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Here's 2 that always bug me.
Whenever there's a show/movie involving a carrier the CAG almost always seems to be conspicuously absent; his role in these movies/shows is always filled by the ship's Captain or a squadron CO who (conveniently) doesn't fly anything but a desk. Top Gun is blatantly guilty of this, I couldn't tell if the bald guy who chews out Maverick and Goose in the beginning is supposed to be the CAG (although he's only a Commander or Lt. Commander) or Maverick's squadron's CO. Then you have Behind Enemy Lines where the ship's Captain seems to be running air ops instead of the missing CAG.
The other thing that bugs me are convertible, and often doorless, Humvees. I don't know how many shows or movies where I've seen Humvees driving around without their doors on and often without roofs too. In my time in I never once saw a doorless, much less a doorless and topless, Humvee and my unit dealt with the soft top variants exclusively and so did every other unit I ever saw. Where do these convertible Humvees come from and where did the director/producer ever see one and thought that's how the military configures them?
Speaking of Humvees, that reminds of some B movie that I saw once where it had a crack unit made up of all former trouble makers/gang banger kids, in this movie they're on a mission somewhere getting shot at and their only means of escape was a Humvee. As if the basic premise wasn't ridiculous enough but in order to tie in to their past they have one of the kids make his way to the Humvee and proceed to hotwire it! I laughed so hard when I saw that, it was so obvious that neither the director or the screenwriter had ever been around a real military Humvee before since, as I'm sure most of you already know, there's absolutely no need to hotwire a Humvee, or just about any other military vehicle in order to steal it.
Whenever there's a show/movie involving a carrier the CAG almost always seems to be conspicuously absent; his role in these movies/shows is always filled by the ship's Captain or a squadron CO who (conveniently) doesn't fly anything but a desk. Top Gun is blatantly guilty of this, I couldn't tell if the bald guy who chews out Maverick and Goose in the beginning is supposed to be the CAG (although he's only a Commander or Lt. Commander) or Maverick's squadron's CO. Then you have Behind Enemy Lines where the ship's Captain seems to be running air ops instead of the missing CAG.
The other thing that bugs me are convertible, and often doorless, Humvees. I don't know how many shows or movies where I've seen Humvees driving around without their doors on and often without roofs too. In my time in I never once saw a doorless, much less a doorless and topless, Humvee and my unit dealt with the soft top variants exclusively and so did every other unit I ever saw. Where do these convertible Humvees come from and where did the director/producer ever see one and thought that's how the military configures them?
Speaking of Humvees, that reminds of some B movie that I saw once where it had a crack unit made up of all former trouble makers/gang banger kids, in this movie they're on a mission somewhere getting shot at and their only means of escape was a Humvee. As if the basic premise wasn't ridiculous enough but in order to tie in to their past they have one of the kids make his way to the Humvee and proceed to hotwire it! I laughed so hard when I saw that, it was so obvious that neither the director or the screenwriter had ever been around a real military Humvee before since, as I'm sure most of you already know, there's absolutely no need to hotwire a Humvee, or just about any other military vehicle in order to steal it.
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SFC William "Bill" Moore
We did operate our without doors, but never without the top. Now back in the day of the M151 Jeep, that was a different story!
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SGT Randall Smith
We drove the old Jeeps and when in Germany we always had the top on and in the winter the doors. In Nam we sometimes had the top on but not always. And we never had the sides on. They were easier to jump out of if needed. When we went to Can Tho, Bn HQ the jeeps all had the tops and most had the doors on.
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CPT Brad Wilson
We would take the doors off all the time but never the top but they were to old plastic doors. Left them on when we got the hard top ones and it was hard to open let alone remove the armored doors
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Pretty much every movie...with some notable exceptions (Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down) but even then...from how to salute to how to hold a weapon to people just walking away from explosions, overturned vehicles or getting 'knocked out' etc.. Who do they get to provide military expertise...COL Klink? It is the same with medical stuff. Been a nurse a very long time. I have never said "We loosing him!" Then again..Hollywood is entertainment..not reality.
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SSgt James Tadlock
Col O'Connell. Sir your last statement nails it, "Then again..Hollywood is entertainment..not reality.
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the missing chain of command. how many times have you seen a major lead a squad consisting of a sergeant and 10 privates? no junior officer platoon leaders, no other senior or junior NCOs, no other squads or platoons. it's like every unit is based on some incorrect Special Forces A-team TO&E. (and i give "Saving Private Ryan" a pass on this even though it illustrates my point, because they do try to at least explain it away.)
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Where do I begin? LOL
Let's see... The inability to get uniforms put together correctly, whether it be rank insignia on the epaulets, insignia of units that have never left CONUS worn on the right shoulder, ribbons on the right side of the uniform, etc, etc... You'd think that the folks in costuming, at least, would have reference material on uniforms.
