L.R.R.P. Tiger Stripe Uniforms, and usually failed (they added colors that did not match Area of Operations, defeating the entire reason for Our camouflage).
Even at the beginning of the Democrats Vietnam War, U.S. Military Officers, Senior NCOs NEVER went on Patrols, Officers and Senior NCOs "Leading" from behind started during the Democrats demanded Save the Democracy of the Republic of South Korea War.
I was Drafted, 18, Field Artillery ended up as U.S. Army Airborne (and Air Mobile aka Air Assault), U.S. Army Ranger, U.S. Army Special Forces, U.S. Army Special Forces Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol ("L.R.R.P.") as mentioned that the U.S.M.C. in this movie were L.R.R.P.s but never were. Many that were NOT L.R.R.P.s said we "Volunteered", I was told that I "Volunteered" aka "Voluntold" because my Platoon Sergeant wanted me dead because of a joke I did to him, Field Artillery lifespan 6 months, U.S. Army Special Forces L.R.R.P.s 2 weeks or less. In less than a month after becoming a U.S.A. S.F. L.R.R.P., 18, I was the Platoon Sergeant as those above me, got Killed In Action, or End of Tour "DEROS", nobody wanted the L.R.R.P. Platoon Sergeant position especially the higher Grade/Rank NCOs, 5 Squads of 12, each Squad divided into 4 Team Member L.R.R.P. Teams except 5th Squad, 5th Squad was "the Crash the Party" Squad, as equipped with M-60s, M-3 submachineguns, M-79 Grenade Launchers to bailout any of my L.R.R.P. Teams on standby 2 UH-1 Helicopters to get 5th Squad there, 1 UH-1A "Gunship" (4 M-60s (2x2), 2 pods rockets).
Accurately portrays the Large numbers of Americans of African Ancestry "Drafted", as the Democrats since the Democrats Vietnam War Draft, Ordered the Selective Service to Only Select "The Economically Disadvantaged", an No Democrats that had Democrat Deferments. 1973 Republican President Nixon ordered the Draft to be "Randomized", the Democrats Deferments no longer accepted, so the Democrats had to End the Democrats Vietnam War so that Democrats would not be Drafted, the Democrats of U.S. Congress then Cut all Funding to the Democrats Vietnam War, created Two U.S. Laws to remove the U.S. President's U.S. Constitutional War Powers, Democrats of U.S. Senate Law 1973 War Powers Resolution, Democrats of U.S. House of Representatives Law 1973 War Powers Act so that Republican President Nixon could not use U.S. Constitutional Presidential War Powers to continue the Democrats demanded Vietnam War. So regardless of the U.S. Military and Republic of South Vietnamese Army winning almost every Battle the Democrats cutting the Funding Lost the Democrats Demanded Save the Democracy of the Republic of South Vietnam War.
When I was Field Artillery before I did that joke on the Platoon Sergeant our Firebase supported the U.S. Army Special Forces Firebase at Plei Mei that was routinely over run. 24/7 we had Fire Missions all our Howitzers "firing for effect", U.S. Army Special Forces L.R.R.P.s as Forward Observers and as Combat Air Controllers calling in U.S. Airstrikes on the Ho Chi Minh Trail (Plei Can, intersection of Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam).
The Firebase portrayed in this movie is more like a U.S.M.C. Firebase near the DMZ, as the U.S. Army learned from the mistakes of the French Colonial Empire's Colonies at Indochina, and put the U.S. Army Firebases on Hills and Mountains so that the Vietcong and North Vietnamese attackers had to run up hill. The U.S.M.C. didn't learn and put their Firebases on flat open terrain, and sometimes even in valleys same reason why the French could not defend Dien Bien Phu (French Firebases Beatrice, Gabrielle, Anne-Marie, and Isabelle), located in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains. Somebody mentioned Viet Minh during the Democrats Vietnam War, nope the Viet Minh became the Vietcong after the French left "French Indochina (Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam)" 1954.
Other details, wrong "Load Bearing Equipment" aka L.B.E., we were still using metal canteens with black plastic caps, most L.B.E. was still made of heavy canvas not nylon. U.S. Army tag was gold letters and black background, nametage above right pocket was white cotton web with stenciled black letters, (sniper targets) rank/grade were the gold stripes on both sleeves and shiny brass grade/rank on U.S. Army baseball caps and even helmets for NCOs and Enlisted until beginning of 1970s, after 1970s everything was O.D. Green with black lettering or (grade/rank) black stripes (small pin on grade/rank on collar not large fabric sewn on sleeves) aka "Subdued".
Also the Viet Minh learned after fighting the Chinese, French Colonial Empire, Japanese, U.S. and UN. after WW2, French Colonial Empire, they do NOT attack during the Day. Attack from Evening to Sunrise yes, reason for the black "pajamas". As U.S. Army Special Forces L.R.R.P.s we were Trained NOT to move during "Daylight", only move during rain (Storms, Monsoons), just before sunrise, sunset, the penalty for moving during "Daylight" was doing the Tiger Crawl, reason no movements during "Daylight" all the animals are awake and let everybody know where you are. Nighttime movements only if Mission Strategic, happened too often. We did not talk on PRC-77 (Radio) only "keyed" the button on handset (not Morse Code), due to triangulation by North Vietnamese Army.
Based on what happened to me at Vietnam, I got involved as a U.S. Army Special Forces Officer with the Iran Iraq Wars, and CIA Operation Cyclone, 1980s, and everything else later on as Joint Services Special Warfare (U.S. Army Special Forces, U.S.A.F. Special Operations Wings, U.S.M.C. Force Recon that we made tnto MARSOC, U.S.N. S.E.A.L.s, Agencies).
Entertainment Value 8, just to see all the inaccuracies, and the comments from Non Participants that were NOT U.S. Army Special Forces L.R.R.P.s.
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