QCould any USMC recon platoon in the 80's really have been so messed up and undisciplined?
AYes and no. It stretches credibility to think that an entire squad of recon Marines who are lacking an effective staff NCO to lead them would dare to have become so reckless and undisciplined in such a short time. Even without the leadership of a staff NCO who would be in pay grades E-6 through E-9, we would figure that the platoon leader being a 2nd or 1st lieutenant would have assigned a staff noncommissioned officer on an interim basis, at least until a permanent staff NCO could be assigned to take charge. So in essence this part of the script took a lot of liberties to create entertaining drama and to set up the impending conflict between Gun. Sgt. Tom Highway and his new recon unit of reckless and undisciplined Marines. Of course the unit got so reckless during the lull of peacetime and without being deployed to fight any real enemy so then we can imagine that they got so out of line due to the ongoing boredom of their situation. Plus nobody was available to take charge of them until they got Gunny Highway to take command.
QWhy didn't Highway let the MPs arrest Swede after he assaulted Highway?
AHighway knew that Swede let himself be influenced negatively & be used by the other guys in his platoon. Highway probably sensed that Swede was a much better Marine & not simply a muscle-bound thug & was giving him an opportunity to shape up & "become a Marine".Also, Swede's quite plainly the biggest guy in the platoon & Highway knew he'd be needed if they suddenly had to go into combat. We later see that Swede is the member of the platoon charged with carrying the M60 machine gun, a large & heavy weapon with a lot of firepower. If Swede wound up in the brig (military jail), then the platoon would be short an important member in combat & possibly less effective.
QIsn't RECON considered an elite Marine?
AIt was when I was in the "Crotch", mid to late 60's, my brother prior to that, my dad the 20's, the real old corp. Like Ebert points out, we've seen this in dozens of tough guy war films. Some of the scenes work but what I know is that to become a Marine Corps officer is every bit as hard a the enlisted mans training. Casting the young Lt. as a loose wuss was a huge technical mistake, can't believe it, I never saw any officer that was a candy ass; and this elite group of recon without disipline is really hard to fathom. To get to be in Recon is tantamout to wanting to be in todays more popular and recognized Navy Seals. Those grunts that we're defiant of authority would have got some retraining in a Navy Brig....
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