Does Platoon Accurately Depict The Vietnam War?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Platoon’s battle sequences were also praised for their believability. A former Marine and technical adviser to military movies, James Dever, claimed that Stone’s movie is unerringly accurate in its depictions of

real-life Vietnam battle sequences

.

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How historically accurate is platoon?

HISTORICAL ACCURACY:

The film does not claim to be a true story

, although Stone made no secret of it being autobiographical in spots. … Barnes and Elias were based on two of Stone’s sergeants, but they were not in the same platoon.

What is the most realistic Vietnam war movie?

  • A Rumor of War (1980) 114 min | Biography, Drama, War. …
  • Platoon (1986) R | 120 min | Drama, War. …
  • 84C MoPic (1989) R | 95 min | Drama, War. …
  • Hamburger Hill (1987) …
  • The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1988) …
  • Rescue Dawn (2006) …
  • A Bright Shining Lie (1998 TV Movie) …
  • Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

What movie best depicts the Vietnam War?

  • 8 Coming Home (1978) …
  • 7 Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) …
  • 6 Born on the Fourth of July (1989) …
  • 5 Platoon (1986) …
  • 4 Full Metal Jacket (1987) Warner Bros. …
  • 3 Apocalypse Now (1979) United Artists. …
  • 2 Hearts and Minds (1974) Warner Bros. …
  • 1 The Deer Hunter (1978) Universal Pictures.

What battle is platoon based on?


New Year’s Day battle of 1968
United States Viet Cong North Vietnam Units involved

Why did Oliver Stone make Platoon?

“It took about a day,” he said in a recent telephone conversation from California, where he now lives and works. Stone’s purpose in making “Platoon”

was to display the horror of combat to a wide and diverse audience, allowing no Hollywood-style evasion of war’s physical and moral destructiveness

.

How many times was Elias shot in Platoon?

His heavily scarred face suggests a guy who’s been around the battle block more than a few times, and the fact that he’s been shot

7 times

, as Rhah tells us, and is still alive makes him seem immortal: “Barnes ain’t meant to die.

Is Good Morning Vietnam historically accurate?

Cronauer has said that the film is

about 45 percent accurate

, according to a biography on Robin Williams.

Is Hal Moore Real?

Harold Gregory Moore Jr. Harold Gregory Moore Jr. (February 13, 1922 – February 10, 2017) was a United States Army lieutenant general and author. … Moore is remembered as the lieutenant colonel in command of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, at the Battle of Ia Drang in 1965, during the American War in Vietnam.

Which is better Platoon or Full Metal Jacket?



Full Metal Jacket’ was the most realistic depiction

of Marine Corps Basic Training ( Boot Camp ). But the 2nd half of the movie was all ‘Hollywood. ‘ “Platoon” was much ‘more’ realistic but still a long way from what day-to-day ground operations were really like.

Is Apocalypse Now historically accurate?

HISTORICAL ACCURACY:

“Apocalypse Now” is not meant to be historically accurate

. None of the events are based on actual happenings. Some bend over backwards to find historical persons in some of the characters, but that is a waste of time.

How many died at la Drang?

In the 43-day Ia Drang campaign,

545 Americans

were killed. Enemy deaths have been estimated at 3,561. It was the greatest loss of American life in the Vietnam War at that point, and a premonition of how determined the enemy was.

Who was the best Vietnam soldier?


Jorge Otero Barreto
Years of service 1959–1970 Rank Sergeant First Class Unit 101st Airborne 25th Infantry 82nd Airborne 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Battles/wars Vietnam War ( WIA )

Who leads a platoon in the Army?

platoon, principal subdivision of a military company, battery, or troop. Usually commanded by

a lieutenant

, it consists of from 25 to 50 men organized into two or more sections, or squads, led by noncommissioned officers.

What happened to O’Neill in platoon?

After collecting an undisclosed monetary settlement,

O’Neill curled his hair and went on to become an Internal Medicine doctor at Sacred Heart Hospital

. He changed his name to Perry Cox and was placed in charge of all the medical residents.

What happens at the end of platoon?

In the closing minutes of Platoon,

the character re-emerges with a big smile on his face, and tells Taylor that they’ll both be sent home as “two-timers.”

Meaning, the U.S. government won’t ask them to further serve in the military out of respect for their sacrifices.

What are they smoking in platoon?

A group of soldiers smoke

Marijuana at their base camp

. The methods of smoking are a pipe, a gas mask, a joint, and a Remington rifle. A group of soldiers drink beer, whiskey (referred to as “Kentucky Windage”), and Southern Comfort during a poker game. A Sgt. is implied to be a heroin user.

What does Chris drop at the end of platoon?

Taylor then drops

his rifle

. He will collapse on sandbags; he is next given medical attention. Interestingly, although not in the script, Taylor is seen on the verge of pulling the pin of a grenade that he found, only to drop it as reinforcements come to Taylor.

Did Oliver Stone see combat in Vietnam?

U.S. Army. In April 1967, Stone enlisted in the United States Army and

requested combat duty in Vietnam

. From September 16, 1967, to April 1968, he served in Vietnam with 2nd Platoon, B Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division and was twice wounded in action.

Why is platoon a good movie?

Platoon was the

first Hollywood film to be written and directed by a veteran of the Vietnam War

. Upon its release, Platoon received critical acclaim for Stone’s directing and screenplay, the cinematography, battle sequences’ realism, and the performances of Sheen, Dafoe, and Berenger.

What is the message in platoon?

The overall message of this movie is that

war is futile

, and the Vietnam War was especially futile. Good people get killed and bad people survive. Good people do bad things.