Of course, everything that explodes has to involve a huge fireball. (How come we never got the grenades that did that?)
Then, there's the guy with a pistol, firing from the passenger seat of an M151 while bouncing down a dirt road and picking off people a hundred yards away. And, of course, the impact of a pistol or rifle round knocks them through the air and back ten yards.
Saluting... Don't even get me started.
Same with hair cuts.
Of course we always seem to see the Generals who hang on every word from a civilian they've just met and are ready to cancel operations because the civilian doesn't think it's a good idea. Or they're ready to attack because the civilian told them to. Either that, or it's a General/Admiral who is ready to go rogue and launch an attack despite being told to wait for further information and orders. Part of the Hollywood problem there is a need to portray everything as black or white, with most of the shades of grey and finer nuances left out, and a complete absence of understanding of the command structure.
It's not just a Hollywood problem, though. Stage plays and performances can be even worse. A couple years ago, I watched a performance of Rossini's "Cenerentola". In the last scene, the prince came out in his dress uniform, set in the 1700s, and after looking at him for a moment, I realized he had the same medals I have.
Let's see... The inability to get uniforms put together correctly, whether it be rank insignia on the epaulets, insignia of units that have never left CONUS worn on the right shoulder, ribbons on the right side of the uniform, etc, etc... You'd think that the folks in costuming, at least, would have reference material on uniforms.
Of course, everything that explodes has to involve a huge fireball. (How come we never got the grenades that did that?)
Then, there's the guy with a pistol, firing from the passenger seat of an M151 while bouncing down a dirt road and picking off people a hundred yards away. And, of course, the impact of a pistol or rifle round knocks them through the air and back ten yards.
Saluting... Don't even get me started.
Same with hair cuts.
Of course we always seem to see the Generals who hang on every word from a civilian they've just met and are ready to cancel operations because the civilian doesn't think it's a good idea. Or they're ready to attack because the civilian told them to. Either that, or it's a General/Admiral who is ready to go rogue and launch an attack despite being told to wait for further information and orders. Part of the Hollywood problem there is a need to portray everything as black or white, with most of the shades of grey and finer nuances left out, and a complete absence of understanding of the command structure.
It's not just a Hollywood problem, though. Stage plays and performances can be even worse. A couple years ago, I watched a performance of Rossini's "Cenerentola". In the last scene, the prince came out in his dress uniform, set in the 1700s, and after looking at him for a moment, I realized he had the same medals I have.
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SGT Randall Smith
There was a movie years ago with Steve McQueen where he was climbing the fire escape ladder and got shot in the shoulder from a 45ca. He shook it off and continued to climb to the top and go over the roof. He then ran to escape. I've seen guys hit with a 45 round and that pretty well ruined their day.
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Crimson Tide. All of it. What ship in the fleet has those stupid blinky rotating lights, and for a ship that's supposed to spend it's service life making like a hole in the water, they sure did have a lot of loud alarms, klaxons, and unnecessary 1MC announcements.
Also, the sub wouldn't have lost propulsion like that. I can tell you why, but then I'd have to kill you.
Also, NCIS any time they try to do anything aboard ship. They just get it so very, very terribly wrong. Well actually, they get NCIS's job so very, very terribly wrong. Also, field offices in Los Angeles and New Orleans? Don't they mean Seal Beach and Pensacola?
Also, the sub wouldn't have lost propulsion like that. I can tell you why, but then I'd have to kill you.
Also, NCIS any time they try to do anything aboard ship. They just get it so very, very terribly wrong. Well actually, they get NCIS's job so very, very terribly wrong. Also, field offices in Los Angeles and New Orleans? Don't they mean Seal Beach and Pensacola?
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CPO (Join to see)
I wasn't a Submariner, but in Crimson Tide didn't the COB have a gold officers band on his combination cover?
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I have two things that really tick me off: I love NCIS, but why do they always have to make the soldier's berets unformed and improperly fitting. I am really tired of the Army looking stupid on TV or movies. I don't care whether we like or hate the beret, it's a uniform and we are supposed it wear it well. The other is the ribbon / medal order (tons of websites to get things in order pretty easily) and protocol / salutes / etc.. The end of the credits always list the 'military adviser'. Where did they find this guy and how does he not know military bearing, military custom and courtesy, and everything else military. How can I get that job so I can make sure it is all done correctly?
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CSM Curt Tipton
Advisors on military films are often ignored. I had a minor role in the film "The Lost River" about the Anaconda Plan in the War Between the States. In one scene, the director had General Lee and General Jackson drinking a toast with President Davis. In spite of being told over and over that the two Generals did not EVER drink liquor, he went ahead with the scene. Further, in the scene showing the bombardment of Fort Sumter, the artillery pieces were 6 pounder mountain howitzers and 12 pounder Napoleons, not the larger caliber guns that fired from the Charleston battery.