Why did Elias smile at Barnes?

When Elias is betrayed by Barnes, he still greets him with a smile, as if

satisfied with his ability to operate on optimism despite the tragedies of war

that surround him, and his demise being brought on not by the enemy of war, but the enemy of morality.

Was there really an Adrian Cronauer in Vietnam?


Cronauer died last Wednesday

at the age of 79. In 1965, during the war in Vietnam, he was a DJ in Saigon on Armed Forces Radio hosting a Top 40 radio show called Dawn Buster in which he signed on each morning with the now-famous words, good morning, Vietnam.

Is Good Morning, Vietnam based on Pat Sajak?

Pat Sajak Goes to Saigon

Cronauer was a high-energy DJ and he created a program called

Dawn Busters

, in which he would open every morning segment by shouting, “Good morning Vietnam!” Dawn Busters was the inspiration for the movie Good Morning Vietnam.

Who was the real DJ from Good Morning, Vietnam?


Adrian Joseph Cronauer

(September 8, 1938 – July 18, 2018) was a United States Air Force Sergeant and radio personality whose experiences as an innovative disc jockey on American Forces Network during the Vietnam War inspired the 1987 film Good Morning, Vietnam starring Robin Williams as Cronauer.

Where is the Valley of Death in Vietnam?


Nestled along the border between Vietnam and Laos

is a picturesque valley called A Shau Valley. During the Vietnam War, it contained the famous Ho Chi Minh Trail and was the primary source of men and materials flowing into Vietnam from the north.

What’s better Apocalypse Now or Platoon?

Apocalypse Now focused on the bigger picture and grandiose statements about war and man, while

Platoon

focused more on the loss of innocence and the increasing isolation experienced by young soldiers.

What is written on animal mother helmet?

The inscription “

I Am Become Death

” is written on Animal Mother’s helmet. This is a quotation from the Bhagavad-Gita, spoken by J. Robert Oppenheimer after the explosion of the first atomic bomb at Alamogordo.

Is Full Metal Jacket historically accurate?

HISTORICAL ACCURACY:

FMJ is not meant to be historically accurate

. It is based on a novel, but Hasford was a correspondent in Vietnam and supposedly based the book on personal experiences. The Joker character is apparently based on him. The boot camp segment is realistic as to Marine boot camp in 1967.

Which side won the battle of Ia Drang?

Date November 14–19, 1965 (5 days) Location 13°35′N 107°43′ECoordinates: 13°35′N 107°43′E Chu Pong-Ia Drang complex, Central Highlands, South Vietnam Result

Both sides claimed victory

Who is Brian Siddall?

Brian Siddall,

an independent researcher whose father and uncle served during World War II —

the latter as a paratrooper who was killed during the D-Day invasion of Europe — leveled the allegations against Plumley after an extensive study of his service records. He said he has been doing research for.

What was Audie Murphy highest rank in the army?

Audie Murphy Rank First Lieutenant (U.S.)

Major

(Texas Army National Guard)
Service number 18083707 (as enlisted man) 01692509 (as officer) Unit 15th Infantry Regiment 3rd Infantry Division (US) 36th Infantry Division (Texas Army National Guard)

Which celebrities served in Vietnam?

  • John McCain.
  • Oliver Stone.
  • Colin Powell.
  • Bob Kerrey.
  • Other Famous American Vietnam Vets.

What celebrity served in Vietnam?


Pat Sajak

. Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam.

Is Apocalypse Now an accurate depiction of the Vietnam War?

Although Apocalypse Now is not a historically accurate depiction of the Vietnam War, those who think this film is supposed to be miss Coppola’s point.

Apocalypse Now is a true war story

. O’Brien offers, “In any war story, but especially a true one, it’s difficult to separate what happened from what seemed to happen.

Does the film Apocalypse Now portray war realistically?


Apocalypse now is not necessarily a war movie

, it is a re telling of Conrad’s “Hearts of Darkness” set in Vietnam. It bears no resemblance to the Vietnam war. Probably Oliver Stone’s platoon would work, Stone served in Vietnam.

Did America create the Viet Minh?

Vietnamese: Việt Minh Flag of the Việt Minh Military leader Võ Nguyên Giáp

What did Broken Arrow mean in Vietnam?

On the morning of the second day, the North Vietnamese mounted a massive surprise attack, so massive that Moore used the code word “Broken Arrow” to call in

every means of air support available in

South Vietnam to come to the aid of a battalion that was about to be overrun.

What was the bloodiest battle in Vietnam?


The 1968 Battle of Khe Sanh

was the longest, deadliest and most controversial of the Vietnam War, pitting the U.S. Marines and their allies against the North Vietnamese Army.

What unit lost the most soldiers in Vietnam?

Unit Conflict WIA Harlem Hellfighters World War I 3rd Infantry Division World War II 18,766 1st Marine Division Korean War 25,864
1st Cavalry Division

Vietnam War 26,592

Can a captain be a platoon leader?

Some special units, such as specific aviation platoons and special forces, require a

captain as platoon leader

, due to the nature and increased responsibility of such assignments. Platoons normally consist of three or four sections (Commonwealth) or squads (US).

What rank is in charge of a platoon?

The platoon leader is usually

a junior officer—a second or first lieutenant or an equivalent rank

. The officer is usually assisted by a platoon sergeant. Rifle platoons normally consist of a small platoon headquarters and three or four sections (Commonwealth) or squads (United States).

What rank is a platoon sergeant?

U.S. Army. In the United States Army, a platoon sergeant is usually a

Sergeant First Class (E-7)

and is the senior enlisted member of the platoon.

David Evans
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David Evans
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