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1LT (Join to see)
CSM Curt Tipton Lt Col (Join to see) Thanks for replying to me! I agree with your comments and always assumed that was the case, but it drives me crazy: A) Why have an adviser in the first place B) It damages the advisers reputation when the film is wrong (because most people in service will assume they did not know what they were advising rather than the production house ignored the advice.)
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Lt Col (Join to see)
I don't know if I have the right answer. If people saw how movies are made, its sort of a controlled chaos. There are lot of moving parts trying to piece the thing together. No lie the production industry is a ego driven business. You play a delicate balance to explain how things supposed to be done, but you are talking to a director who has the final say. On the movie I worked on, the director wanted the set and uniforms to look accurate and they were. There were some things left in the script that I kind of cringed at. Luckily I was able to get a lot of stuff changed that was way incorrect or out in left field in reality. I was kind able to use the lead actors in helping to facilitate this, by letting them know their line sounded stupid. Actors have their egos's and they do not want the nasty tweets of saying something ridiculous. So there are ways get around stuff. Sometimes the director had a line that he thought was so awesome he had to keep it in their. We have to realize there will be embellishing and creative licence to make things more dramatic in real life. There is that.
What I personally get annoyed at is if a show has a military person involved in a specific episode. I get annoyed when they make someone who is a figure authority like field grade officer or GO barking orders and being a gruff hard ass. Recently I saw an episode of Blue Bloods, where they had interaction with an Army Major character. That Major was basically being a complete over bearing unrealistic person in the way an officer would be liaising with a civilian law enforcement agency. Its like no, this is not how this guy would be acting in real life. They wanted that drama of two agencies fighting for jurisdiction.
What I personally get annoyed at is if a show has a military person involved in a specific episode. I get annoyed when they make someone who is a figure authority like field grade officer or GO barking orders and being a gruff hard ass. Recently I saw an episode of Blue Bloods, where they had interaction with an Army Major character. That Major was basically being a complete over bearing unrealistic person in the way an officer would be liaising with a civilian law enforcement agency. Its like no, this is not how this guy would be acting in real life. They wanted that drama of two agencies fighting for jurisdiction.
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1LT (Join to see)
Lt Col (Join to see) - I know the exact episode you are referring to. I worked liaison during Operation Garden Plot - JTFLA (LA Riots). We worked with law enforcement and never spoke to them with anything but proper courtesy ... called the officers sir or ma'am regardless of rank. Why do TV Dramas want us to look like dicks all the time, I will never know. It is either hard asses or incompetent, never in between.
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Not annoyed; simply bemused. The 54th Mass is moving out and a young, 1860's slave (or now "former" slave) is waving an enthusiastic farewell while wearing a digital watch on his wrist; oops. Great movie/minor mistake; no problem.
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PO3 John Wagner
LCpl Leo Morrissey - Are you absolutely sure it was a watch? Possibly a wrist sundial...if a movie still can be acquired I think a certain amount of enhancement might reveal a pointer which folds down into the face of the watch.....good catch anyway LCpl..
I admire that level of attention to detail.
I admire that level of attention to detail.
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PO3 John Wagner
Always check your work. Think twice remove once...the only reason I believe it is possibly not an anachronism is that a small amount of trade with the Japanese had been established by that time.
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LCDR Glenn Adwell
In the movie "Gettysburg" they had the opposite problem. When the men took off their wristwatches, they had no suntan there!
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I personally love that mandarin collars are always up and velcroed.....of course you can see that on any USAA ad as well.....
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"Top Gun" again. This is Dr/Phd Whatshername, she'll be teaching you aerial combat, albeit she is not a combat pilot. Now I know you've all been in the service longer than 6 seconds, but she is a civilian so you don't have to salute her. They can be trusted with multi-million dollar aircraft, but they have to be told who to salute?
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PO3 Donald Murphy
Yeah...a better bullshit story would have been having her be a young senator/congressperson newly elected and wanting to make cuts to the air fleet and visiting the base on a whim.
Maverick wanting to screw everything that moved was correct tho. In fact, in reality, he'd probably have boned Meg Ryan after consoling her... And as she knew about the Admiral's daughter in the cockpit, I'd reckon she knew a little "more" about Maverick if ya know what I mean...
Maverick wanting to screw everything that moved was correct tho. In fact, in reality, he'd probably have boned Meg Ryan after consoling her... And as she knew about the Admiral's daughter in the cockpit, I'd reckon she knew a little "more" about Maverick if ya know what I mean...
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